Great Lake Story - Mike Schaap Builders

Great Lake Story
Chapter One
Pier View Cottages, South Haven
Project Journal of Mike Schaap,
President Mike Schaap Builders, Inc., Holland
No Bluffing: A Rare Opportunity
Having built distinctive custom homes along Lake
Michigan and the greater Holland area for over
30 years, I’ve seen more than a few exceptional
waterfront views and one-of-a-kind lakeshore sites.
But how often does anyone see an opportunity to
design and build a custom home from the ground up
right on prime, no-bluff, Great Lake beachfront?
Pier View Cottages in South Haven offers five such
new home sites plus two available custom spec
opportunities in progress that blend the best of both
worlds: a personal sense of place and privacy on
Lake Michigan within a quintessential beach town
community, walking distance from vibrant shops,
restaurants and parks, the city pier and marina.
Pier View Cottages also offers the chance to build on
an extraordinary legacy.
Defined by a well-established hedge along Monroe
Boulevard, this 3.5-acre shoreline property just south
of the historic South Pier lighthouse was a prominent
family estate for more than 50 years. Envisioning
a new era of Great Lake gatherings and enjoyment
over generations to come, developers contoured the
estate’s steep bank into seven walk-out lots that
gradually slope to Lake Michigan’s edge for easy
access to private beachfront and
are stair-stepping sites from
north to south to ensure every
home great panoramic views
of sunsets and the
lighthouse.
Exclusive Custom
Home Collaboration
Uniting the caliber and quality of each custom Pier
View retreat is an exclusive role shared by our team
of varied specialists at Mike Schaap Builders, interior
design partners at Benchmark Design Studio and
visionary collaborators at Visbeen Architects, led by
Wayne Visbeen, AIA, IIDA.
Enhanced by a notable portfolio of shoreline
collaborations, respect for one another’s refined
attention to detail and combined drive to maximize
quality, the first speculation haven to emerge at Pier
View Cottages is designed to instill and inspire the
integrity of homes to come.
Builder Mike Schaap continues to share project progress
at Pier View Cottages in the Summer Issue of Michigan
BLUE. To learn more visit www.mibluemag.com. For more
information about Pier View Cottages, call (269) 673-7133.
ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING
COURTESY of Visbeen Associates, Inc.
Illustration by Gary W. Odmark
Great Lake Story
Chapter Two
Pier View Cottages, South Haven
Project Journal of Mike Schaap,
President Mike Schaap Builders, Inc., Holland
A Haven Awaits
The second you step across the threshold of 872
Monroe Boulevard, you’ve entered into a carefree
space, a haven from the mundane world of work,
everyday stress and worries. Here, a new chapter
begins.
Our team at Mike Schaap Builders customarily
spends a lot of time with prospective clients, helping
them imagine a magical house like this, perfect for
their unique family. Then our team exceeds those
original expectations by carefully managing the
design, time and budget.
But this lakefront home is being built on speculation.
We teamed up with the architectural firm, Visbeen
Architects, LLC., and co-created a compelling vision
of the most wonderful retreat we could imagine:
a family home that we would want to live in,
ourselves.
We and Visbeen have a long history of building
lakefront homes together. Way past the “asking
permission” stage, we complement each other’s
strengths and understand who’s responsible for
what.
Our relationship — from start to finish — means this
home is designed and built better, down to the last
detail.
Multi-Faceted Design
This is a home that can work for any family, from
children and teens to adults and their parents:
Elegant but practical. Spacious but cozy. Formal but
inviting. For solitude and company.
The developers considered family when they
contoured the land for effortless access to the water,
an unparalleled view of the lake and enough privacy
from neighboring houses.
Lead designer David Lorenz considered it when
developing the architectural plans for
the house, choosing shingle siding and
exposed rafters under the deep eaves
— the windows capture each of the
lake’s moods as the sky shifts from
light to shadow.
The team at Mike Schaap Builders
delivered quality every step of the
way and Benchmark Design Studio
is finishing the home perfectly, for
stunning, maintenance-free results
that are built to last.
Meticulous Thought
No matter where they roam,
everyone’s path leads back to the
kitchen, the heart of the home.
This kitchen is spacious, with plenty of room to
prepare food from patio cookouts to the holidays,
yet feels inviting. It’s designed for serving weekend
guests, positioned for effortless transitions into the
living room and dining room, or out to the patio.
Builder Mike Schaap continues to share project progress
at Pier View Cottages in the Fall Issue of Michigan BLUE
Magazine. To learn more, visit mibluemag.com. For more
details about Pier View Cottages, call (269) 673-7133.
Our team built this kitchen with everything placed
exactly where homeowners need it to
be — a wine sideboard, a professional
grade stove. A capacious refrigerator.
A bar to seat four. Storage just where
you’d expect it.
Benchmark chose the color
palette, with cabinets, tile, and
flooring a biscuit-and-ivory
canvas. The granite tops, stained
wine sideboard and decorative
range hood add subtle warmth to
the room.
This home will be walk-in
ready — outside of unpacking
your pajamas and beach towel,
stocking the fridge and rolling
out the welcome mat to this
carefree lakefront haven.
ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGs COURTESY of Visbeen Architects, LLC.
Great Lake Story
Chapter Three
Pier View Cottages, South Haven
Project Journal of Mike Schaap,
President Mike Schaap Builders, Inc., Holland
Stunning sunsets, the sound of waves and kids
on the beach, the feel of wind on shoreline walks —
it’s easy to see quality of life on Lake Michigan. But
quality of craftsmanship, like these glacier-made
waters, goes deep beyond the surface of what’s seen.
Expertise from the ground up with strict insistence
that each detail is done right from a project’s start
to finish ensures an end product that turns out right,
along with the quality of Great Lake life it was built
to provide.
To ensure that expertise, Mike Schaap Builders
functions as a team.
Testament to Teamwork
More than 35 veteran project managers, supervisors
and craftsmen on staff and the most highly-regarded
specialty contractors in West Michigan comprise
Mike Schaap Builders. Surrounding ourselves with
people in those areas who are the best at what they
do — from carpentry and architecture to landscaping
and interior design — enables our collective team to
achieve an unrivaled level of excellence.
Building a personal partnership with homeowners
from each project’s inception comes first.
At the forefront, and often in collaboration with
an established architect partner, we work with
homeowners through site conditions, site placement
and site preparation needs. For Lake Michigan
sites, this often includes performing soil borings
30 feet deep or more to gauge dune stability and
precise bearing capacity, and a diligent review of
home plans with select team members to uncover
challenges and opportunities before construction
begins.
Attention to Detail
One thing we know very clearly from talking to our
subcontractors, suppliers and other industry people
is that our very keen awareness of the details makes
each project crafted by Mike Schaap Builders stand
out in the end. It’s also a source of great inspiration
and pride when our subs tell us we hold them to a
higher standard, because we are constantly striving
to push the bar higher.
As part of our impeccable framing
process — before the first beam is set
or any wall is built — we laser check all
points of the foundation to ensure the
whole subfloor system will be level.
We believe you have to begin well to
end well. Depending on project size, a
site superintendent or project manager
tracks each fine detail and maintains
daily communication about each
project as they progress.
Case in point: As specialized builders
of Great Lake homes, we have a refined
perspective of shoreline weather;
rain doesn’t just flow downward in
Lake Michigan’s intense winds. To
Mike Schaap Builders’ Spring Parade Home, 742 Monroe in South Haven, just north along Lake
Michigan’s shore from seven new Pier View Cottage sites.
ensure a leak-free home, Mike Schaap Builders has
developed its own progressive method of installing
and flashing windows, and each member of our
construction team is trained by this stringent
standard. Regardless of brand, we use only high DPrated windows whose design pressure measurements
for structural performance well exceed what’s
deemed necessary for withstanding expected wind
and weather conditions.
Of course, these qualities of craftsmanship don’t
make first impressions. Walking up to a Pier View
Cottage, what greets the eye are exterior details
like a metal roof and carriage-style overhead doors;
solid sawn cedar timbers and brackets; textured fiber
cement siding in an inviting cottage shade with crisp
white trim, and a beautiful stained wood front entry
with seeded glass.
But that’s ok with us. Builders enjoy a stunning
sunset, too.
Enjoy an expanded tour of the first custom-crafted Pier View
Cottage, 872 Monroe in South Haven on Lake Michigan, in
BLUE’s 2013 Winter edition. To learn more, visit mibluemag.
com. For more details about Pier View Cottages, call (269)
673-7133.
Photography courtesy Benchmark Wood Studio (above); Mike Schaap Builders (facing page)
Great Lake Story
Pier View Cottages, Final Chapter
872 Monroe Blvd., South Haven
Pier View Cottages Project Summary by Mike Schaap,
President Mike Schaap Builders, Inc., Holland
A Spec-tacular Beach Retreat
A great sense of satisfaction at Mike Schaap Builders comes
from working closely with our clients to fulfill their dreams on
an individual basis. But it also comes with the completion of
our first “available to own” home at Pier View Cottages, crafted
in collaboration with Visbeen Architects, LLC and Benchmark
Design Studio, Inc.
Recognizing the rare opportunity presented by this new masterplanned community’s exemplary Lake Michigan location, our goal
as exclusive design/build team was to honor the first of Pier View
Cottages’ seven sites with extraordinary living spaces that play to
all it offers.
Mike Schaap Builders’ long history of building quality custom
lakefront homes with award-winning Visbeen Architects enables
us to draw on the best of each other’s expertise: Artfully blending
design with architectural aspects, their innovative home designs
create a synergy that lets us take projects over the top.
Attention to detail is our extensive team of craftsmen’s forte,
and while Mike Schaap Builders exceeds the standards to ensure
solid structural stability along the shore, the team at Benchmark
Design Studio, led by Jodi Medina, incorporates distinctive design
elements throughout the meticulous build process.
The result on Lot 1 at 872 Monroe Blvd. in the nationallyrecognized port city of South Haven is a quintessential beach
house nestled along Lake Michigan, designed to accommodate any
family at every stage of life.
It also presents a clear vision of custom-crafted possibilities for the
few remaining available Great Lake sites at Pier View Cottages.
Gradually sloped by developers for easy access
to private beach, this Lake Michigan property
within sig ht of South Haven’s historic pier lig ht
is also within a leisurely stroll to downtown’s
inviting parks, restaurants, shops, museums,
pathways, farm market and bustling marina.
Opposite page: Warm and friendly tones were selected for the home’s exterior. Buff gray
castle rock helps define the beautifully tiered landscape leading up to the inviting front porch.
Large cedar brackets, exposed rafter tails, corbels and columns make a distinctive statement
on the home’s exterior, which features durable faux cedar shake fiber cement board, asphalt
shingles, upper-level board-and-batten and clad Eagle windows.
Fully finished and detached, the two-and-a-half stall garage features carriage-style overhead
doors and brushed nickel, lantern-style lights on the home’s front entry. It also conceals the
house’s two efficient cooling systems: Holland-based HVAC experts Baumann & DeGroot, Inc.
provided installation behind the garage to keep them out of sight and earshot from outdoor
living spaces (www.396heat.com).
Benchmark Design Studio Lead Designer Jodi Medina sourced Benjamin Moore for this shoreline haven’s main hue, “Baby Fawn,” complemented by trim
work in “Linen White” with ceilings in “White Dove.” The color palette provides a fresh backdrop for British West Indies-inspired décor that amplifies Lake
Michigan views and 8-foot, two-panel doors throughout the home that are stained a rich shade on the main level.
Uniquely designed to enhance outdoor
living between the foyer and dining room,
a U-shaped courtyard on the northwest side
is sheltered from prevailing Great Lake
winds, but still affords premier views
of sunset and South Haven’s historic pier.
A Real Sense of Welcome
“Although this community is called ‘Pier View Cottages,’ these
are lake homes in every sense of the word, but they’re efficient,”
notes architect Wayne Visbeen, AIA, IIDA. “They’re right-sized.
There is a great balance of exterior and interior space and a lot
of surprise in this charming lakefront home with its cottage-like
elements.”
From the moment you enter the glass-enveloped foyer, you’re
drawn to the Great Lake. An open floor plan making brilliant
use of high DP-rated, weather-resistant windows throughout all
three levels creates an organic quality to shoreside living, making
ever-changing aspects of Lake Michigan and shifting radiant light
integral to each space.
Seeing Both Sides
The main level features a Lennox Montebello SeeThrough fireplace from Baumann & DeGroot, Inc., a
valued provider of custom HVAC systems and the highest
quality, affordably-priced brand-name products. Shared by
the home’s outdoor courtyard and living/dining rooms,
the weather-tight unit vents indoors to retain heat but
lends glowing ambiance for gatherings beneath the stars
(www.396heat.com).
Outdoors, the courtyard’s dark charcoal, light gray fire­place
surround — provided by The Stone Mill Inc. —
is a custom blend of dark Tawas Bay limestone, indigenous
to Michigan.
“This stone is a natural thin veneer, which is real stone
cut to an inch-and-a-half in thickness,” notes Connie
Miller, who co-founded the Lakeview company with
her husband, Steve, a fourth-generation mason. “From a
design standpoint, it allows installation anywhere with no
footing required.” All of The Stone Mill’s various products
are quarried and fabricated in Michigan, including over
150-year-old Soo Locks Rock (www.thestonemillinc.com).
A clean, lakeside statement is made on the main level with DuCheateau whitewashed hand-textured European white oak floors in seven-inch-wide planks
from River Shores. This space also features a drop-off spot with wood top and leave-a-message bulletin board covered in fabric by Robert Allen.
Gracious Practicality
Comfortable and functional, the spacious
foyer includes an inviting bench seat flanked
on both sides by antique nickel sconces and
tall storage cabinets with louvered doors
finished in rich navy blue.
A glass table from Hooker Furniture and
its cushioned triangular ottomans from Lee
Industries carry out the “no blocked views”
theme — consistent throughout the home
— and provide additional seating, while an
antique nickel pendant light (pictured on
opposite page, below) hangs overhead. The
home’s distinctive furnishings were selected
and purchased from Benchmark Design
Studio.
Main Level Floor Plan
Architectural Renderings Courtesy of Visbeen Architects, LLC
T here is plenty of space
to share with friends and
family, yet the home also
offers unexpected areas of
private retreat.
Just off the main floor’s
front entry, an embracing
office becomes a serene spot
courtesy of an oversized
custom louvered barn door
that slides on a track system.
Furnishings selected by Benchmark Design
Studio here include an office desk and cabinet from Hooker Furniture, wall covering
from Ralph Lauren, a Surya rug, light and
circular mirror from Uttermost and upholstered seating by Sam Moore.
The airy warmth of this gracious kitchen’s cream
cabinetry is contrasted by a deeply stained range
hood and complementary dark wine bar sideboard.
Overhead hangs a pair of framed linen-shade lanterns
in polished nickel. “Cove lighting hidden in the tray
ceiling is all LED tape by WAC Lighting,” notes Mark
Jeltema of West Michigan’s Morden Electric Inc., who
wired the home (www.mordenelectric.com). “It’s a
unique product offering low-glow mood lighting that
reflects onto the ceiling without revealing the light
source. It was also used under the kitchen cabinets.”
Lutron Diva dimmers were used as well so light levels
could be pre-set throughout the home. “Benchmark
Design Studio designed lighting for the home,” he
adds. “They were specific about the light loads they
wanted to control.”
Featuring a granite countertop, hardware by Top Knobs and
rich maple stain, the wine cabinet is a custom piece designed
by Benchmark Design Studio.
Heart of the Home
Designed for seamless transitions into the living
room, dining room and outside courtyard, the
spacious and inviting kitchen provides plenty of
space, including a roomy walk-in pantry, to prepare
everything from casual patio buffets to gourmet
holiday meals.
Stainless steel Viking Premium Professional appliances
— including a capacious French-door refrigerator
with lower freezer drawer, a range with a six-burner
stovetop and oversized oven — were selected from
Bekins Appliances & Electronics Inc. in Grand Haven,
ranked within the trade for 2012 as one of the U.S.’s
Top 100 custom electronics integrators (www.bekins.
us). The white Kohler undermount sink features
chrome hardware and plumbing fixtures. The stylish
tile inset above the range in “Cherry Cola” hue is
from Alyse Edwards’ Gigi Stix collection. The rest of
the backsplash is done in STI’s 3-inch by 6-inch Tala
Limestone, all from Virginia Tile.
Service from Bekins Appliances & Electronics doesn’t stop
with installation. Fully trained and certified technicians help
homeowners understand how to best care for their appliances to keep them running longer and more efficiently.
Savoring the Sights
Outside the window of the dining room, sunlight
and waves play along the nearby South Pier in South
Haven and its iconic red lighthouse. It’s easy to
imagine the naturally artful, ever-changing bounty of
views to savor seated around this Hooker Furniture
dining table, selected by the Benchmark Design
Studio team.
Here on the main level, you won’t find any viewobstructing walls. Rather, the fabulous beach-facing
living and dining rooms, kitchen and foyer are
defined by cleverly designed architectural elements
built into the home’s ceiling treatments. The sense
of space is further defined through smart and subtle
lighting installations, making purposeful use of
chandeliers, recessed light fixtures, cove lighting,
lamps and sconces to pick up where natural daylight
leaves off.
Light choices in this open space include rustic iron
and burnished wood chandeliers from the Murray
Feiss Adan Collection. The glass cocktail table is
by Woodbridge; sofas and chairs by Sam Moore, all
in Benchmark Design Studio’s British West Indies/
Lake Michigan-inspired palette of blues, creams and
taupes.
It’s all about capturing
the spectacular views
from almost every room.
T he varying levels and
heig hts of the ceiling
treatments and hidden cove
lig hting help define spaces
without walls.
The interior side of the courtyard fireplace
is inset between the living and dining spaces. Its surround is Malaga Cove Mahogany
Pearl in a sophisticated herringbone pattern
from Stone and Pewter Accents.
A Top-Tier Retreat
On the upper level, the star of the
exquisite master suite is a private
balcony with unobstructed views of
the lake. A coastal feel for this inviting
getaway space is expressed through
soft wall tones that make bold blue
and white bed coverings from Eastern
Accents a focal point.
Beyond a roomy walk-in closet offering
ample storage space, the master bath
features dual undermount sinks set
in granite countertop honed with an
eased edge. Dark stained cabinetry adds
richness against walls hued Benjamin
Moore’s “Wolf Gray.” Underfoot, Carrara
Matte tiles finish off the floor.
Upper Level Refuge
The upper bedroom level includes three of four
additional sleeping quarters and features “In the
Loop” carpet by Shaw from family-owned DeGraaf
Interiors, Inc., with showrooms in Grand Rapids,
Hudsonville and Cascade as one of West Michigan’s
largest retailers (www.degraafinteriors.com).
Each bedroom was designed to maximize window
placement and allow a scenic statement from every
vantage point. All bedding is by Eastern Accents and
JLA, selected by the Benchmark Design Studio team
to coordinate with each room’s distinctive Benjamin
Moore color scheme, which ranges from “Popcorn
Kernel” and “Shaker Beige” to “Richmond Gray.”
Along with timers on the bathroom exhaust fans,
Morden Electric installed Lutron Diva fan speed
controls for bedroom ceiling fans.
The extra-wide hallway offers its own surprises,
with full-size washer and dryer hidden behind one
of the oversized doors and a window seat lit by
sconces featuring a custom Duralee-fabric cushion
(pictured below) that beckons curling up with a
good book or stealing a moment of reverie inspired
by engaging shoreline vistas.
Upper Level Floor Plan
Architectural Renderings Courtesy of Visbeen Architects, LLC
Life Below Deck
The lower level — outfitted with stained and polished lowmaintenance concrete — is a haven unto itself. The private
beach and lake beyond create an ever-changing vista on
the other side of the glass-fronted great room and dining
area that leads out to the beach-level patio. The roomy
full bathroom includes a walk-in shower and separate tub.
While children, tweens and teens alike will love retreating
to a cool, cozy bunkroom that sleeps four, a convenient
dressing room is also fully equipped to do laundry and
offers extra space to store beach paraphernalia. The space
also includes its own kitchenette so guests can enjoy their
own private sanctuary.
Michigan BLUE Magazine’s 2013 Great Lake Story
concludes with the completion of the first of seven
shore-side retreats at Pier View Cottages, which are being
designed and built exclusively by a team of industry
experts renowned for quality and proven lakeside
expertise. For more information, call (616) 399-9925.
To read Pier View Cottages’ full Great Lake Story beginning in Michigan BLUE
Magazine’s 2013 COTTAGES special edition, visit www.mibluemag.com.
Learn more about the exceptional skill and services provided by these
Great Lake Story vendors:
Baumann & DeGroot, Inc.
Bekins Appliance Inc.
Benchmark Design Studio
DeGraaf Interiors, Inc.
Mike Schaap Builders Inc.
Morden Electric Inc.
The Stone Mill Inc.
Visbeen Architects, LLC
(www.396heat.com)
(www.bekins.us)
(www.benchmarkdesignstudio.com)
(www.degraafinteriors.com)
(www.mikeschaapbuilders.com)
(www.mordenelectric.com)
(www.thestonemillinc.com)
(www.visbeen.biz)