Union Pier Residence
Sector
Lake Michigan Residential
Location
Union Pier, Michigan
Year
2016
Design Team
John Allegretti, Dave Johnson & Abigail Gatzka
Photographer
James Yochum
The renovation of a 1920’s vintage three-bedroom cottage, one bedroom detached guest house and the addition of a pool, hot tub, koi pond, and the further addition of a four bedroom suite two-story pool house with a screen porch, living area, pool room, mechanical space, entry, stair, garage, and beach/pool bath.
Initially, along with a pool house, the owner requested that the pool be placed in the front yard space, where pools are prohibited by the Chikaming Township Michigan zoning ordinance. The family hoped the renovation would enable their whole multi-generational family to enjoy the home, with its various amenities, year-round, strengthening this close-knit family.
A wide south side yard on the 100’x441’ lot allowed the pool house to be connected to the main house, while creating a new front yard designation and providing space for the pool and pool house. The pool house overlooks the renovated main home, highlighting a spectacular view of the pool and Lake Michigan. The traditionalism expressed in this project mimicked the historic context of the existing home as well as the owner’s family’s aesthetic vision. The existing structures were additionally reinforced by the establishment of a visual sight line through the pool house to the front door of the 1920’s cottage.
Historic in its overall aesthetic persona, the new pool house is functionally sustainable, naturally cooled and geothermally heated and incorporates R50 SIPs roof panels, R40 walls, coupled with low-E glazing, two-inch rigid slab and foundation insulation. Four-to-six-foot overhangs with high emissivity galvanized steel roofing and sustainably harvested knotty pine form an energy efficient home. LED lighting and no VOC natural finishes were also used extensively throughout and provide a relaxing, healthy environment for four generations of friends and family.