Houzz TV: This Dream Midcentury Home in a Forest Even Has Its Own Train
While searching for land on a local real estate site in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a husband and wife kept coming across photos of a grim-looking house in a wooded area of the city. They tried avoiding it, but their real estate agent eventually persuaded them to go see it.
The photos hadn’t lied. The deteriorating home had been untouched for 20 years, and the front of the house had a large wood face that had turned orange in the sun. Not to mention that the woods on the 20-acre property were overgrown, and the creek had run over its banks and flooded the wetlands, so there was water everywhere.
Keep Watching:
When this property was on the market, I had the opportunity to check it out. It's absolutely unique and just fantastic. It does sit on a very busy street in a less-than-desirable school district, but it sits back from the road and the trees (in the spring thru fall) provide a lot of privacy. It's unlike any other property I've seen.
While I personally prefer the original exterior before the addition, the interior is great and seems to flow well. Like someone else mentioned, there are far too many wood & metals used. A true mid-century modern would have a much more streamlined roster of materials. All that said, as long as the homeowners love it, that's all that matters.
There are no photos of the pool area, and most likely because they are still working on their landscaping, but is about 50 yards from the back door, and overlooks the valley that the train goes over. Just awesome!
Great job team! Grand Rapids needs more homeowners & professionals who can see past the grime and realize the potential of these historic homes our area has to offer. Bravo!
I hope the homeowners can realize a profit - or perhaps I should say not incur a significant loss - considering the economy of Michigan/Grand Rapids.
I recently read an article about a property in Detroit which sold for under $1,000. The owner paid $10,000 for it several years ago. In fact, he was prepared to exchange it for an iphone 6.
It has to cost a fortune to heat that house. The one thing I don't like AT ALL is the owners' decision to have no curtains or blinds. I'm one who likes to be cosy and snug when the weather outside is absolutely foul, which I'm sure it is, there, in winter.
I can't say I love the house, but I would like to see more of the model railroad.
That said...there are some important priorities here. As a preservationist, I applaud them for their choice to try to preserve the house. There are too many beautiful houses falling to the wrecking ball to make way for the new subdivisions. I hope they will have many years of joy, warmth and happiness for the effort and love they have put into it.
I'm the sort who tends to like original features and my idea of remodeling/updating is far more conservative with an eye to preserving what I can. I won't buy it if I want to rip it all up. Having said that, I think the homeowner did a good job here. I like the cabinets in the kitchen; they do complement the other finishes. The bath however looks as though it belongs in another home. But it's a rare individual who remodels with the intention of keeping an original look. Overall this is a really great home find and I'm glad they kept so much intact. It works.
We looked at this house and decided the location, land particulars, and asking price could not justify the cost of a rehab, so we passed. But I like some of what they did, including converting the old kitchen into a larger dining space with a wet bar. The concept of a garage and a proper master suite were big misses in the original design, in part due to the way homes were imagined in 1957. The original kitchen was below average for a modern open plan, and the materials, despite aging well, were not very nice to start with. But the new kitchen - with all that contrasting wood - is a mistake. It should have been a different material, especially since the new wood floors clash as well. Too much wood, and 3 types that don't match in the same room. The new stone work doesn't look consistent with the original, and the builder - a specialist in traditional homes - just couldn't resist those giant wide plank moldings that already look dated, and are totally out of place in this one. I think they also didn't quite realize that the original part of the house had almost NO interior doors - the layout cleverly avoided them. Not so the new part. Lots of other choices that may be appropriate in a new cookie-cutter home don't work well here. That metal siding is another mistake. It kind of, sort of works as a new element, but it makes the addition clearly an addition - one that doesn't flow out of the old as nicely as it could. The two-tone staircase introduces two more clashing wood finishes, not to mention the new ceiling wood doesn't match the old.
It's not terrible, but the architect's skill that is evident in the original section is lacking in the new. And we never thought the original section was that all that breathtaking anyway. The original section still looks very 1957, and it now it looks like it has an addition circa 2013. I would have made a lot of different choices that are at this point quite expensive to rectify.
I am so happy that the integrity of the style of the home was respected! MCM rules!
They went overboard with the stone.
terrific! Enjoy enjoy and then enjoy some more.
Breathtaking. The owners clearly love nature, and their home reflects this deep recognition of wild landscapes. They might be interested in the book "The Living Landscape" or "Bringing Nature Home" to design even more of their space for the needs of the wildlife around their home, and help the ecosystem with native plantings. How about garden rooms outside for one of their next projects?
I grew up with MCM and hated it. My husband is a train enthusiast. If we could have afforded this property, he would have loved a geodesic dome and I would have wanted something Victorian. - but it would mostly be all about the railroad.. All you MCM lovers would have been very disappointed in us. Lots of different tastes on Houzz - always a good read. Thanks
Enjoyed this, especially the collaboration..they included Houzz! I have loved trains on properties since I was a small child and used to see one at a property nearby. Good save owners!
Beautiful home, and like some others, I love the train!
But let's face it, how many Americans (Yes Americans) can really afford a home as this!?? Very very few! So, nice home, count your blessings!
mid century modern, metal on the outside, an abundance of woods and stone on the inside. the blending of old and new-I think they did a stupendous job of adding new to old and using their insights and ideas. I would have done the kitchen differently myself -don't care for the marble or cabinet color. But I LOVE that fact that whey went with what they wanted and weren't cowed by designers and contractors. Or others telling them that bench doesn't belong or you are going to regret the trough sink..I think the house is so stunning because it represents their likes. Would have loved to have seen the views from the balcony outside the master suite, and more photos of their yard and barn.I hope you do an update of the pool and grounds and train at a later date. They have created a striking and beautiful home that i would love to live in. rich in views, texture, color and comfort. Great job!
I had to watch it three or four times, I just couldn't get enough. A beautiful home!
Here's a dog lover question. How did you stop your hunting breed from chasing all those beautiful deer away? We just bought a cabin up north Wisconsin and would hate to fence in a yard! But, every time one of my labs sees one of those majestic animals stroll through the yard it's going to be a problem.
Bravo! Like most contemporary homes, the inside is the best part.. I lived in a mid century home on a lake. It was my dream home and always will be. What did you name your home? I always name my homes unless they are already named.
The general consensus is that the house is in deed beautiful with the MCM influence respected. However, most people forget the word "Modern" in Mid century modern. Modern usually means CURRENT, that implies you can grow and not live in a museum space, frozen in time. Bigger bedrooms, larger baths and anything else that you might need can be accommodated in a new "current" improvement remodel. I agree with Dana Veach's comment that having a home with a particular style to it doesn't mean, " they have to slavishly copy everything about a style or period of architecture in order to retain the spirit and beauty of a unique original. This is a stunning home. I applaud the creativity and style infused." I feel that, they put in a "modern kitchen", a "current" kitchen. The new trend for these slab panelled door kitchens are, No upper cabinets and large expanses of hard materials (like quartz,etc.). Plus, in other areas they weren't forced to throw out everything they previously owned but tried to incorporate it. So yes, they did good on this project.
And here i thought the change in texture from wood to metal made a nice update, echoing as it did the horizontal lines of the siding and the balcony cable. You can have too much of a good thing. Personally i think more stone would have made the house look heavy and give the impression it was sinking into the ground. I think the metal will reflect the seasons and possibly loose some of its shinny newness after a season or so and look even better. But hey, not my house and i love what they did with it.
to tbohn, consider taking your dog to a good responsible trainer dogs can be taught NOT to chase deer, just like hounds can be taught to hunt rabbits, or coons. then you take a class in how to work with your dog. You will both get a lot out of it. Just like labs can be taught to retrieve and pointers to point it will just take a bit of time. But if you leave your dogs out alone a lot consider putting in an invisible fence in a area close to the house. Wouldn't have to be huge and it would be under ground so wouldn't disturb your views.
Love this. What a amazing gift to be so connected to nature. And I also loved that they found original materials in the landfill that htey incorporated into the renovation.
It is a very beautiful home. I would had used more original mid century modern furniture throughout the home. A lot of mid century furniture was built in Michigan. Loved to had seen an Eames office chair. In the bedroom I think they put in crown molding that does not go with the design of the home, crown mounding was not used in mid century designs other than that I would loved to own this house. Michigan has some very cold winters so I wonder how hard it is to heat the home. The train is very unique and cool and the stone they found looked great.
Very. Very. Cool. One of the best remodels I've seen on houzz.
They are living in paradise
Perfection! I would live there in a heartbeat and not change a thing!
Thank you to the homeowners for opening up their hearth, home & hearts to let us in and see such a beautiful home. I always feel a little sad when people leave strong negative comments when you obviously thought through each and every detail with great deliberation (just how much thought you put into your M.B. windows tells me how much care you put into ALL the details). I loved every part of the home from the get-go & hope you continue to post and share any updates--especially the ongoing landscaping :). Living in Michigan (grew up in Kazoo & now live near Saginaw) it's hard to see some of these old homes go and get torn down because honestly, it is easier on the budget with all the updates that have to be done to make it livable to our current times. Thank you for honoring the past and literally investing so much to bring an old gem into the 21st century with class, charm & character! Kudos for sure!!!!
A W E S O M E ! ! ! !
Love this video! What a beautiful home.
A few clarifications. 1) There are no crown moldings in the house. What may appear to be crown moldings are, in fact, the same backlit coves as in the original portion of the house. 2) No original woodwork was replaced. 3) The dogs are wimps. After chasing the deer a few feet, the deer just return to taunt the dogs.
I love, love, love this home! I think it is gorgeous throughout and a great blend of the original and the new. Looking out through the doors and windows into a beautiful woodland is my idea of heaven! And since when are homeowners required to "restore" their house to someone else's idea of historical accuracy? I love everything they did, from the cheeky metal and plum exterior, the gorgeous kitchen, the mix of old and new furniture, and mostly the heartfelt comments by the homeowners. Bravo!
Lovely!
i admit that i am a bit of a train freak so i fell in love with the train
Absolutely amazing! Dream home for sure!!