Subscribe at w w w.lakeandhomemagazine.com
YEAR 22 | ISSUE 3 MAY / JUNE 2021
F
FEATURE HOME
by Jen Miller photos by Kip Johnson
MAY / JUNE 2021 www.lakeandhomemagazine.com 93
"When I head to the lake, I’m heading to my land, where it’s quiet, and I have lots of enjoyable things to do." Gordy Jensen - Homeowner
94 Lake & Home Magazine MAY / JUNE 2021
It is the peace and quiet that draws many people like Gordy Jensen from the city to the lake. As the traffic thins out to open country roads, the muscles relax, the lungs fill up with fresh air, and the pace slows. The sounds of car alarms and horns are replaced with those of loons and lapping waves. “The only thing I do in the city is take care of business. When I head to the lake, I’m heading to my land, where it’s quiet, and I have lots of enjoyable things to do,” Gordy Jensen commented. Jensen spent many years in the city before retiring to Florida, where he wrote his first novel, The Way Out, the first book in a trilogy. Set in the future, a cast of 26 crew members board the Alpha Centauri I. They are destined for the planet Proxima b, the closest planet with the potential to sustain human life. However, a collapsed star sends them stumbling off course, forever changing their lives.
So what brought Jensen back from sunny, warm Florida to an often snowy, cooler Minnesota? “This is where my roots are,” Jensen stated, “and now, we’re starting to have grandkids, and I want to be around for that. We’re still in that grandparenting novelty stage, with our first being only 6 months.” Gordy grew up duck hunting, with his dad, in the Ottertail area. To this day, he still enjoys the sport. As we enter Jensen’s cabin on Lake Lizzie, you’ll see his love for the woods and ducks throughout the cabin. Diving ducks such as the common pochard, redhead, and tufted ducks are scattered throughout the second floor, while dabbles such as the mallard, mandarin, and wood ducks decorate the third floor. The extended Jensen family has spent an abundance of time on Lake Lizzie, vacationing, fishing, and of course, duck hunting. Fond of the area, for its “white sand beaches” and its “remote location,” Gordy decided to have his cabin built down yonder from the family cabin. The location of Jensen’s cabin
is so remote, before they could lay a foundation; they needed to construct a road. “It took us a bit of time to do the site survey in locating the cabin to accomplish the best view of the lake and yet cut down the fewest number of trees possible,” contractor, Don Suiter, explained. “Gordy had to make the difficult decision to cut down this gorgeous white oak. We tried everything we could think of to save the tree. We ended up taking it down but managed to save it for another project I’m currently doing for Gordy.” The cabin, which Gordy refers to as a “treehouse” style, stands three-stories tall among a mature forest of ash, elm, maple, and oak. Each level is 1,075 square feet, bringing it to a total of 3,225 square feet. “The footprint of the cabin is small, yet the three stories high, surrounded by trees, gives it that feel of a treehouse,” Suiter mentioned. Native grass surrounds the cabin and will continue to grow in favor of a landscaped yard for two reasons, “It has zero maintenance, and I wanted to minimize disturbing the natural elements,” Jensen said.
96 Lake & Home Magazine MAY / JUNE 2021
The second floor serves as the main floor, where the family will gather for meals and do most of their indoor entertaining. The open floor concept ties both the kitchen and living room, flooded with natural light, together. While preparing a meal on the blue, Bahia granite top, purchased from Northern Stone, the chef is included in conversations taking place around the room, heated by both the oven and the fireplace. One of Gordy’s favorite meals to prepare is duck. He likes to boil the duck in water, beef broth, and red wine before moving it to a cooking sheet, breast up, basting it in a melted orange concentrate, and then broiling. “It’s a great recipe!” Jensen said.
The stone driveway leads right up to the first level, a walkout that houses the entrance, mechanical, and the bunkroom. “With another generation coming in, we’re going to need the overflow area because they’re going to want to stay at the treehouse,” Jensen mentioned. To get to the second floor, guests can take the stairs or the elevator. Having an elevator installed significantly increased the cost and took up a fair amount of floor space, but it will serve its purpose. “I plan on living the rest of my life out here, so I had an elevator put in for those older years,” Jensen said. “It was common in the earlier 1900s to see that living area on one floor and the sleeping area on a separate floor. It made that sleeping area more private. One of the big disadvantages of separating the two spaces on different levels is climbing those stairs when you get older, where adding the elevator accomplishes separating the two areas and making them functional,” Suiter added.
MAY / JUNE 2021 www.lakeandhomemagazine.com 97
A unique feature in the kitchen is the backsplash. The basket weave pattern tile compliments the natural wood tones throughout the open space, yet defines the kitchen and gives it a splash of old world charm between those modern, white cabinets. Apart from the kitchen is a built-in dry bar that provides extra countertops, cupboards, and fridge space while entertaining. “Built-ins don’t take up much more floor space than freestanding, so you’re not losing square footage. What it comes down to is design. Do you want that open feel or is the homeowner fine with closing off certain areas? In this case, the built-in dry bar is not completely closed in and works well with that open feel,” Suiter explained.
98 Lake & Home Magazine MAY / JUNE 2021
The fireplace, which is almost a necessity in any Minnesota cabin, is nestled between the living room and kitchen. Hebron Brick and Don Suiter Construction built the fireplace, placing granite around the firebox, before finishing off the space with the natural theme Jensen wanted built into his cabin. The custom mantle, purchased from Run of the Mill, based in Blue Earth County, is made from an ash tree. “Run of the Mill specializes in using reclaimed lumber whenever possible, which fit with Gordy’s plans to minimize using up resources,” Suiter said. The hearth is made of stone. The most impressive feature is the different wood grains and how well they flow together. With Elton Design Studio and Don Suiter’s help, Jensen pulled that natural woodsy look right into the treehouse style
MAY / JUNE 2021 www.lakeandhomemagazine.com 99
cabin. Blonde basswood lines the walls while black walnut dresses the ceilings, including the third-floor vaulted ceiling. “I like the wood look, and it’s something we’ve done in other places. We went through a company that mills their own wood. There were so many options; it was hard to pick,” Jensen said. Renneberg Hardwoods Inc., based in Menahga is the name of the milling company. “They did an excellent job! The wood was easy to work with,” Suiter mentioned. “In my experience, the wall and ceiling wood is a unique combination. I’ve been building way longer than I like to admit, and I’ve never seen rustic walnut on the ceiling with rustic basswood walls. Rennebergs have an impressive display area so customers can get a better feel for the combinations than just by looking at pictures. The two kinds of woods turned out to be an impressive combination,” Suiter said. The flooring appears to have that timber look, but is what Jensen called “indestructible vinyl” from Sperling Modern Home. “You don’t want to worry about something leaking on true wood. But I like that the floor looks like real wood,” Jensen mentioned.
100 Lake & Home Magazine MAY / JUNE 2021
"I like the wood look, and it’s something we’ve done in other places. We went through a company that mills their own wood. There were so many options; it was hard to pick." Gordy Jensen - Homeowner
Rustic and modern mingle throughout the three bedrooms, two and a half baths, three-level cabin. “Attempting to create rustic and modern isn’t normal in a cabin application, but I feel like we pulled it off. Some of those modern styles would be the white cabinetry and granite countertops, while the rustic would be those combinations of woods that pull the two styles together,” Suiter explained. Another amazing feature is the number of windows, six sliding doors, and three decks that offer sunrise, sunset, and lake views. “The view is great! I can see everything, the lake, the trees, wildlife, deer, eagles—I can see everything but my neighbors because there are no neighbors,” Jensen shared. You’ll also notice there aren’t any curtains on the windows. “The reason for this is the seclusion of the cabin. The cabin matches the tree color and blends in with the woods. It’s hard to see the cabin when you’re on the lake,” Jensen added.
MAY / JUNE 2021 www.lakeandhomemagazine.com 101
The lounge room is where Gordy likes to spend his time writing. Complete with an impressive view, a walkout deck to seek inspiration, and vault ceilings enhancing the space, the imagination is free to run wild. Jensen is currently working on the second book in his trilogy, Two Roads to Paradise, a political thriller, expected to hit the shelves in May. “Overall, this project was the most enjoyable project of my career for a number of reasons. It was like winning the super bowl. The use of wood combinations and having never done that before and the flexibility of the project all added to the enjoyment and to doing the job well, which I believe we did,” Suiter concluded. ~L&H
That brings us to the third floor, or as they say, saving the best for last. At the top of the stairs or the elevator sits the lounge room, unplugged from the world. The beautiful space is full of wildlife art, like the buffalo skull from a Wyoming hunting trip. “We had fun with that wall. It is the wall of weapons of non-mass destruction. I have a bow, spears, arrows, a US Cavalry Sword, and a samara for giggles on the wall,” Jensen shared. There is also an antique Roger Maris fridge that Jensen had restored to working condition. Besides the lounge area, there are two bedrooms and a full bath on the third floor, with more of that rustic meets modern look, from the combination of woods to the pebble stone tile in the shower and granite bathroom countertops.
102 Lake & Home Magazine MAY / JUNE 2021
CouLDn’t have done it without: Don Suiter Construction
Brian M Ripley Excavating
| BUILDER, CABINETS, FIREPLACE
Elton Design Studio
Stenerson Lumber
| ARCHITECT, INTERIOR
DESIGNER
Waskosky Well Drilling Foam Solutions Inc. HLS LLC
Rigels
| INSULATION
Arrow Lift
John’s Heating and Air Conditioning
Chris Roehl Plumbing
| FLOORING, TILE
| PLUMBING
Tangen Drywall
| DRYWALL
Arnston Electric
| ELECTRIC
| ELEVATOR
| HVAC
Eric’s Odd Jobs Hebron Brick
| PAINTING
Sperling Modern Home
| SECURITY
Turtle Lake Seamless
• View our ad on page 99, 140
| SIDING
| DECKS
| FIREPLACE
• View our ad on page 79
Ottertail Glass
| SURVEYOR
| APPLIANCES
SimpliSafe
| COUNTERTOPS
Randesh Decorating
| BUILDING MATERIALS
• View our ad on page 95
Anderson Land Surveying
| WELLS
| MASONRY
Northern Stone
| EXCAVATING, LANDSCAPING
| SHOWER DOORS
• View our ad on page 103
Quality Construction
| INTERIOR TILE
MAY / JUNE 2021 www.lakeandhomemagazine.com 103