The Woodland Residence is a rectangular single story house surrounded by native trees, grasses and ferns and located on an eight acre site with private pond in southwest Michigan.
The home is sited on a slight ridge elevated from the surrounding protected wetlands, allowing an orientation that gives the building privacy from the road and permits views from the major rooms towards the nearby pond.
The client’s request for a modest and low maintenance weekend home resulted in a long linear building with private master and guest suites at opposite ends of the living, dining and kitchen area. The post and beam structure cantilevers from the building to protect the entries and shade the floor to ceiling living room windows. The exterior is clad in shou sugi ban (charred) finished wood siding.
The interior palette is simply finished with gypsum board walls and ceilings and polished concrete floors with radiant heating. The flat roof keeps the building low, allowing rain water to be shed back to the site.
Two screened porches provide protected vantages for viewing nature. The larger one, open on three sides, is located off the guest suite; a smaller screened-in patio is adjacent to the kitchen.
The main axis through the house provides views from end to end and can be closed off by hidden pocket doors to provide privacy for the master and guest suites. The guest suite contains a separate, more intimate space that can be used for reading or watching television.
Large windows in the master suite's bedroom and bathroom provide views to the private woods beyond.
The guest suite's bedroom has large windows that overlook the pond while skylights over the bathroom fill the space with natural light and provide privacy.
Credits
General Contractor: Caron Custom Homes
Structural Engineer: Enspect Engineering
Photographer: Tom Harris