Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,000,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
Houzz Tour: 'Pirate House' Lures With Surprises
Batten down the hatches for a wild ride in Minnesota, from a lofty crow's nest to a twisty, tubular slide to a secret passageway and more
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
Builder Steve Kuhl sat down with his 6-year-old nephew Zack and told him, "We can do anything we want to your room. You can have a spaceship, a battleship, a castle, a racecar, a pirate ship ... " Swashbuckling Zack stopped him right there, sold on the pirate ship.
Kuhl has been building for most of his life, and between his skills and imagination, he knew he could make anything happen. His creativity flowed from a (fake) jail cell, across a bridge, over to a ship's hull, up a crow's nest, down a secret passage to the closet and continued throughout the house all the way down into a spiral slide to the basement.
Have a seat and get ready for a fun ride through a house full of fun, joy and whimsy.
Houzz at a Glance
Location: Medina, Minnesota
Size: Approximately 6,800 square feet; 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms
Who lives here: At the time it was designed, a family including two young children. The father is Steve Kuhl's brother. The house has since been sold (more on that later).
Kuhl has been building for most of his life, and between his skills and imagination, he knew he could make anything happen. His creativity flowed from a (fake) jail cell, across a bridge, over to a ship's hull, up a crow's nest, down a secret passage to the closet and continued throughout the house all the way down into a spiral slide to the basement.
Have a seat and get ready for a fun ride through a house full of fun, joy and whimsy.
Houzz at a Glance
Location: Medina, Minnesota
Size: Approximately 6,800 square feet; 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms
Who lives here: At the time it was designed, a family including two young children. The father is Steve Kuhl's brother. The house has since been sold (more on that later).
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
As you approach Zack's room, a peek around the corner lets you know this is no ordinary bedroom; the first thing you encounter is a stone jail "for locking up bad guys, and maybe little sisters," says Kuhl.
From the jail, a bridge extends across the room to a pirate's ship. The hull hangs from a loft area that was unused before Kuhl and Zack decided to transform it. The bridge can handle the weight of four adults.
From the jail, a bridge extends across the room to a pirate's ship. The hull hangs from a loft area that was unused before Kuhl and Zack decided to transform it. The bridge can handle the weight of four adults.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| I was sure Kuhl must have employed some sort of Pirates of Penzance set-designing guru, but he designed and built the entire thing himself. "I've never lost my inner child ... I just really got into that place and said, 'Let's just have fun' when I dreamt this up," he says. "I think it was Benjamin Franklin who said some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. I'll never let that happen; I'm still a kid at heart." |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Kuhl built the ship's hull much like one would on a traditional seaworthy ship, with ribs, in this case made of laminated plywood. "This was a good excuse to use the CNC (computer numerical control) for something besides cabinets," says Kuhl. In other words, you feed a computer the measurements you need and it cuts the boards for you. The hull material is ⅜-inch Masonite, which is high density and flexible.
The square openings below the main deck open into a small storage area.
The square openings below the main deck open into a small storage area.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
The next challenge was how to coat the hull. "We wanted something that would look like old-world planking that could stand up to kids' fingernails," Kuhl says. "We worked like mad scientists in the shop, combining epoxy and drywall compound with brown colorant to find the perfect mix. After we applied it we combed it to give it a rough texture."
A crow's nest tops the ship. A mural of ocean and sky completes the seafaring vibe.
A crow's nest tops the ship. A mural of ocean and sky completes the seafaring vibe.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Kuhl is about to escape from behind the wheelhouse.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| "This hole provides a quick escape down to the closet below the ship for emergency wardrobe changes," Kuhl says. "We worked with the local building department to make sure all safety concerns were addressed. For instance, the walls of the pirate ship are at least standard rail-height high." Approximate budget for a pirate room like this one: $40,000 |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Downstairs in the mudroom, the first three wooden doors provide storage space, but when you open the fourth door, you get quite a surprise. "It's three lockers plus a 'whoa!'" describes Kuhl. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
The hole that looks like some sort of really weird front-loading washing machine in the previous image is actually an alternative way to reach the basement.
Kuhl calls the slide "severe tubular craziness."
Kuhl calls the slide "severe tubular craziness."
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
The twisted journey ends in the climbing cave, which is part of a greater "sports court."
Approximate slide budget: $2,500 to $5,000 for the components
Approximate slide budget: $2,500 to $5,000 for the components
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| "I've been climbing my whole life; I'm a monkey," says Kuhl. He designed the wall himself with the aid of 3-D modeling. Approximate climbing wall budget: $15,000 See more climbing walls |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| The floor underneath the climbing wall is covered with a custom crash mat that is 26 inches thick. To the right is the golf simulator. At this point, I'm sure some of you are freaking out at the thought of resale value. Kuhl's philosophy is, "If you plan on being in a house for a while, build for yourself. These kids have so many joyful memories from this house that will last the rest of their lives." Furthermore, he told me that the whimsy of this house ruled out seven of 10 "vanilla" buyers, but the rest said, "I've never seen that before. I have to have that!" They got into a bidding war, and his brother got more than his asking price. |
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| "I'm not really into golf, but this even got me into it," says Kuhl. You drive a real golf ball right onto the screen (don't worry, it just drops), and a military-grade software system figures out the spin, angle and speed, projecting its trajectory on the screen. "You can watch the Masters Tournament on TV while playing on the Masters course on the simulator," says Kuhl. Approximate budget for the golf simulator: The software was around $18,000 when it was purchased; Kuhl is not sure how much it costs today. |
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Finally, there is another fun surprise for the adults; this bookcase off the main entry swings open to a secret staircase that serves as the only access to a secret library upstairs.
| Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
|
| Here is the secret library. "Designing and building this house filled me with creativity and joy," says Kuhl. "What's cool is trying to bring that same creative spirit to a regular kitchen renovation, whether it's through unexpected features like hidden storage or pop-up TVs that make it fun." I can't think of a better attitude for a designer or a builder to have. More: Houzz Tour: 'Hobbit House' in the Pennsylvania Countryside Space We Love: Down the Rabbit Hole |
Ideabook updated on July 1, 2012.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
Thanks for the Becky - truly inspirational stuff - love it!
I want this house!! Hahahaha
Love it.
Regards,
3D-Tile-Design - Bertram Tasch
Maple Ridge, BC (Greater Vancouver)
http://www.3D-Tile-Design.ca
Not everyone wants to cottonball their kids, and quite obviously the kids have grown up fine in this wondrous space.
When we talked, we did have a laugh about the fact that when we were growing up there were no helmets for biking or car seats and that we had to climb those very high ropes in gym class. A lot has changed in attitudes toward safety since then!
marcie
http://custm.co/hz/16
One day I will learn how to sent pictures and you can get a peak at it. It wasn't perfect but you couldn't have told him that.