Country roads, take me home An arm of limestone slab steps dotted with tufts of prairie dropseed grass wraps warmly around to the lower patio. Slaton Plus non-tumbled pavers line the patio and impressive walls of country ledgestone brick, installed by Hebron Brick, rise up around it.
The sentry-like Karl Forester grass and grow-low sumac line the path to a view of the lake and the front entrance. Overhead, rough-sawn cedar tongue-and-groove cantilevers hang over limestone steps.
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JILL OCKHARDT BLAUFUSS
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etween gently rolling hills of lush farmland and pastures, past quiet lakes, sloughs and woods, is a small unassuming lake surrounded by oak trees. Catching the first glimpse of a house — home to one of the lake’s few inhabitants — with its grand design in untamed surroundings is inspirational. When choosing the design elements to define a home on this extraordinary site, T.J. Haugrud, homeowner and owner of Fargo’s THJ Construction, says he knew immediately where his heart lay. “The prairie style was a no-brainer for the piece of property,” says Haugrud, who fell in love with Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie style after studying at North Dakota State University. Haugrud earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental design and a master’s degree in architecture. He then aspired to work for a former college professor, Phil Stahl of Stahl Architects, a firm with a strong emphasis on residential design. “At the time, I had no idea what prairie style was,” Haugrud says. “But I fell in love with a house they were working on. I loved the low-lying horizontal lines, large overhangs and simple repetitions.” Haugrud says the hilltop lent itself to everything that prairie style exemplifies. “The gradual grades build a suspense as you glimpse the house from across the lake, approach it from the driveway or walk around a corner.” A fourth-generation Minnesotan and proud father of two young boys, Haugrud feels a deep sentimentality about the beauty of this area. “My greatgrandpa settled here from Norway, so Minnesota is in my blood,” Haugrud says. “The shade of the oak trees, the shimmer of the lake; there’s something about this part of Minnesota that puts me at peace and creates a sense of home.”
46 | MARCH/April 2020
INSPIREDHOMEMAGAZINE.COM
