This post is from the NAHB blog NAHBnow that we just had to share. The pictures are amazing:
Even though he was first asked to build a “garden shed,” Scott Kennard, owner of Wentworth Builders in Northern Michigan, was certain that this particular client wasn’t referring to a typical yard closet for a lawnmower.
Kennard, a member of the NAHB 20 Clubs, learned that it was to be a birthday present for the client’s wife, an avid gardener.
The garden shed request quickly evolved into a “special art project,” according to Kennard, taking on a life of its own and eventually becoming a 900-square-foot Potter’s Lodge in which the owners could display their pottery and work on gardening projects.
Located just north of Harbor Springs, Mich., the foliage-dense waterfront property on Lake Michigan presented some logistical challenges. Most notably, the gardens surrounding the site prevented any vehicular access and required that all materials be hauled by hand.
Workers had to carry in everything from the large beams to the fossilized stones, adding to what would become an overall 18-month construction timeline.
But in the end, the client was overjoyed with the finished product. So much so, he came back to Kennard with one more special request: to attend his wife’s birthday party and ceremoniously deliver a small wooden box that contained the key to the lodge.
“It felt a little like I was a ring bearer,” Kennard said. “The whole project was wrought with emotion from start to finish.”
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