This new Old Mission Peninsula home is as stately as any vintage house, but with a crisp modern appeal. Love it? See each room and talk with the contractor on the Traverse Area Northern Home & Cottage Tour October 13, and enjoy the sneak peek below.

Location
9347 Center Rd., Traverse City

Contractor
Steve Eveleigh, Northwest Carpentry, 231.218.3061

Summertime in southern Ohio? Hot. The sun shines pale through a thick soup of humidity, the locusts hum, the leaves hang limp waiting for a breeze. It’s enough to make you get in the car and point it North.

Cincinnati residents Bill and Cary Harrod have been doing just that for years. The empty nesters have long loved East Bay’s sunrise views, so when an Old Mission Peninsula lot facing the bay (with frontage just across the road) came on the market, they knew it would be the right fit to build their dream home. But in order to capture those sun-on-the-water views, the home would need to be built into a hillside—a tricky build-and-design feat. Enter homebuilder Steve Eveleigh of Northwest Carpentry and his design team that included Jim Walters of Creative Home Design, Pam Sheridan of WaterLeaf Design and, of course, the homeowners.

The design process lasted about five months while the team worked out all the details—but all that work has paid off. The house has classic cottage style elements—a wraparound porch, dormers, columns, contemporary beach composite wood siding in a rich gray—with here and there bold statements like the peaked black metal roof.

Steve and his team made the lot elevation work by creating a drive-under garage with a basement and extra living space that includes an extra bedroom, bath, and a storeroom.

The home is designed for main-floor living, and a master and laundry share the porch-wrapped level with the living/kitchen area, while the upstairs is home to a loft and two bedrooms—“plus mighty killer bay views thanks to the elevation,” Steve says.

The interior gets a contemporary twist from details like a custom made open stairway with steel and iron overlooking the great room. The steps are almost sculptural—richly stained four-inch walnut slabs that echo the wide-plank walnut hardwood floors.

In the kitchen, custom Amish cabinetry from Wolverine Cabinet Company in Traverse City sets the backdrop for fun details like tongue-and-groove paneling and sparkling quartz surfaces.

Pam worked with the homeowners to pull the interior look together further, blending classic details like subway tile with distressed ironwork and Edison bulbs for on-trend appeal.

At roughly 2,800 square feet, the Harrods, haven is large enough to welcome their college-aged son and any visitors, but small enough to be cozy when they are there alone. “We build energy efficient homes, so it’s a super efficient home,” notes Steve, “but most of all, we wanted it to be comfortable year round.”

(Old) mission accomplished.

Tickets to the Traverse Area Tour are available on MyNorthTickets.com.

Thank you to our sponsors.

Photo(s) by Dave Speckman