Walloon Lake Great Lake Story 2019
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Buds are bursting, grass is greening, and as spring edges toward summer, Michigan’s Up North is coming alive. So is Liz and Mike Pulick’s Walloon Lake family vacation home, designed by White and Liebler Architects and built by Render Construction, with important elements added by Thomas and Milliken Millwork and Bulmann Dock & Lift.
Drive up to the home and you’ll see exactly the vision Nick Liebler intended: A view of the lake through the front entry that can be seen even from the roadside. Unlike some waterfront homes that obstruct the scenery, the Pulicks’ home complements it, becoming a natural extension and enhancing the beauty of the part wooded, part sun-kissed lot. In a word, it’s glorious.
The Pulicks attribute this specialness to the many craftspeople involved, from the exterior to the interior and every surrounding detail. “Their work ethic, artistic creations, excitement and just their ability to apply their craft made the house different — and better — than if they hadn’t been a part of it,” Liz said.
Unlike some waterfront homes that obstruct the scenery, the Pulicks’ home complements it, becoming a natural extension and enhancing the beauty of the part wooded, part sun-kissed lot.
The home’s design is classic and timeless but also calm. The beams, which allow for its open floor plan, are one of many remarkable architectural features in the home. The woodwork is attractive, but not so intricate that it takes away from the beauty of the water and the home’s other inviting aspects.
For the interior woodwork, which also included the trim and stair parts, they contracted Thomas and Milliken Millworks Nick Liebler, Liz Pulick and the interior designer collaborated to select the individual components from the Millwork, which offers more than 2,500 knife patterns and represents some of the finest lines in the country.
Kent Strawderman from Thomas and Milliken has worked with Render Construction for about 10 years.
The plan Nick Liebler drew was very detailed and very well done. I have to give credit to both White and Liebler Architects, who were putting all the disparate parts together to create a unique look, and to Render Construction for taking the raw material and turning it in to a really spectacular finished product.
— Kent Stawderman
He provided the carpentry team and Jason Scheffler, Render’s site supervisor who coordinated it all, with samples and mockups to help bring to life what was on paper — and to help affirm Liz’s decisions.
“The plan Nick Liebler drew was very detailed and very well done,” Stawderman said. “I have to give credit to both White and Liebler Architects who were putting all the disparate parts together to create a unique look and to Render Construction for taking the raw material and turning it in to a really spectacular finished product.”
For lake living, just as critical as the home itself are the essentials that provide access to the water. Mike Pulick worked with Bulmann Dock & Lift for their dock and headhouse, which was custom built from the interior designer’s simple sketch. The headhouse canvas, which they also developed from the sketch, matches the color scheme of the house — creating a stunning view from the water as they approach their property.
“There are a lot of dock products and people out there, but I really got attached to Bulmann Dock & Lift early when I went to visit their facility in Boyne City,” Mike said. “It’s a family-owned business, and they make all the products locally, which was important to me.”
What the Pulicks appreciate is the dock is maintenance free and the material is relatively light, making it easy to get in and out of the water. All the pieces interlock, so they can change the configuration easily, once they’ve spent some time in the home. Bulmann Dock
& Lift adjusted the lift, specially designed the guides and added protective material around the posts — all to provide a smoother docking experience.
“Their customer service was over the top in terms of putting the dock in, customizing it to our needs and making small changes along the way once we got the dock in the water and realized what we wanted,” Mike said. “Working with them was terrific.”
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