Cottage Re-build: Lakehouse Bungalow

Updated: Dec 10, 2021

This cottage remodel is for friends of mine so I was quite excited to work with them! Let's take a look at the thought process in designing a lake home to fit their space and needs.

The old cottage has been in the family for quite some time so the thought of tearing it down and starting fresh is sometimes a difficult process. However, the end result is turning into exactly what they need for family time by the lake! As you can see, gaining space and designing a home to fit the new lot had great potential.

The goal for this couple was to turn their summer cottage into a year-round home. The basic desired features for the new place were a garage, a bonus area in the trusses, and an open main floor with great views. They also wanted the main bedroom at the lake level and two other bedrooms in the upstairs bonus area.

The concept that we worked through wasn't what they were expecting but we were very excited to present it to them and it created some unique design features. Our desire to design the best home for this lot brought us to this cozy, bi-level layout. The side-by-side image below will help you visualize as we talk through this floor plan. The plan is all based on an 800 square foot open kitchen-dining-living area, everything else functions as a result of that. The open kitchen-dining-living is located on the lower level to allow the family to easily walk out on to the patio and access the lake. Above this area is the two guest bedrooms and a full bath for them to use. We also added a mechanical storage room, a reading nook, and a bonus room to hangout or even add additional sleeping area if needed.

Back on the main floor we took advantage of the bi-level design and were able to give the master suite a 14 foot tall cathedral ceiling and a 14 foot tall closet. The rest of the main floor is 9 foot tall and the upstairs is 8 foot tall. Here is the finished home which perfectly captured the lake house/cottage look the homeowner was hoping for!