Building legacies

FFor Glennwood Custom Builders of Petoskey, Michigan, the design and build of generational properties is a passionate endeavor. From initial conception, site selection, and collaborative coordination, to fabricating custom cabinetry, implementing architectural vision, and final landscaping, the skilled team at Glennwood Custom Builders works to deliver an experience where the process is personal and the final product and property captures the vision of their clients. “Design is as design does and what it does is create Photography: Spectacular Escape and Modern Art House: Mike Gullon of Phoenix Photographic Modern Dream Home: Kat Alves Photography an emotion. It is like looking at a piece of art: if it makes you happy or it makes you feel comfortable or it makes you feel excited, that is what design is. For our clients, that is where it begins. What is the feeling I want to have when I design this home? What am I trying to achieve?” said Michael Branan, president at Glennwood Custom Builders. “It is so personal and it circles back to why going to work every day is so fun. You are really involved in the emotion people are having about the experience they are creating knowing it can last generations. That is the intent: to pass it down for generations to come,” Branan added. It is that element—the excitement and investment clients have in creating generational homes—that Jeff Collins, chief executive officer, founder, and owner of Glennwood Custom Builders, also finds inspiring. “It is so rewarding and satisfying to see the end result, but also to help somebody develop and build something they have been dreaming about for a very long time. They have been saving money, trying to work out their schedules, and their careers to finally do this project and are so excited when they finally engage in that process,” Collins said. “You really get to know people in that process, because it is so personal.”

The company

Founded on the vision to create an environment where all entities involved in the building process enjoy the collaboration and what others can bring to the table—as well as appreciate great architecture—Glennwood Custom Builders was established more than 20 years ago when Collins wanted to do something a little bit different than what was currently being offered in the construction industry. Self-admittedly torn between architecture and construction professions, Collins wanted to foster a collaborative team of highly experienced specialists who not only were passionate about the quality of details throughout the construction process, but also the structural and interior design.

“I think one of the neat things about this company is everybody, including our craftsmen in the field, truly appreciate great architecture and I don’t think that is always the case, unfortunately, in our industry, but it is a huge bonus to what we do,” Collins said. “Obviously, we got into this because we love building, but the architecture is such a pleasure to be involved with and it is so neat to see it develop and then proceed to the building process in the field.”

Jeff Collins’ initial foray into the construction field began at a young age as his family owned and operated a remodeling and maintenance company. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction Management from Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan. He then spent time working in management positions with a national builder and building his repertoire of experience in custom homes before launching Glennwood Custom Homes in 1999.

The company, which also has a 10,000-square-foot shop for custom cabinetry, built-ins, painting, and pre-finishing, offers services, such as: site evaluation, soils testing, budget planning, construction management and consultation, in-house framing and siding, in-house interior and exterior painting, furniture design and fabrication, and Green Build certified solutions. Since its establishment more than 20 years ago, Glennwood Custom Builders has built a portfolio of projects that not only run the gamut in terms of design style and architectural vernacular, but also in scope and location.

Branan said the company has had a great deal of experience across the United States working with some of the best architects throughout the world and the relationship with them is something the team takes a great deal of pride in. They really understand their role in that process to help contribute and facilitate as best as possible.

“I would say that is really one of the wonderful things about having such a breadth and depth of professionals on staff. Each one of us has really deep experience almost with every architectural style, from ultra-con-

temporary and very traditional lakefront to western and Italian,” Branan said. “When we are part of the design process, we are there to help with ideas of how to get things done the best way structurally and to provide financial direction that may be more cost-effective.”

Collins also noted a majority of the projects the team works on end up becoming legacy homes that are handed down from generation to generation so a lot of times in the design process working with architects, the discussion not only touches on what the design means to them today, but what it will mean in the future.

“It is so different building long-term vacation homes in northern Michigan versus somebody’s personal residence,” Collins said. “It’s a totally different shape of design.”

Spectacular Escape

When it came time for the clients of Spectacular Escape to bring their own vision to life, that design took shape with the idea of creating a quiet, unpretentious, albeit elegant northern cottage at its heart. Branan said the clients wanted to combine the more traditional lakefront cottage with a modern floorplan that was open and livable.

“It was very important to them to take advantage of the views and to integrate their indoor and outdoor living space,” Branan

said. “For them, it was all about creating a warm, inviting lakefront home they could entertain in. It is an incredibly well-finished sophisticated home without being pretentious with spacious rooms that are cozy, beautiful spaces.”

The approximately 4,700-square-foot cottage set on lake frontage features a U-shape or winged floorplan that is sculpted to the site, offering views of the water from nearly 270 degrees. The connection to and with the water is also elevated through an extensive use of glass and intentional outdoor patios that open out onto the lawn and water’s edge beyond on the peninsular or pointe-like property.

“It is an interesting site. It has a long drive through the woods, coming out to its own peninsula. Trying to capture as much of that view became the exciting, challenging, part of designing a home for this property,” Branan said. “It fits more of the contours of the peninsula so you have views wrapping around the entire 270 degrees of water view.”

Designed by Jill Ann Rowley, principal designer of Designworks Incorporated in Charlevoix, Michigan, the cottage has a sense of harmony with its surrounding landscape and its neutral palette of colors, integration of hardwood flooring, and lake focal point. Traditional elements are tempered by arched details on the exterior, oversized lighting fixtures, and its layered massing, adding an air of timelessness to the estate. Some of its features comprise a full kitchen open to the dining and main living room areas on the first floor, ensuite bathrooms for each bedroom, custom cabinetry and builtin furniture pieces, tilework in the bathrooms, a secondary guest living room on the upper floor, a detached guesthouse, and a three-stall garage; yet one of the aspects of the project that stands out to Branan is the level of quality finish found throughout the home.

“There is so much detail in the woodwork in the home. Fine woodworking and an incredible paint job; it was incredibly important to this client,” Branan said. “The hardwood flooring is a select walnut throughout and from there we culled out every single piece of sapwood that would have been in that select walnut. We had a very close color match on all the walnut throughout the home. It is truly gorgeous.”

Modern Art House

Walnut, a warm and rich tone, can also be

found within the Modern Art House, which is defined by its materiality and stance over- looking Lake Charlevoix. Designed and fit for the drama of the lakefront, this rough- ly 5,800-square-foot residence was made to feel like a piece of art in its own right and as a means for the homeowner to display her artwork.

“The client was looking for a pretty unique, contemporary design that can ex- press her own artistic design sense, while still making it functional as an up north cottage,” Branan said. “The house has three pods; the center pod is a stone building de- signed to look as if it has been there for 150 years and the other wings have been added on to; that was the initial concept.”

With collaboration from Rowley of Designworks Incorporated, Glennwood Custom Builders and the homeowner, who is a designer in her own right and was ex- tensively involved in the interior design and overall vision, worked to bring the concept to life while ensuring visual lines, massing, and scaling all flowed and came together well for the property.

“The site was actually a little bit chal- lenging. There is a Cor-Ten steel draping around the front lawn and it raises about a foot, and then you have the walkway going to the front entryway,” Branan said. “All of that area was actually a swale going down, so initially you would have to walk down some steps, walk through a little bog, and then walk up to the home. The site required quite a bit of working to get that final product.”

Familiar with lakefront properties and all the regulatory and permitting processes that come along with it, Glennwood Custom Builders reworked the site to set the stage

for the three-massed home and its connec- tions. Branan noted from their standpoint, the team is there to support the efforts of the architect, designer, and homeowner and help provide solutions or potential means to achieve the look they are trying to capture.

“We have consult appointments with the architect and the homeowner in these meet- ings; we talk about challenges, and how we can interact as a builder,” Branan said. “For example, there is a large open space in the main mass of the home, so we problem-solve how we effectively span that space, how we can add or subtract beams as needed to give the volume and the spacing that is desired.”

The central section, which serves as the gathering space and features a kitchen, din- ing, and living area beneath a vaulted ceil- ing, is the node of the home where winged portions provide separation between private and public life. Designed for entertaining, one wing of the home features space for guests, complete with bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms, and an artist studio; while the master retreat offers master bedroom and bathroom, as well as a library, away from the rest of the layout for privacy.

“The Library is incredibly quiet and off to itself, when they do have all the kids up and need some quiet time, they can get away from it a little bit and work in the office if they need to; it’s a really great retreat,” Branan said. “On the other side of the home is all the guest quarters and the homeown-

er’s artist studio on the upper level with windows overlooking Lake Charlevoix.”

Its materiality, which debuts with landscaped walkway flanked by large stone spheres, incorporates metal, wood, glass, and stone. Vertical-sided, dark bronze metal cladding can be found on the exterior of the winged portions of the home, and stainless-steel awnings—patinaed by a local craftsman—accent some of the windows— which are Kolbe VistaLuxe® for enhanced energy efficiency with a warm wood finish. On the interior, that same element of stainless-steel is integrated in the kitchen as the vent hood, which is nearly 18-feet of suspended metal, as well as the toe kicks and some of the curio cabinets that were custom fabricated.

Branan also noted painted cabinetry, sourced from an Amish shop in Ohio; walnut components, custom-made by Glennwood craftspeople; and hickory flooring and stair treads lend a rustic feel to the more contemporary home.

Dream Home

Far from the lakefront shoreline, this Modern Dream Home is an ode to the forested mountain wilderness. Designed by Ryan Marsden of Marsden Architects—and formerly of Kelly & Stone Architects Inc. in California and Colorado—with Keith E. Kelly as architect of record, this approximately 7,000-square-foot modern, outdoor retreat embraces its environment. Set into the elevation, the home’s asymmetrical rooflines emulate the mountain ridges around it, while extensive glasswork dissolves boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces.

“It is our personal house out west,” Collins said. “We loved the fact the site was private, calming, and just had fabulous wilderness views. It was a place we thought we could gather. We really enjoy entertaining, so we could gather with friends and family and really enjoy and utilize the space and property there.”

The design, which was driven by a love of the outdoors, used as much glass as possible to enhance the sense of nature and wilderness even while inside, according to Collins. In the main gathering space, sixfoot-by-12-foot-tall glass panes—supplied by Kolbe Windows & Doors and Old Mission Windows—stack for a seamless experience from indoor dining and living area to outdoor deck.

“We wanted it to draw you outside, into the yard, onto the patio and deck and firepit, and encourage you to get out, mountain bike, hike, and do all the fun outdoor activities,” Collins said. “We wanted the modern form

and feel, but we still wanted it warm and inviting and some modern homes are very cold and stark and white, and we didn’t want that. That is what drove this: implementing as much glass as possible, but making the inside warm, welcoming, and comfortable.”

Melody Collins—wife of Jeff Collins— sales and marketing manager at Glennwood Custom Builders, said since the house had so much glass and the view was so spectacular, the interior palette was intentionally neu- tral to allow the green, blue, and brown of the surrounding environment to become the artwork of the home.

“I wanted to do a lot of layering and tex- tures, mixing the hard and soft dynamic of the modern house and then do a lot of soft finishes to add a little glam to it, a little bit of a sparkle, so it would balance the masculine and the feminine,” Melody Collins said. “We also did the hardwood flooring throughout the house to give it that natural element to help balance the surfaces out.”

Its tonal warm whites and rich, bold grays are also complemented by soft, lush fabrics and a mixture of lighting fixtures to provide both functional and aesthetic solutions.

“Lighting is so critically important and it changes from day to night, from task-driven to dimming lights down in the evening for mood-oriented lighting,” Jeff Collins said. “It has a ton of glass for light and then we have a lot of LED can lights throughout the house for task lighting and Melody has al- ways enjoyed surface-mounted fixtures, so we have a lot more surface-mounted fixtures in here than you would usually see in a lot of modern homes and that is for mood, for texture.”

Melody Collins also noted suspended light fixtures were meant to create an inti- mate feeling in the tall ceiling space—and add a bit of sparkle and softness—and un- derlighting in the rail on the outdoor pa- tio offered just enough soft, warm light for guests to see the structure of the house while outside.

In part driven by a need to support enter- taining, the layout of the home features an open floorplan on the first floor, leveraging unique, black steel and ceiling details in the kitchen to designate space, as well as a com- manding, two-story, metal-clad fireplace. Just beyond the fireplace in the foyer, two large pieces of granite weighing about 1,000 pounds each hang on reinforced walls in

custom made frames.

“When I was selecting the countertops for the home, I came across these pieces of granite and just fell in love. There was no way I was going to put that on a countertop, it has to go on our wall, it’s so gorgeous,” Melody Collins said. “It was the focal point—the art—so we lit it, hung it on the wall, and wrapped steel around it to frame the edges. The final result is stunning.”

The inspiration

For Branan, at the end of the day it is the beautiful architecture, being part of the pro- cess, and the team of talented craftsmen they get to work with that inspires him.

“I love being involved from the time the vision is first discussed from the homeowner to seeing it come together and being a part of making that happen for our clients,” Branan said. “Each one of us at our firm really has a true love for architecture and construction, and that is why we do what we do. We love witnessing the incredible, creative talent of architects and designers we collaborate with during the process. We take pride in turning their vision into reality.”

Jeff Collins also said working with such talented people who always have a posi- tive attitude and want to figure out how to achieve something that initially sounds im- possible is one of the things that makes him want to go to work every day.

“It’s never boring. It’s never the same thing twice. The processes are similar, but the nuances every day, they are always new. It’s a different lot, different house, different design, and it makes your brain constantly work through all the things that you need to do on a given day,” Collins said. “It is re- warding knowing you had an impact on the process and on the quality of the final prod- uct.”