Family Retreat In Herbster, Wisconsin, USA

Sketched out by Salmela Architect, this cozy family retreat in Herbster, Wisconsin features 1,280 square feet of space and was built close by to Lake Superior. Before entering the cabin, visitors are greeted by a large South facing deck that includes a fireplace and can be used to relax and take in the sights. The main entrance is shaded and protected from rain or snow by a cantilevered screen porch.

Boasting impressive views of the surrounding forest and of the nearby lake, the cabin stands ready to ensure memorable vacations to its lucky owners. Upstairs, it flaunts two bunk rooms, a master suite, a guest room and a porch that can be used to sleep under the stars during the summer. The side decks are protected from rainwater due to the roof’s V-shape, which can also be admired on a sauna located nearby, in the woods. The cabin and the sauna both feature aging cedar elements as well as a black paper-resin composite that protects their exteriors and minimizes the need for maintenance.

From the architect:

This secluded retreat is on a West facing shore of Lake Superior. At the end of a short forested driveway a storage building and woodshed structure form a gateway which marks entry to the site.  Proceeding to the cabin a long South facing deck supplemented with fireplace provides a warm sunny space for the often cool days on the coldest of Great Lakes. A cantilevered screen porch above creates a shaded area for the relatively few hot days and acts as a rain/snow cover for the main entrance.

The 16×40 foot cabin interior is paneled in clear basswood and directs views toward the lake and surrounding forest. To the North an additional outdoor breakfast deck overlooks a field of the native grasses and wild flowers. The upper floor consists of two bunk rooms, one guest room, a master suite and screen porch for summer sleeping. The V-shaped roof of the cabin directs rain water away from the side decks as well as away from the building ends.

Hidden in the woods off the pathway to the lakeshore is a sauna which repeats the function of the V-shaped roof. The use of black paper-resin composite siding along with aging cedar elements on all buildings provide a nearly maintenance-free exterior allowing more care-free days at the retreat. The land which had previously been used as the family campsite now a series of structures that provides every opportunity to bask in the outdoors.

Architects: Salmela Architect
Location: Herbster, WI 54844, USA
Principal Architect: David Salmela FAIA
Project Architect: David Getty
Area: 1280.0 ft2
Photographs: Paul Crosby
Structural Engineer: Meyer Borgman Johnson
Contractor: Lake Effect Builders