As happens to many vacationers, every time we visited Door County the “for sale” signs taunted us, inspiring the idea of having our own cabin. We ritualistically scanned the real estate guide and dreamed of one day having a place of our own. We began looking at cottages and land in earnest in late summer, 2002, with the idea of either buying or building a modest summer cabin. We clocked hundreds of miles, driving back and forth across the peninsula in our search for the right property. Eventually we found ourselves along Cave Point Drive, just south of Jacksonport, staring into a thick woods. In the foreground a sign announced “Real Estate For Sale.” We tromped through the woods, knowing that the lake was somewhere beyond the trees. Of course, we fell in love with it the moment we stepped on shore.
Our initial vision was simple, clear and unwavering: A 1,000 square foot, 3-season cabin in the woods. We drew numerous of floor plans and elevations, pushing rooms around and moving walls as needed. We added a lookout tower in some of the schemes; a place one can climb up thirty feet into the air to ponder the magnificent view to the East. We quickly realized that we couldn’t do without a laundry room. The main entrance hall needed to have plenty of room for everyone’s coats, bags, and boots. Of course, everybody knows that the bathroom is a bottleneck. so we promptly added a second one (and the laundry room offers the option of a future third). Two bedrooms, really, are adequate for a cabin, but we panicked and added a third. And a loft. And a den. And a shed. Oh! A porch facing the lake would be nice Slowly, a plan that met our needs began to emerge. Needless to say, our final design exceed our initial program by 100%.
The first developed design was a thoroughly modern structure, punctuated by that thirty foot tower from which imagined we could view the State of Michigan. We envisioned that the clean and simple lines and stark white color would contrast nicely with the soft texture of the pines, cedars and maples. But In early discussions with the carpenter, it was clear that he wasn’t keen on our design. Simultaneously, we began to experience an unfamiliar urge. It was an urge for something more romantic. Something more contextual and rustic. Something . . . NorthWoodsy.
When we next met with the carpenter we unveiled an alternate design; one that evoked a traditional cabin vernacular. The new drawing showed a steeply pitched roof supported by enormous timber rafters, wide and thick rough sawn siding, an enormous dormer, and a broad porch facing the lake. His eyes lit up. “Now we’re talking,” he exclaimed with widened eyes. There was a certain excitement in the air that afternoon. He promised to have his proposal “soon.” We returned to Evanston, where we completed the drawings and began preparing bid packages. There was a flurry of activity. Emails, faxes, and hard copies flew across the border with purpose and urgency. When the dust settled several weeks later we had a frank discussion (a pow-pow) and concluded that our initial assumption was correct: We could readily afford a 1,000 square foot, 3-season cabin somewhere in the woods. But “project creep” had expanded our “cabin” to a “lodge” twice that size, not to mention the cost of the land, which was about five times the cost of lakefront property. We arrived at the design for a lodge which we could not possibly afford. A heavy timbered, Northwoods lodge with a soaring ceiling, custom windows, a stone fireplace and many thousands of board feet of locally harvested pine and cedar. What to do? We reviewed our program and talked about how we could cut back on this and that. Possibly, the roof pitch could be lowered. But that would look dumb and cut down on second floor space. And there was the gnawing problem that the great room really needed to be at least two feet wider; as did the porch. Could we substitute the high end windows with inexpensive single glazed barn sash? Of course! But that would be insane. Think of the resale value! Perhaps we could do without the porch? Ha ha! Who are we kidding?
After much consternation, hand wringing and discussion, we determined that if we rented the place out in the summer, we could enjoy the place the rest of the year. And so here we are.
We closed on the property in early December, 2002 and cleared a path in the woods for the driveway a week before Christmas. Construction started the following March, and by mid-Summer we camped on the first floor deck. By the end of the year, the bulk of construction was finished. On January 1, 2004 we published this website on the internet and linked up with Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO). We spent that spring building and hanging doors, shopping for furniture, etc. When our first guests arrived that Spring, the paint on the shed doors was still wet. Fortunately, our first guests arrived later than planned.
The design of the house is loosely rooted in eastern European and Scandinavian rural architecture, in recognition of our combined heritage (Swedish, German, Polish). Our mantra was “not one piece of drywall.” It was character that we were after! The inside of the house was designed with function, comfort and flexibility in mind. We met, hired and worked with a variety of local craftsman. We continue to marvel at their skill, resourcefulness, honesty and character. Dave Burke (DC Sawmill) cut all the wood, from which the house is built, from local trees. Most of the wood is intentionally of non-standard dimensions. i.g. the thickness of the siding boards is non-standard. We did it because Dave could cut it to any size we wanted and we felt that non-standard sizes would lend a bit of character to the house that isn’t immediately discernible, yet one would intuitively recognized that something is different here; that these aren’t merely boards from Home Depot or Lowes. Roger Orthober, a remarkably resourceful fellow who lives down the road, fabricated the fireplace doors in his shop. We wanted the doors to have character (which modern glass fireplace doors simply lack) and we wanted to be able to close the doors at any time and not worry about the hot ashes inside. We hired Dan Johnson, a master craftsman from Sturgeon Bay, to build our cabinets, as well as the stair and loft railings. Dan’s specialty is impossible to easily describe, because he has so many talents and experience. He also cut the rafter tails, which was a arduous and difficult task. (He did it in a farm field, in the dead of winter, in snow above his ankles.) Dan is a man who can build virtually anything from wood or metal (he even makes guitars) and we were lucky to have met him, entirely by chance. There were many others that helped build Killasonna Lodge and we are forever grateful for their efforts.
We chose the name Killasonna Lodge after the name of the original plat of subdivision of land in this area that was done in 1922 by an enterprising young woman named Annie Reynolds. We decided to call the combination living, dining and kitchen the “Winnebago Room ,” to commemorate the Native American people who first lived in this part of Door County. Much of the furniture is used and was purchased locally. Our aim was to add as much character as possible, while enjoying modern conveniences.
Although we were “in the business” of architecture and construction for over two decades, and well seasoned at it, we learned a great deal about building a cabin. It was a rewarding and satisfying experience, particularly because we met so many interesting, skilled and genuinely helpful people in doing it. We poured a great deal of sweat into the project (among other things, we built, varnished and hung every door and frame) and we are thoroughly pleased with the results. We hope our guests are as well.
K I L L A S O N N A L O D G E
Jacksonport, Wisconsin
John & Carolyn Brzezinski, Proprietors
For information, please call 1-224-223-9331 (10:00AM – 10:00PM)
or email: Killasonna Lodge