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Having It All

Timber Homes Illustrated,
Winter 1999
Written by Stacy Durr Albert | Photography by Roger Wade
A Michigan home combines traditional construction with modern technology

Most people don't consider automotive skills a key factor in choosing a timber-frame company. Yet the owners of this breathtaking home aren't like most people. Living so close to Detroit, they realized that the precision required to make automobiles could easily carry over into building a timber frame.

"I was very impressed that some of the staff members at Riverbend Timber Framing had extensive automobile factory experience," says the owner, describing the Blissfield, Michigan, company that built his timber frame. "Precision is extremely important in the timber-frame industry. I really felt that they knew exactly what they were doing."

Looking at the 14,000-square-foot home, it seems that the owner knew what he was talking about. Filled with graceful curved braces and intricate woodwork, the custom oak frame is everything the owners had hoped for. In addition, the home incorporates other natural materials, such as fieldstone floors and cedar siding. With such a rustic look, it's hard to believe that the home is located so close to a large city.

"We used to think that timber homes were unique to the West," says the owner. "Yet once we realized hove much we liked them, we started to notice them in all of our travels. It was surprising to me that even in England these homes had such a presence. I woke up to the fact that this was a historic way to but d homes, a centuries-old building method that incorporated honest materials."

After looking at many timber homes in their travels, the couple decided to build their dream home right in Michigan, about 12 miles from Ann Arbor. Despite this proximity, the owner says the setting feels as if it is hundreds of miles away from it all. Sitting on 12 secluded acres filled with pine trees and a picturesque pond, the house offers views that are anything but urban.

Since they had taken so many photos of timber homes over the years on their travels, the owners had a pretty good idea of what they did and didn't want in their dream home. When they were ready to set their plans into action, the owners turned to architect Scott Hoeft of Brighton, Michigan.

"We knew we wanted to have lots of warmth in the home," says the owner. "Also, since we planned to live in the home year-round, we wanted it to be a bit more refined than some of the lodge-like homes we had seen. The arched curves of the frame take their influence from the Renaissance period."

The curves are also a reflection of the property itself, according to Hoeft. "The shape of the architecture evolved from the land surrounding the home," he says. "The structure really works with the environment, blending in with the gently rolling slopes to the pond below."
The layout of the home offers plenty of living space for the owners and their three teenage children. The main level features the entry hall, kitchen, dining room, home theater area, media room, and a two-story great room and master bedroom suite. The upper level of the home features a bridge that goes across the great room, a guest bedroom, and the three children's bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and loft. There is also a lower level in the home ? a recreation room, family room, exercise room, sauna area, guest room and a music room fill this conventionally framed level.

Despite the numerous rooms, no two are the same in size, shape or arrangement.

"It's amazing that in 14,000 square feet, the rooms are all so different," says Hoeft. "Each room has its own unique warmth and style."

One reason that the home really works, according to the owner, is that there was such a nice harmony between Riverbend Timber Framing and the builder, Stephen Davis of AdvanceCraft in Brighton, Michigan. "It ail comes down to good communication," says the owner. "Because it's so different from building a conventional home, there are certain perplexities that come along that make good communication an essential tool."

Another reason that the home feels so warm is the artful decorating inside. The owner did a great deal of it herself. She also worked with Kim Weder Designs of Ann Arbor to find just the right rugs, materials and other accessories. One of the owners' favorite places is the kitchen. Since they know how people always tend to congregate in this room ? no matter how big the home ? they decided to incorporate a special sitting area in the kitchen just for this purpose. It has proved to be the hottest spot in the home.

One of the most surprising things about the home is that it is packed with sophisticated electronics, the most noteworthy being a 400-square-foot home theater that includes a 100-inch video screen that raises from the floor, overhead video projection, state-of-the-art sound system, and a sun block shading system. When not in use, the entire system is concealed beneath the exposed timber frame, acoustical panels and wood flooring.

"I wanted to prove that you can still have a primitive house with modern electronics in it," says the owner, a professed electronics junkie. "The electronics, which are all concealed, allow us to control light, heating, security and more. In our media room, designed by Avio of Birmingham, Michigan, you can even lower the shades with the touch of a button. There are also six furnaces in the home, all controlled by computer."

The combination of historical construction and modern technology gives the home a feeling of timelessness. "It gave us such a feeling of comfort to take traditional materials and build such a beautiful place," says the owner. "There's something about working with the lasting quality of stone and wood, knowing that the materials will outlive us. The home is so comfortable and inviting that we feel like we are on vacation everyday!"