Rough-sawn plywood and standing-seam metal siding clad the house. “In cabins, we like to use undressed materials, which lend themselves to the simplicity of the structure,” says architect Tom Lenchek.
It all started with a ride in a cherry picker. Joseph Lada of Chicago bought a plot of land near Michigan’s Glen Lake and soon realized the view was best surveyed from a height of 30 feet. He approached architect Tom Lenchek, and the two conferred about how to build above the treetops. “The challenge was not only celebrating the view but also the progression of getting there,” Lenchek says. First, he established the structure’s height—four stories—then worked his way down. To enter the 1,400-square-foot house, the Lada family first ascends an outdoor staircase. Next, they circulate through a windowed stairwell that allows them to see the canopy, past the floors containing the two bedrooms, eventually arriving at the main living space, which features floor-to-ceiling glass walls and a cantilevered deck. “Up there,” says Lencheck, “you really feel as though you’re on top of the world.”