2022 Fall Home Magazine

MAGAZINE Home

BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP

FALL DESIGN TIPS

Designers

BOOTLEGGER BOATHOUSE

UNIQUE INDUSTRIAL FARMHOUSE BUILD

What

Home

Century-old Cape Cod cottage removed and renovated Bootlegger boathouse remains a guest cabin

Publisher: Devlyn Brooks dbrooks@dlnewspaper.com

Editor: Tris Anderson tanderson@dlnewspapers.com

Contributors: Michael Achterling Nathan Bowe Vicki Gerdes Barbie Porter Elizabeth Vierkant

Graphic artist: Mollie Burlingame mburlingame@bemidjipioneer.com

Cover Photo: Vicki Gerdes

‘We pretty much gutted it’

Ongoing renovation project on South Shore Drive

Building from the ground up

Eric and Marla Siegert began designing their own home in 2020

From campground to dream home

Unique Lund home is built in the ‘industrial farmhouse’ style

Fall design tips

Welcome fall into your home with these design tips

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Kevin and Joy Reski recently built a new home on East Shore Drive, Detroit Lakes.

BOOTLEGGER Legendary

boathouse

Century-old Cape Cod cottage removed and renovated to a cozy lakeside retreat; the bootlegger boathouse remains a guest cabin

BY BARBIE PORTER Fall Home

The newly-built house owned by Kevin and Joy Reski on East Shore Drive in Detroit Lakes may be a draw for dreamers on the Damien Home Tour who want a modern abode on the lake, as well as history buffs.

When the Reskis purchased 1558 East Shore Drive in 2014, the house on it was a century-old Cape Cod cabin with cedar shakes and shiplap siding. There was also a legendary boathouse known to bootleggers and party-goers.

Photos by Barbie Porter

“The house had structure problems,” Joy said. “The cement (in the foundation) didn’t have rebar. There were steel support legs, but they were cranked as much as they could be to stabilize the cabin.”

Her husband added the flooring had warped to the point a ball could be set on the floor and it would roll to the wall.

“I was getting tired of fixing things every weekend,” Kevin said. “I figured we could chase the house around for another 100 years and laugh about it, or get it gone and enjoy the lake.”

Two years ago, the Reskis decided the time had come to start from scratch. On September 24, 2020, the cottage was removed. Kevin explained the new structure could be the same footprint as the original cabin, but if any additional space was added there would be more restrictions. So, they decided to keep the same square footage, but with better use of space.

HEATHERBRILL

“I figured we could chase the house around for another 100 years and laugh about it, or get it gone and enjoy the lake.” - Kevin Reski

They found house plans online that fit their footprint and called Franklin Fence for a price estimate. They said the lumberyard, which is based in Vergas, offered to draft the plans if they purchased the lumber through them. The offer made the decision an easy one for the Reski family.

“We asked for a deck, brrrp, done; wanted these kinds of rails added, brrrp, done,” Kevin said. “It was all brrrp, done, and then here is the list you need to buy to build. It was that easy.”

For those enjoying the tour, the striking beauty of the Appalachian pine luxury laminate offers a warm welcome to the threebedroom, three-bathroom home. As eyes are drawn to the large windows on either side of the main living space, visitors will see how a unique open space concept is tied together with the kitchen as the centerpiece.

“For me, the kitchen was the most important part (of the new house plans),” Joy said. “I’d seen kitchens that had islands but only on one side. I thought, why not two islands?”

The kitchen islands are a bright blue that is accentuated by earthy tones surrounding them.

“I like blue, and wanted to be bold,” she said, divulging a pillow with a beach scene on it provided inspiration for the color motif.

In the center of the kitchen island, facing the living room, is a pot rack hanging from the towering ceiling. Under it, the stove. Joy ordered the appliance from a friend’s store. After it was installed, she grabbed a pizza and opened the oven door.

“It was blue inside,” she said. “I never told him that (blue) was the (kitchen) island color. We call that a popcorn miracle.”

The other island counter faces the dining area and is where the sink and dishwasher are located. Off to the side of the kitchen is a butler’s pantry with plenty more cabinets and counters, as well as a main floor washer and dryer.

“For me, the kitchen was the most important part (of the new house plans). I’d seen kitchens that had islands but only on one side. I thought, why not two islands?”

Joy Reski

The kitchen island at the newly built East Shore house is the focal point in the open concept design.

“We went with white for those cabinets,” Joy said, noting too much blue would’ve pulled away from the kitchen island being the centerpiece.

Kevin was pleased with the ease of getting the cabinets made to order. He said they simply brought in pictures from a magazine of the style they liked to Shannon Cabinets in Frazee “and brrrp, it was done.”

As for the countertops, Joy said they previously had granite but opted for quartz this time; the reason being less maintenance. She explained quartz is lowmaintenance and easy to clean.

“You only have to worry about putting something hot on them,” she said, adding that may cause discoloration.

The large dining room area on the sink-side island counter leads to the lakeside patio door. A step outside provides another gathering space with a stamped concrete patio, they declared it their favorite space. In addition to another seating area, the outdoor patio boasts a natural gas grill and fridge that are built into cabinets and a sink that is plumbed for hot and cold water. A pergola covers the area that offers views of the lake and a large fire pit encircled by a century-old rock wall that extends to the famed boat house.

The outdoor living space is covered by a pergola.

The Reski patio includes a natural gas grill, fridge, plumbed sink and plenty of counter space.

The boat house was originally built as a logger’s cabin, or as rumor has it, for bootleggers. Kevin noted in the 1920s, their property was connected to four adjacent properties. The plentiful land was home to many gatherings and even had a tunnel.

“From what I heard it was party central," Kevin said, noting the tunnel starts at the neighbor’s property and exits near the boathouse. The boathouse was built in 1922 and offers 528 square feet inside a stucco wall structure that is blended with a stone base. The bottom floor is used for storage of lake toys. The upstairs provides a one-bedroom guest cabin that includes a living area, kitchenette, bathroom and inspiring views of the lake.

Much like the boathouse, the house also has a basement. The Reskis utilized that space to create a four-car garage with heated floors. The area also offers a cozy cove for Kevin to catch a game on the TV or strum his guitar and a man’s bathroom. v

John Mueller

The boathouse on Big Detroit offers comfy living quarters for guests at the Reski property on East Shore Drive.

“From what I heard it was party central.” Kevin Reski

A beginner's guide to fall planting & maintenance

Spring and summer are perhaps the busiest times of year for gardeners. However, fall also is a prime time to tend to gardens.

The tree and bare root retailer Bower & Branch advises that soil temperatures in many regions of the country may still be warm enough to encourage root growth well into the start of winter. Furthermore, fall is often the ideal time to plant, fertilize and keep a garden going or to get a head start on next year's bounty.

Here

some tips to

the most

the

Think about fall annuals and bulb planting. Near the end of September, start planting coolweather-loving pansies and violas for pops of color as summer flowers fade. Also, it's a good idea to stock up on bulbs that will bloom in the months to come before they sell out in stores. Wait until the temperatures really cool down before planting them in desired spots for spring sprouts.

Sow salad seeds. Lettuce, spinach, radishes and arugula tolerate cooler temperatures. Try new and interesting lettuce varieties and enjoy salads well into the fall season.

Take inventory of the sun. Positioning a garden carefully means maximizing hours of sunlight, which begin to dwindle in the fall. Experts say gardens grow best in sunny locations that receive six hours of direct sunlight each day. This is where container gardens can be helpful, as they allow gardeners to move plants into spots that will get ample sunlight.

Fill in landscaping gaps. Some fall plants can add color around the landscape and brighten up homes to add curb appeal. In addition to pansies and violas, asters, kale and chrysanthemums are fall blooms. Keep in mind that mums can come back year after year. So take them out of those flower pots and get them into the ground. They can be enjoyed next year as well, sprouting in early spring and developing leaves and buds through late summer.

Clean up unwanted growth. Fall is an ideal time to cut back spent vegetable plants and get rid of errant weeds. Rather than bagging leaves, mow them with a grass catcher and then add the mix to a vegetable garden as an excellent soil insulator. The nitrogen and carbon will fertilize the soil, enhancing growing possibilities and limiting weed growth.

Propagate plants in the fall. As temperatures gradually begin to cool, start taking cuttings from perennials, gathering seed pods from azaleas and rhododendrons and dividing hardwood cuttings, says the resource Gardening Know How. Consult with a garden center or horticulturist on the proper ways to propagate stems using rooting hormone and other techniques.

Continue to water plants. Water is essential in the fall and winter as roots can still be growing. Gradually reduce watering duration as plants go dormant.

John and Kristi Slininger are all smiles as they show off the remodeled kitchen .

Photos by Vicki Gerdes

‘We pretty much gutted it ’

Two-year, $300,000 renovation project on South Shore Drive home is still ongoing

BY VICKI GERDES Fall Home

The first thing that grabs you when you walk up to the main level of John and Kristi Slininger’s split-entry home on South Shore Drive is the view: Three sets of sliding glass doors open out onto a large back deck that overlooks the shore of Big Detroit Lake.

But the view wasn’t always as expansive as it is now.

“We took out a broom closet at the top of the stairs so we could see the lake better,” Kristi said.

“There really isn’t any area left untouched.”-

Kristi Slininger

“The deck only had one set of French doors,” said John Slininger, adding that they “converted three windows into sliding glass doors,” and “almost doubled” the size of the deck, making it a darker colored wood.

The expanded deck extends the entire length of the back side of the house, and wraps around one side slightly, with an external staircase at the end that leads down to the lawn. The master bedroom on the upper level also now has a sliding glass door leading out onto the deck.

But those are just the most obvious changes. Since purchasing the lake home from the Solheim family two years ago, on August 1, 2020, the Moorhead couple has spent about $300,000 renovating the 4,500-squarefoot structure to accommodate a blended family of four children.

“We pretty much gutted it,” John said.

“There really isn’t any area left untouched,” Kristi added. The previous owners had just two children, she noted, so a big part of the renovation involved adding two bedrooms — one upstairs, one downstairs — and renovating the existing three bedrooms, along with the bathrooms.

The Sliningers' 175 feet of shoreline along Big Detroit Lake includes a dock with two boat lifts, accessible by a set of stone stairs.

“We went from a 2½ bathroom house to a fourbathroom house,” said Kristi. “The guest bathroom by the kitchen was expanded from a half bath to a full bathroom by adding a tub/shower. Then in the basement, we added a new bathroom in one of the huge closets that we had for the bedroom. So now it’s an en suite bedroom/bath/walkin closet.”

A large tub was removed from the master bedroom as well, and replaced with a large walk-in shower stall, including six electronically-controlled shower heads.

“We’re shower people,” Kristi explained.

They also leveled out the formerly sunken living room to make the entire living/ dining room and kitchen area one level, as well as taking out a small half-wall and moving the fireplace to the center of the room rather than the corner.

The kitchen area was also extensively renovated, adding a larger pantry and removing a large, wrap-around island, replacing it with a smaller island at the center that makes the kitchen more easily accessible from the dining area.

Heading downstairs via the split-level entry, there is a small detail that might go unnoticed at first: The stairs have tiny LED lights running up the edges on both sides. The addition of the lights, which the couple did themselves, was described as “a labor of love” that took many hours for them to complete.

The Sliningers did a lot of the renovations themselves, especially the woodwork and sheetrocking, but they also had some help.

“We are big believers in supporting our local businesses and everyone we hired was from the DL area,” Kristi said.

The Sliningers replaced a large tub in the bathroom off the master bedroom with this walk-in shower, which is controlled electronically.

“We are big believers in supporting our local businesses and everyone we hired was from the DL area.”

- Kristi Slininger

Design 2 Sell and Allure, both owned by Skye Fingalson, were their “go-to” businesses for flooring, tile and countertops, Kristi said, as well as for most of the furniture. “They did all the decorating for us,” she added.

All of the doors, siding and other wood materials were purchased through Lumbros. Most of the wood on the lower level is cedar, and on the upper level, walnut.

The plumbing work was done by Seaberg Plumbing and Heating. Eric Melby did their HVAC work, and Code One did all the electrical work.

Mike Summers and his crew from Summers Construction “were our construction partners with all the ‘big jobs,’ like raising the sunken living room and installing all the new doors,” Kristi said, while Matt Wimmer did all the metal work, including the railings, entertainment center and metal countertops in the wet bar that were installed on the lower level.

The home theater setup in the Sliningers' basement includes a projector system with a large movie screen that can be lowered from the ceiling via remote. There are also blackout blinds on the windows that can be lowered when using the screen.

Speaking of the basement, the main living area has been turned into a comfortable home theater, with a large sectional couch and a huge movie screen that can be lowered down from the ceiling by remote when they want to use it. When they don’t, there are multiple windows looking out over the lake, with blinds that can be raised when they want to admire the view, or lowered along with the screen when they’re watching their favorite shows and movies. A full kitchen and wet bar were added to the basement as well.

Though the Sliningers aren’t yet year-round residents of Detroit Lakes, as two of their four children are finishing high school in Moorhead (the other two have graduated), they eventually plan to make their lake home into a year-round residence.

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The Sliningers' master bedroom includes sliding glass doors that lead out onto the home's back deck, which overlooks Big Detroit Lake.

The stairs leading down to the basement (and another set leading upstairs) in the Sliningers' split-level entryway have LED lights on both sides, which the couple installed themselves.

With that in mind, John said their two-year renovation project isn’t done yet. “We’re still working on it.”

They plan to do some work on the front side of the house, including new garage doors, a larger support column and replacing the front steps and front door. On the other sides of the house, they want to add electrical outlets for the deck, and replace some siding, John added.

They also plan to do some landscaping work on their quarteracre lot next summer and replace the driveway as well.

Some things, such as the existing triple-paned windows on the back side of the house, were removed and used elsewhere, and they did as much of the work themselves as they could.

Though they’ve had a big budget for the renovation, Kristi said it’s still important to set limits and stick to them.

“Everything costs more than you think,” she said, “and there are always surprises.”

“Know what you’re doing before you start, and be ready for some setbacks,” John added. v

Where great

“Know what you’re doing before you start, and be ready for some setbacks.”

- John Slininger

If

Annual Damien Home Tour

This year’s tour will showcase five beautiful homes, from cozy lakeside retreats to industrial farmhousestyle homes, there’s something for everyone. Four of the tour’s homes make an appearance in Fall Home magazine. To see the fifth home, and experience the homes in person, make sure to attend this year’s tour.

The Damien Home Tour, a fundraiser for the Damien Society, will take place Saturday, October 1 from 12:30-4 p.m.

The Damien Society is a group of Detroit Lakes area women devoted to community service and charitable giving. Established in 1950, the society is the driving force behind the Mitten Tree Project, which provides warm winter gear to local schools and nursing homes.

The society also supports other local causes and organizations through donations and volunteer efforts.

The Damien Home Tour, held annually during the first weekend in October, is the society’s largest fundraiser.

Tickets can be purchased at any of the homes on the day of the event. A map of the homes and their addresses will be included with the tickets.

Funds raised from the tour will benefit local charities.

The tour is self-guided, with members of the Damien Society welcoming ticket holders at any time during tour hours.

No children under 10 are allowed. Children over 10 must have their own ticket. Participants should wear socks and be prepared to remove their shoes.

This year’s tour sponsors include Bergen’s Greenhouses, Design 2 Sell and R&G Subaru.

At

Secrets to you hired a design pro

making your home look like

Photo spreads in home design magazines can be awe-inspiring. Quite often homeowners wish they could lift the looks right off the pages of magazines and transform their own homes into picture-perfect retreats.

It takes an eye for design to pull a room together—even with inspiration—and make it both functional and attractive. While hiring an interior designer is one way to go, homeowners can use some of the tricks and techniques the designers employ to do a remarkably good job of improving the interiors of their homes without such help.

Embrace texture

The colors used in a home can add impact, but designers often utilize various textures to create aesthetic appeal. A single color scheme can be enhanced by various fabrics. Consider a leather sofa made more cozy with chenille pillows next to a rustic side table. Figure out ways to incorporate a few different textures to add depth to the room.

Be careful with color

Many high-end homes showcase neutral shades that are enhanced by pops of color. If you like a rich, royal purple, leave room for other colors as well. Add touches of purple in vases, throw pillows and other accessories.

Also, many designers work in shades of three for room colors. There may be one main color for walls, another color for larger accents, such as couches and chairs, and then a third color that pops in accessories such as flowers, pillows and collectibles. These can be any colors, but the most muted tends to be the more abundant shade.

Add a bit of bling

Glittery items and metallics can add a touch of luxury feel to any space. A shiny table lamp, mirrors, a sparkling chandelier, and the like are easy ways to produce a high-end feel. Reflective surfaces also will cast light around the room, giving the illusion of a larger space.

Choose a big statement piece

Many homeowners make the mistake of filling a room with several small pieces of furniture that only contribute to clutter. Instead, look for a statement piece, which can be a cabinet, armoire or chaise. Mix and match large and small elements for a sense of balance.

Accessorize

Finish the room with accessories and flowers. When placing and hanging knickknacks and wall art, odd-numbered groupings often look the most cohesive and interesting. Experiment with different scales and heights for even more dimension.

When inspiration hits, take some cues from interior design pros to make spaces look like they belong on the pages of your favorite magazines.

The front patio area at the Siegert house in Detroit Lakes. The home is a newly built, custom-designed, 2,367 square-foot, single-level modern farmhouse with four bedrooms and 2 ½ bathrooms.

Building from the

ground up

Eric and Marla Siegert began designing their own home in 2020 and, by September 2021, they were living in their dream.

BY MICHAEL ACHTERLING Fall Home

It all started on a road trip to Bismarck. Marla Siegert, with her husband Eric navigating the country roads of Minnesota and North Dakota, began putting the couple’s dream home ideas to paper right from the passenger’s seat.

“I took a piece of paper, and Eric was driving, and I just drew on the paper, ‘how about this, how about that?’” said Marla Siegert.

Photos by Michael Achterling

They decided to build from scratch in Detroit Lakes and selected a lot in a new development just off South Shore Drive on Altavista Drive — a road that Google Maps has yet to discover.

In August 2020, they presented their new home ideas to Josh Strand, an architect at Eye For Design in Frazee. Siegert said they knew that August was too late in the season to begin construction of their home, but they wanted to get everything lined up so they could begin in the spring.

“He was so patient with me,” said Siegert. “He really didn’t change much of our design at all.”

She said the only thing they changed from Strand’s design was the master bedroom and bathroom. With Strand’s design, their bedroom would’ve been 19 feet wide on all sides, but, with some minor tweaking, the couple was still able to create a decently large bedroom with a larger-thanaverage bathroom and moderatesized walk-in closet, she said.

“He was so patient with me. He really didn’t change much of our design at all.”

- Marla Siegert

The exterior of the newly built Siegert home on Altavista Drive in Detroit Lakes.

The couple then needed a contractor to build their custom-designed home and reached out to local builder John Redding to bring their plans into reality.

With a $350,000 budget, they began construction of their new home in April 2021.

Siegert said they decided not to include a basement in their designs to save money and instead erected a large outbuilding on the property to store the family’s various watercraft, maintenance equipment and other items that people would typically store in their basements.

“As the costs started changing, it was less expensive to do a slab-on-grade,” she said.

By August 31, 2021, the house was finished; however, it was also slightly over-budget with a total price tag of $405,000.

But, none of that mattered to the Siegerts because they finally had their dream home.

It’s a 2,367 square-foot, single-level, modern farmhouse with four bedrooms, 2 ½ bathrooms and a three-stall garage. The exterior is off-white paneling, mixed with dark fixtures and accented by natural wood, and neutral tones.

A view from the entry area of the Siegert home. The modern farmhouse features vaulted ceilings and an open floor plan.

“What we decided was we wanted the farmhouse look and that’s what we have,” said Siegert.

She also said she'd heard some couples have gotten divorced over building a new home, but that wasn’t the case with her and Eric at all. In fact, she added, the most difficult choice the couple had to make during the entire process was what color to paint the walls. They went with Sherwin-Williams’ City Loft, which is part of their whitepastel collection and includes undertones of green, gray and gray-eige – a combination of gray and beige.

“Oh my god, I could not decide,” she said. “The problem with what I wanted was I didn’t want it to be too dark, I didn’t want it to look gray, and I didn’t want it to look brown, okay, how do you do that?”

“What we decided was we wanted the farmhouse look and that’s what we have.”

- Marla Siegert

She said she remembers showing Eric multiple color swatches

him saying that she was making this too hard.

“Finally, one day, the contractor sends me a text, Marla, paint, tomorrow, we need to know because I kept putting it off,” said Siegert.

For their floors, she said, they wanted something durable with neutral tones to help hide the heavily-shedded fur from their 5-year-old border collie-Australian shepherd mix, Bandit.

Siegert said both buying and building a home can be really stressful experiences, but the main difference is picking out everything during a build, whereas when purchasing a home the buyers are left with material and construction choices made by the previous owner.

When the couple moved in, she said, for the first week, they didn’t have any furniture because their new fixtures weren’t ready yet.

Bandit, a 5-year-old border collie-Australian shepherd stands on the neutral colored floor, which hides his heavily shed fur, at the Siegert house in Detroit Lakes.

ONE Electric

kitchen

- Marla Siegert

“It echoed in here,” said Siegert. But, the new household items would finally arrive and the couple began living in their own dream.

“It’s been a journey and it’s been fun,” she said. “I think the most nerve-racking thing about building a house when you are going with a contractor, who is private, and you are doing a custom-built house, you never really know what it’s going to cost. We actually did very well because the interest rates were only 2%.”

If they had started their project today, instead of last year, she doesn’t think the couple would’ve been able to build new due to the higher interest rates.

She also thinks it would be difficult to go back to just buying a home because her and Eric have gotten a taste of getting everything they wanted in a home. So, going back to purchasing what is available would be tough, she said.

Siegert said she would love to design and build another home in the future, but, for right now, the couple is going to enjoy exactly where they are at.

As far as tips for homeowners, Siegert said: “Less is more. If you stay simple, your house will be beautiful. It’s what you put in it is what makes it.” v

Engineered Designed Buildings

“Less is more. If you stay simple, your house will be beautiful. It’s what you put in it is what makes it.”

Jamie and Adrian Lund in their living room, decorated in the industrial farmhouse style.

From campground to

dream home

BY NATHAN BOWE Fall Home

Unique Lund home is built in the ‘industrial farmhouse’ style

From the 600-pound soapstone sink in the mudroom, to the gorgeous 7-inch-thick polished and heated cement-aggregate slab floor, to the classic lakehouse screen door in the pantry – the home designed by Adrian and Jamie Lund definitely fits into the “industrial farmhouse” style they love.

Photos by Nathan Bowe

“We wanted a house big enough to be comfortable, but not too big,” Jamie said. With about 2,300 square feet of living space and four bedrooms, the home fits the bill perfectly.

Industrial farmhouse style means open, inviting shelving instead of closed cabinets throughout the house. It means two queen-sized bunk beds built into a downstairs hallway, “just so people can crash if necessary,” Jamie said.

And it means a unique kitchen island made from four large interlocking automotive tool boxes from Costco.

“You can unlock them and do buffet lines or whatever,” Adrian said.

The kitchen also has a double restaurant sink, extra deep, with an industrial-sized sprayer. “My favorite thing in the house is my super duper sprayer,” Jamie said with a laugh.

The home is also designed to accommodate the wet towels, sandy feet and other things that go with lake living, she added.

“I don’t want to have to worry all the time,” she said. “We built this house to accommodate that.”

They live with their 23-year-old daughter, Mimi, on Bass Lake — which is actually connected to Big Pelican Lake on the south.

The centerpiece of the mudroom in the Lund home is this 600-pound sandstone sink, reclaimed from a college chemistry classroom.

A side view of the Lund home kitchen. Four automotive tool boxes form the base for the kitchen island, and can be unlocked and moved around to create a buffet line.

“I don’t want to have to worry all the time. We built this house to accommodate that.” - Jamie Lund

This hallway in the Lund home shows off the repurposed wood from an old dairy used on the walls. The slate chalkboard was rescued from an agricultural classroom at NDSU.

An older daughter, Lucy (Mazaheri) lives in Fargo with her husband, Mitch.

Adrian and Jamie Lund built their 2,300-square-foot, two-story home on a deep lake lot that has strong roots in Adrian’s family. It’s located at 23122 Pelican Bass Lane.

“Camper’s Point, it was called,” Adrian said. “It used to be a campground, and I camped here when I was a boy in the 1970s.” When the campground was sold off into individual lake lots, his dad bought several lots, including old campsite No. 10, which still has the original concrete camper slab and (now retrofitted) original electrical outlet. That lot is where Adrian and Jamie built their home.

“I finally got to build my dream house, right where I started,” Adrian said.

They had their neighbor and contractor, Chad Samson of Samson Construction Inc., build the house.

Much of the interior of the house features reclaimed oak and other varieties of wood from an old dairy building. “Chad, our builder, found it,” Jamie said. “We didn’t want new wood that looks old, we wanted old stuff.”

The second-story hallway is 5½ feet wide because, when you’re carrying things down a hallway, there’s never enough room and you keep bumping into the walls, Adrian said.

That extra-wide hallway also provides a lake view, all the way from

the cozy bedroom on the road side of the house to the master bedroom on the lake side.

To offset the white-painted walls, they used black Rubio Monocoat on the hallway floor, a plant-based, hard wax oil wood finish that is environmentally-friendly and durable.

Adrian delights in how the product keeps the natural look and feel of the wood. He’s a scientist himself, after all, as a senior research scientist for Syngenta Seeds.

So it’s not surprising that the house was also built with fire protection in mind. One area that features kitchen appliances is “totally heat-proof,” Adrian said, with a soapstone counter and specific 20-amp service for each electrical outlet.

“Every bad experience I ever had at holidays, with circuit breakers being triggered, I wanted to avoid,” he said.

The Western Products steel siding and steel roof also offer fire protection. “It has a Class A fire rating,” Adrian said.

His love of science runs in the family. “Support agriculture — eat a lot,” was a joke favored by his father, Roald Lund, who served as dean of the college of agriculture and director of the experimental station at NDSU until he retired in 1994. He also was director of the NDSU Biotechnology Institute and secretary of the NDSU Research Foundation.

That natural curiosity and ingenuity were handed down and show up in different ways across the property.

The well pump, for instance, has a variable speed pulse controller, which matches water demand with a pump speed of up to 22 gallons per minute. “So it’s always smooth, like city water pressure,” Adrian said.

Adrian set up an internet system with separate guest and personal service, and talks easily about how the system provides high-speed internet via an industrial WiFi hotspot, a power over ethernet (PoE) switch and a mesh networking router to cover their whole property — house, shop, yard, even his fish house way out on Bass Lake.

And did we mention that — although never having done it before — he also designed the house himself, using a $500 software package?

The house also shows Jamie’s influence, including the colorful painting that hangs over the fireplace. “We tried to get everything locally,” she said. “I cannot stress enough how much fun I have shopping in Pelican Rapids — I find the best stuff there.” She also likes Vintage -n- Vogue and SuLaine’s Antique Mall in Detroit Lakes.

She bought the classic pantry screen door at an antique shop in Cormorant village.

“One of the sounds of the old lake cabin is the screen door closing,” Jamie said. “When I bought it, I had no concept of what to do with it, but I knew I had to get it.”

The fireplace mantle is a repurposed mine shoring timber that Adrian bought at a shop in Montana.The trim around the fireplace came from SuLaine’s in Detroit Lakes.

The Lund pantry is accessed by this classic lake home screen door, which came from an antique shop in Cormorant village.

“Your whole life it’s like, ‘I’m going to save this for when I have a house.”

- Adrian Lund

A nook in the main hallway near the front entrance was specifically designed to hold an antique mission-style hall tree. And end tables upstairs are made of repurposed dock wood.

Some unique items came from the past: a slate chalkboard rescued from Morrill Hall at NDSU is on one wall, and that heavy soapstone sink in the mudroom is repurposed from the University of Nebraska chemistry department. “My boss bought it for $1,” Adrian said.

“Your whole life it’s like, ‘I’m going to save this for when I have a house,’” Adrian said.

The home was built 200 feet back from the lake, which gives the house an old, established look, even though construction started September 24, 2017, and they moved in on May 17, 2018.

Locating it back from the lake also gives it a sense of privacy, since most homes in the neighborhood are built next to each other, 75 feet back, and the space cushion makes for a warmer spring and fall, without the wind right off the lake, Adrian said.

They enjoy company, and the location also puts them in touch with neighbors as they come and go along the road, since the 373-foot lake lot would otherwise be sort of isolating, he added.

There is also a practical purpose, of course: The house sits next to a large insulated and improved shop made from a Foltz pole barn-style building put up in 1992. The water softener and other appliances and equipment that would normally be in the house are located in the shop, but serve the house, freeing up more room in the home.

They are also a very handson kind of couple: Jamie is president of the Lakes Area Garden Club and handles interior design, as well as the gardens and landscaping, while Adrian helped design and build the house and accessories — including all the wall cabinetshelving units, and the 4,800 patio pavers laid down between the house and the shop.

The family has moved several times over the years for professional reasons, and has done a lot of renovation work, Adrian said. “We’ve bought and remodeled homes in half a dozen communities — I spent 25 years fixing things that annoyed us in other people’s houses,” so it was especially enjoyable to design and help build a house for the first time, he said.

And no trees were cut in the building of this home, including a mature maple tree in the front yard that was planted by Adrian’s dad in the early 1980s.

The industrial farmhouse-style kitchen at the Lund home. The sign reads "Bread and Tulips" in Italian.

The house contains “$34,000 worth of Anderson windows,” Adrian said, and 133,600 pounds of concrete, a mix that contained an extra 11% of aggregate, and was poured to form the floor slab. “Dakota Grinding of Fargo ground the first few layers,” after the slab dried, he said. Once the house was built on top of the slab, “they came back and put the final finish on it,” Adrian said. Radiant floor heat from the slab helps warm the house in the wintertime.

The main floor bathroom is tiles top to bottom and is completely waterproof — the whole room can be hosed down with the shower sprayer, Adrian said.

All in all, home-building was a great experience, he said.

“It was fun,” Adrian said. “It was a real experience to design and participate with the builders.” v

The view of the Lund home from the backyard.

Welcome fall intoyour home with these

design tips

BY ELIZABETH VIERKANT Fall Home

When fall sneaks up on people from around the corner, they may be craving more than just a pumpkin spice latte to spice up their lives. Perham Sota Lake Properties Vice President and Head of Design with Sota Interior Design Danielle Glorvigen notices a bit of a trend with her clients as the new season approaches: they want to incorporate the colors of fall into their homes.

“We’ll give a questionnaire to our (Sota Interior Design) clients all year-round,” Glorvigen explained. “What is normally somebody’s least favorite colors on average is yellows and oranges. All of the sudden, fall comes along, and people are saying that they like yellows and oranges.”

She and Design Associate Courtny Warren — who both work for Sota Interior Design, a branch of their parent organization, Sota Lake Properties — have some insights for those looking to incorporate some of those warmer colors into their homes with the new season.

This photo depicts a bedroom with a lounge space and warmcolored accents, designed by Sota Interior Design. Contributed / Sota Interior Design

When it comes to items that can’t be easily changed or switched such as wall colors, flooring and counters, both suggest staying away from trends and using neutrals as much as possible. This way, the space can be easily transformed with the change of the season, such as adding reds and greens for Christmas or pastels for Easter.

When it comes to items that can be easily changed, such as wall decor or rugs, that’s where you can add your own flair.

“We still encourage you to make bold decisions,” Glorvigen said. “Pillows are always a quick, easy fix.

It’s inexpensive, and it can really bring out a little bit of flare for the season.”

She also suggests accent walls with a massive piece of artwork that can be easily changed out for the season. In the fall, you could add a canvas of warm reds and yellows with wire backing to the wall with ease, and, when winter comes around, you could simply remove it and replace it with another canvas piece of cooler, winter colors such as blues.

While Glorvigen knows some people like to temporarily change out tiles in their homes, she recommends making seasonal

adjustments that are easier to undo. Peal and stick wallpaper, for example, is something that has really come into the limelight. With this, instead of painting, you could use a quick peel and stick wallpaper for an accent wall that could be easily changed when the season comes to an end.

“One that might actually be fun to play with too is area rugs or something that is kind of a little easier to switch out rather than changing up an entire space,” Warren added. “(You could try) adding fun table runners or anything that you could coordinate with the season.”

This collage features pictures of different accents, chosen by Sota Interior Design, that homeowners could incorporate into their spaces. Contributed / Sota Interior Design

Glorvigen also suggested changing table settings and centerpieces. While this choice is often event-geared, she believes it’s still a fun way to play around with seasonal accents.

While Sota Interior Design specializes in interior work, they also have some tips for caring for your home’s exterior with the change of the seasons. They suggest incorporating some fun fall planters or choosing different seasonal porch cushions and seating.

Sota Lake Properties, the parent company, also has a branch called Sota Landscapes, which completes outdoor work for their clients. This includes fall services such as pruning and thinning plants, so they remain healthy for the next season and survive the rough winter with enough moisture and room to grow. Sota Landscapes also offers gutter cleaning, leafraking and general yard cleanup.

Mostly, however, Warren and Glorvigen just encourage people to shake things up around their home a little bit.

“I think it’s fun to spice things up, so things don’t get so monotonous,” Glorvigen explained. “That’s where I really encourage (people) to do a little more neutral palette as your base so that you can have that fun — so that you could walk in your home and just have a fresh new outlook on things per season, just like you do with your fashion … You don’t get bogged down in your own home.”

Sota Lake Properties, including their landscaping and design services, serve communities throughout the lakes area. Other services they offer include winter watercraft solutions, marine rentals, lake home rentals and property management.

They can be found at the Perham location at 318 West Main Street. For more information, go to sotalakeproperties.com. They can also be reached at 218-346-9352 or admin@sotalakeproperties.com.

“That’s the fun of design,” Glorvigen said. “You can put your own personality stamp on it … Design allows you to do that.” v

This bathroom, designed by Sota Interior Design, has pieces with a lot of the warmer tones that are popular in the fall.

Contributed / Sota Interior Design

“I think it’s fun to spice things up, so things don’t get so monotonous.”

- Danielle Glorvigen