Sunnyside is a clean and simple, yet spacious and elegant split-level design. Numerous windows along the living room side of the home bring in abundant and healthy natural sunlight, as well as opening the view to that direction. Sunnyside's long rectangular shape, combined with an easily moved detached garage and the corner placement of the front entry, make this home adaptable to a wide variety of lot shapes and orientations: Front view, rear view or side view; rural, suburban, or narrow lakefront lots.

The main entry into Sunnyside is via a welcoming covered porch on the corner of the home. Immediately upon entering you are greeted by an elegant yet playfully curving wall. This simple architectural element is no accident. It is designed so that its curve leads your eye into and through the hall, then to the matching arched entry of the living room. You feel pulled into the interior of the home and compelled to explore further.

The spacious living room, dining room, kitchen and study areas are all sunken 2 steps below the level of the hall and mudroom. The lowered side of the home has 9' ceilings, and the ceilings of the living and dinning rooms are divided with simple painted low profile decorative wood beams. A very large study on main level could easily serve as a dedicated media or music room as well as a large guest bedroom. The kitchen is a generous but still functional size. It is spacious enough for several people to be working at the same time, but not so big that it is inconvenient to get around in while cooking. The counter between the kitchen and the dining area works as an eating area too. The pantry is conveniently close to the kitchen, and it has plenty of storage space and room for a freezer. It is also next to the mudroom area for even more storage, and is conveniently close for unloading groceries.

The upper level contains the home's three bedrooms. The master bedroom is both spacious and efficient. It is also placed to take advantage of the same view direction as the living room below. It has a walk-in closet and dressing area. The master bath has a raised tub and a convenient walk-in shower. The two other upper level bedrooms are also both quite spacious. They feature built in shelves and closets, as well as large side windows and dormer windows facing the view direction.

Although most the home is built on a standard crawlspace design, the original home had a dropped crawlspace with 6' of head height and a concrete slab floor, in the area under the stairway and mudroom. This space is accessed from the main home via the downward stairway, and was intended as mechanical and storage space. The height of this area is easily varied, of course, and this space could potentially be utilized as a wine cellar, root cellar or left for storage space.

Sunnyside comes with a simple 24' wide by 28' deep detached garage. Attic storage is conveniently designed into the space over the garage, and is accessed by a pull-down stairway. A covered breezeway connects the garage to the main home.

Sunnyside is very similar in general design and layout to our Mountainside home. Click for more photos and examples of alternative interior and exterior finishes on our Mountainside home.