Lake House

Construction is almost complete on a new “aging in place” home on 90 acres of re-wilded mining land in Grundy County, Illinois.  

With the construction of this home, the Owners-- in their late 70’s-- are fully embracing the next period of their lives.  They love this place where daily life can revolve around bird and animal observations, immersed in the plants and the change of seasons. Located along the shore and parallel to the lake, all the principal living spaces will offer peaceful water views. 

Critical design requirements included planning for reduced mobility, the help of a live-in caregiver, ease of maintenance, and access to all areas of the home and surrounding outdoor areas.  They want to enjoy this home when it’s just the two of them– most of the time– and also want it to be comfortable for hosting large groups of family and friends who gather to fish, boat and swim in the spring fed lake; and hunt and roam the paths of this private conservation area. 

The home’s oversized front porch faces the central “commons” and completes the family compound, encompassing a deck that hangs out over the lake, a dock and beach, the original home and guest home, as well as a pole-barn, and a garage structure, all built over the past 50 years.    

The design is a modern interpretation of agricultural and industrial vernacular structures in the area.  The Owner’s parents purchased the land in the 1960’s when it was first recovering from being an equipment hub of an extensive strip-mining operation. In fact the impressive landscape features on the property including the lake, contiguous waterways, a large hill that the home faces across the lake, and a long spit on the far end of the property, are all remnants of the effort to remove natural resources from the coal-rich land. The area was originally shaft-mined starting in the 1860’s and operations shifted to strip mining for coal on the surface from the 20’s to the 40’s.  Note that environmental legislation was introduced in the 70’s that limited the land-scarring practices.