Great Lake Story 2013: Pier View Cottages, South Haven
Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Final Chapter
A Haven Awaits
The second you step across the threshold of 872 Monroe Boulevard, you’ve entered into a carefree space, a haven from the mundane world of work, everyday stress and worries. Here, a new chapter begins.
Our team at Mike Schaap Builders customarily spends a lot of time with prospective clients, helping them imagine a magical house like this, perfect for their unique family. Then our team exceeds those original expectations by carefully managing the design, time and budget.
But this lakefront home is being built on speculation.
We teamed up with the architectural fi rm, Visbeen Architects, LLC., and co-created a compelling vision of the most wonderful retreat we could imagine: a family home that we would want to live in, ourselves.
We and Visbeen have a long history of building lakefront homes together. Way past the “asking permission” stage, we complement each other’s strengths and understand who’s responsible for what.
Our relationship — from start to finish — means this home is designed and built better, down to the last detail.
Multi-Faceted Design
This is a home that can work for any family, from children and teens to adults and their parents: Elegant but practical. Spacious but cozy. Formal but inviting. For solitude and company.
The developers considered family when they contoured the land for effortless access to the water, an unparalleled view of the lake and enough privacy from neighboring houses.
Lead designer David Lorenz considered it when developing the architectural plans for the house, choosing shingle siding and exposed rafters under the deep eaves — the windows capture each of the lake’s moods as the sky shifts from light to shadow.
The team at Mike Schaap Builders delivered quality every step of the way and Benchmark Design Studio is finishing the home perfectly, for stunning, maintenance-free results that are built to last.
Meticulous Thought
No matter where they roam, everyone’s path leads back to the kitchen, the heart of the home.
This kitchen is spacious, with plenty of room to prepare food from patio cookouts to the holidays, yet feels inviting. It’s designed for serving weekend guests, positioned for effortless transitions into the living room and dining room, or out to the patio.
Our team built this kitchen with everything placed exactly where homeowners need it to be — a wine sideboard, a professional grade stove. A capacious refrigerator. A bar to seat four. Storage just where you’d expect it.
Benchmark chose the color palette, with cabinets, tile, and flooring a biscuit-and-ivory canvas. The granite tops, stained wine sideboard and decorative range hood add subtle warmth to the room.
This home will be walk-in ready — outside of unpacking your pajamas and beach towel, stocking the fridge and rolling out the welcome mat to this carefree lakefront haven.
Builder Mike Schaap continues to share project progress at Pier View Cottages in the Fall Issue of Michigan BLUE Magazine. To learn more, visit mibluemag.com. For more details about Pier View Cottages, call (269) 673-7133.
