NEW CONSTRUCTION

Beach Getaway

Architecture + Design: Welcome Home Design Group

When zoning restrictions ruled out a conventional addition, the answer was to start over from the foundation up. We took the existing home down to its footing, kept the buildable footprint the ordinance allowed, and built back a house designed entirely around the view it sits in front of.

The result reads as a purpose-built coastal home rather than a renovation, because functionally that is what it is. Every system above the foundation is new, and every decision above it was made with Lake Michigan in the window.

Blue lakefront home rebuilt from the foundation up — custom home builder in New Buffalo MI

Front elevation of a rebuilt Lake Michigan cottage with bracketed porch — home construction in Lakeside MI

Paver patio and pergola off the lower level — outdoor living construction in Sawyer MI

Living room with stone fireplace and lit built-in shelving — custom interior finish in Bridgman MI

Galley kitchen with blue cabinetry and glass tile backsplash — custom kitchen build in St Joseph MI

Primary bedroom with tray ceiling and shiplap fireplace wall — lake home builder in Three Oaks MI

Shiplap fireplace wall opening to the lake-view slider — new construction in Benton Harbor MI

Building Within the Zoning Envelope

Lakeshore parcels in Berrien County frequently carry setback and lot-coverage limits that make expansion impossible, even when the homeowner owns plenty of land. This site was one of them. Rebuilding on the original foundation let us stay inside the envelope the ordinance permitted while giving the owners a home that functions nothing like the one that stood there before. Working to an existing foundation is unforgiving. The footprint is fixed before design begins, so every square foot has to earn its place, and the framing has to land exactly where the old structure did. We worked alongside the design team from the first sketches so the plan and the foundation agreed with each other before anyone ordered lumber.

Materials and finishes

Exterior

LP SmartSide trim and siding, chosen for how it holds up to wind-driven rain and freeze-thaw cycles this close to the water. Composite decking for the same reason — it takes lake weather and foot traffic without the annual maintenance cycle of wood.

Details

A custom stainless steel handrail, fabricated to suit the deck rather than ordered from a catalog. Stainless was specified deliberately: it is one of the few railing materials that will not show corrosion within sight of the lake.

Siting

The plan orients the primary living spaces and glazing toward the water, so the view is the first thing you see from the entry rather than something you go looking for.