Lost & Found

Northern Home & Cottage Magazine Nov/Dec 2005
Written by Rachel Sturtz | Photography by Todd Zawistoski
After losing their new home in a fire, a Leland couple rebuilds in the same, timeless, timber frame style.

Bob and Katie Roberts wanted their new home north of Leland to feel like it had been in their family for generations. With four children and five grand babies between them, plus a collection of heirlooms, they needed generous rooms. Yet they didn't want to sacrifice the warm, intimate lifestyle they're fond of. When Bob's brother-in-law suggested a timber frame design for its large, unobstructed spaces, its Old World appeal and energy efficiency, the Roberts knew it was what they wanted. The couple hired contractor Dave Christenson through Riverbend Timber Framing to design and build their home.

Work began in 2001 on a timber frame home outfitted with hammer beam trusses-a stepped arrangement of short beams and support braces that adds a handsome decorative touch to the vaulted ceilings. During the construction, the Roberts tossed a silver dollar into a column bed for good luck.

That house was never finished. In January 2002 the Roberts were a month away from moving in. Finishing touches on the trim were underway, and all of the cabinets had been hung, when the home burned to the ground. Four inspectors couldn’t explain the fire, and everything was burned but one garage wall—that and the silver dollar that Christenson’s son discovered in the rubble. The couple took it as a sign that all wasn’t lost, and decided to rebuild a replica of the lost house.

Three years later, the fire is history, and the Roberts’ home is resurrected on its tree-covered hillside overlooking Lake Michigan—right down to the silver dollar. Only now it is no longer buried at the base of a column. Instead, the Roberts had the coin embedded in the oak crossbeam that spans the entrance to the living room. Engraved next to it are the words: The Phoenix.

Beyond the crossbeam, the house opens up to a generous main floor. Warm blends of Cherry, oak and timber soften oversized windows that look out to Lake Michigan’s western horizon. Sunlight enters through open trusses of the hammer beam design, brightening even the honey colored timber crisscrossing the ceiling two stories up.

The home’s perch above Lake Michigan makes the view spectacular all seasons of the year. But the innate warmth of the timber frame design, a massive stone fireplace that stretches two stories high, and handcrafted elements scattered throughout the house, all make it especially inviting in winter. In the kitchen, hand assembled alder cabinets grace the back wall. A jigsaw of Brazilian cherry and oak wood makes up the staircase and curved handrails on the second level balcony that was pieces together on site. The commanding front door is heavy oak, made by Ed Hammer of Wooden Hammer and fabricated from thick oak and antique leaded glass windows the Roberts had collected years ago.

Family heirlooms displayed artfully by Katie, accentuate the home’s warm, timeless ambiance. Painting of her mother from the 1920’s and 1930’s by Seattle artist Jakob Elshin hang above the fireplace in the great room, in the dining room, and in the bedrooms. Japanese drawings from WWII, an antique map table and Katie’s grandmother’s love seat outfit a second floor alcove. Family photos—some old, some more recent—line the stairway.

Truly, this is a home that feels cherished and lived in for decades. If the Roberts didn’t tell you, you’d never know it had so recently risen from the ashes.