Orono Overlook
excelsior, MN
These clients built this new home on Lake Minnetonka and hoped for a relaxing space for their family and friends. Loving the minimalist and Zen style, they wanted to use timeless and quality materials and have the design speak to the group. It was important that the whole space felt open and airy, yet it also allowed for unique spaces that felt connected.
A hot tub was a necessity for this client, and finding the right spot was a challenge! The designer transformed this corner space into a vaulted hot tub with multi-level sitting areas. A storage bench on the left and stadium seating on the right expand the hot tub space and allow for comfortable group entertainment.
This bluff lot had major restrictions on how close we could build up to the lakeshore setback as well as how much hardcover we could add. We had to get creative to make these entertaining spaces within hardcover limits and a buildable area.
The outline of the sunken entertaining space is the exact boundary of the lake shore setback, so we used every possible inch.
Since decks do not count as hardcover in this municipality, the curved deck is on top of a drainage swale and stormwater drainage area that drains into the lake.
The lower lawn area was graded so that all water runs to the drainage system under the deck instead of visibly pooling in the yard. A creative variation on the standard rain garden!
