Aerial view of a house with a dark blue roof, surrounded by green trees and a gravel driveway, with a red vehicle parked near the driveway and a patio area with outdoor furniture.

— NEW CONSTRUCTION | PROTECTED WETLANDS

The Fennville

Lakehouse

An aerial view of a modern house with a metal roof, surrounded by green trees, with a gravel driveway leading to the house, and a small patio area with outdoor furniture.

PRACTICE AREA

Custom Residential

LOCATION

Fennville, MI

SCOPE

New Construction | High Performance Envelope | Custom Millwork

RECOGNITION

Featured in Luxe Interiors + Design

— THE PROJECT

A house designed like an airplane wing,

built so precisely

it reads perfectly true.

The site presented every obstacle a lakefront build can: a partial wetland on a heavily wooded parcel, set directly above Lake Michigan and exposed to constant wind, humidity, and standing water. The brief asked for a strong, modern house in organic materials — one that commands its setting and still belongs to it. The envelope was engineered to meet the climate first. Ipe, a dense tropical hardwood, meets charred-cedar Abodo at the corners in butt joints so precise the transition reads as a single material. Each board is tongue-and-groove rather than lapped, interlocked along its length, and every course holds true vertical across walls that rise thirteen and fourteen feet — over a concealed waterproofing assembly resolved long before the first plank was set.
None of that effort is visible from the street, which is precisely the intent. Ipe soffits run continuously across the underside, and a boardwalk of several hundred individually cut boards is laid side to side so the lines remain unbroken around every corner. The lakeside glazing appears to be single, uninterrupted panes. Each opening is in fact two units stacked and aligned to the millimeter, one an operable door of a different frame and dimension, held flush at the sill so the joint vanishes. The multi-slide, three-panel door is large enough to have required a crane to set, as did much of the surrounding glass.
Indoors, the same discipline disappears into the details. The house is set on a deliberate rake — its section likened, in the field, to an airplane wing — so every run of custom white-oak millwork was cut fractionally out of square to read perfectly level, and the bunk-room window was offset by inches to sit symmetrical to the eye. Floor registers were milled from matching white oak, receptacles were located beyond any standing sightline yet within easy reach, and custom fixtures were positioned along a sloping ceiling to align in a single clean run above the dining table. White-oak doors, flooring, and trim arrived from separate fabricators and were matched until they read as one.
A single composed photograph conceals roughly a hundred such decisions — none of which is meant to be seen.

— CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION

One photograph can hide a hundred decisions. This is where they show — custom jointed siding, the hand-edged bar tile set one piece at a time, the trimless fry-reglet windows, and the framing-stage geometry that let a leaning house read perfectly square.

The property is a protected wetland and required permitting by the State of Michigan environmental and public health agencies.

Erecting the structure during Michigan winter.

Large format windows of various sizes and operations canvassed the structure.

Custom fabricated, operable doorways installed at over 10ft nin height. They must be strong enough to withstand Michigan weather yet light enough to use with ease.

Two men outdoors in a snowy area, looking at a large map. One man wears a black hoodie with snow on it and dark pants, the other wears an olive green jacket with a hood and tan cargo pants. There are leafless trees in the background.

Construction site in winter with two people working on a building, wooden structures, tools, and snow on the ground, with leafless trees and blue sky in the background.

Confirming details again in the dead of Michigan winter.

A structure coming to life in Pure Michigan.

A group of people working together on a construction site beside a dirt road surrounded by lush green trees.

The lot was remotely set in a heavily wooded area, over a bridge (no really), and onto a lake bluff. Materials delivered by manpower.

Facade installations required seamless transitions between several materials, rising 14ft to the roofline.

Flush reveal mouldings rising 10ft, perfectly plumb with zero tolerance for variations.

Architectural railing detail, custom fabricated on site by our trim carpenters.

Custom fabricated railing detail, progress installation.

A man kneeling on the floor, working on installing or repairing a tiled wall in a room under construction or renovation. He is surrounded by paint buckets, tools, and other construction materials.

A woman sitting at a desk with several stacks of papers, a box labeled "Kohler" on the front, and a binder with blue covers. She is wearing a light blue hoodie, has long dark hair, and is focused on something in front of her. Behind her are wooden shelves and a tall, narrow window.

A person installing a small white perforated metal frame onto a wall with hands, with a window and trees outside in the background.

A man with a beard, wearing a black t-shirt, dark pants, and work boots, holding a smartphone, stands inside an unfinished building with wooden siding, looking outside through an open window. Construction materials and boxes are nearby, and the outside ground is dirt.

Three men working on installing a staircase in a home. One man is standing on the left, another is kneeling on the right, and the third is sitting in front of the staircase.

Interior of a construction site with wooden furniture in progress. Work tools like drills, a ruler, and clamps are on the furniture and work surfaces. There's a large piece of wood with holes drilled in it, possibly for a handrail or molding, and construction materials are scattered around.

Using our standard operating procedures, Integro meticulously catalogued each and every finish material.

Custom tile, spanning months of installations.

A person wearing a black glove is using a black tool or device to clean or scrub the corner of a black picture frame or similar object on a light-colored wooden surface.

Custom fabricated architectural metalwork, producing a continuous shelf above the bar and eliminating any structural support grids in between. Details felt, but not seen.

— PROJECT IMAGERY

An aerial view of a house with a dark blue roof, surrounded by trees and greenery. There are two outdoor seating areas on a gray stone patio, a winding pathway, a lawn, and a parked red vehicle.

A beach with waves crashing on the shore, a rocky cliff with greenery, and houses among the trees, under a cloudy sky.

Modern house with black and wooden exterior, large windows, and a gravel pathway leading to the entrance, surrounded by green grass and trees.

Modern black and wooden house with large windows, outdoor patio chairs, and dining area surrounded by a lush green yard and trees under a partly cloudy sky.

Group of five people sitting around a fire pit on a patio, adjacent to a modern house with large windows, surrounded by green grass and trees.

A modern house with large windows, illuminated from the inside, situated among tall green trees during dusk or night.

Modern house exterior featuring wood paneling, large glass doors, and small garden plants with a gravel pathway.

A split view of a modern home interior showing a corner with a white wall, dark floor tiles, a landscape photograph, and part of a stair. The other side shows a kitchen with wooden cabinetry, a hanging light, large glass doors leading to a patio, and

Interior view of a modern home living space with large windows showing an outdoor view of trees and water, wooden flooring, and minimalistic furniture.

Modern kitchen with light wood cabinetry, a white island, black pendant lights, and large glass sliding doors leading to an outdoor patio and greenery.

Modern kitchen with a white island counter, black chairs, a stove with a blue pot, light wood cabinets, a white tiled backsplash, pendant lights, and a vase with flowers on the counter.

Modern house with black and wooden exterior, sliding glass door, patio furniture with pillows, planted garden with small shrubs, rocks, and mulch in foreground, and trees in the background.

Modern kitchen with light wood cabinetry, black handles, gray tiled floor, and a black glass-fronted refrigerator. A small wooden bookshelf with books is on the left, and a black shelf with wine glasses is on the right. White walls with artwork, a mi

Open-concept living room and kitchen with wood floors, white walls, and modern furniture. A woman is walking near the fireplace, which is filled with firewood. The room has artwork, greenery, a sofa with patterned pillows, a floor lamp, and large win

Living room with a beige sofa, a black fireplace, a wooden side table with black legs, a modern floor lamp, and large windows showing greenery outside. There is a book open on a round brown table in the foreground.

A modern dining room with large windows showing green trees and a view of the ocean. The room has beige chairs around a black dining table, tall black candlesticks, and a potted plant. The ceiling has wooden accents and hanging light fixtures.

Indoor view of a modern home with sliding barn doors, overlooking a patio with outdoor furniture and trees by the water.

Living room with a beige sectional sofa, a white lamp, bookshelves with books and decorative items, a black circular coffee table with a potted succulent plant, blue accent wall in the background, visible parts of the dining area and kitchen with bar

Bedroom with four bunk beds, a window showing greenery outside, bookshelf with children's books, and toys on the window seat.

A bedroom with four bunk beds, each with white bedding and black-and-white polka dot pillows, positioned around a window with a view of green trees and grass outside. Toys and stuffed animals are on the window ledge.

A modern bedroom with a blue wall, white furniture, a beige armchair with a blanket, a white bed, and some scattered children's books on a rug.

Bedroom with a white bed, decorative pillows, a nightstand with a lamp, green plants, and an open closet door revealing a bathroom with a shower and a sink.

View from a bed looking out a window with black metal frame, showing a wooden building, trees, and greenery outside.

A bedroom with large windows showing green trees outside, a bed with white bedding, a black dresser with decorative items, a mirror, a lamp, and a sitting area with a wicker chair and beige cushion.

View from a bedroom window showing trees, a grassy area, a lake or ocean, and two Adirondack chairs on the shore. Inside, there is a gray armchair with an open book, a tall floor lamp, a small round side table with a vase of flowers, and a textured b

Modern bathroom with white vanity, black tiled shower area, large window with greenery outside, and decorative plants and toiletries.

Modern bathroom with white double sink vanity, black-framed windows showing green trees outside, wooden door, and black tiled wall on the right with a reflection of the room.

Laundry room with green cabinets, washer and dryer, laundry baskets, plants, and a person outside seen through a glass door.

Modern two-story house with large windows, wooden accents, and outdoor patio with people sitting and talking, surrounded by green trees and grass at dusk.

Modern two-story house with large windows and an outdoor seating area, surrounded by trees at dusk.

Modern house with black and wood exterior, large glass windows, surrounded by green lawn, trees, and overlooking a body of water in the background.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM ROSSITER

CINEMATOGRAPHY BY UMAULT

PRACTICE AREA

Custom Residential

This project lives in our Custom Residential practice, where "simple" is the hardest thing to build. A demanding site and an exacting modern design met a builder who works the geometry out at framing, not after the finishes arrive.

EXPLORE CUSTOM RESIDENTIAL

Cultured Cottage