Michigan Winter 2014

With temperatures on the rise I cannot help but look back on the winter that I am happy to leave behind. This has been one of the worst winters for Michigan in recent memory. As of February 24th we have seen an estimated total of 102.9 inches of snow in Grand Rapids and 125.5 inches in Holland. Some cities have seen over 20 feet of snow this winter! With all of this snowfall and the sub zero temperatures the great lakes have been setting records for the amount of ice coverage with roughly 90% coverage. 

With all of that snow it is a surprise that we were able to take pictures of these homes while Wayne was on a building site. These photos give a good idea of just how much snow we have had this winter.  Lets hope with this warmer weather it will melt the snow and we can start to see see more of these homes soon!

Tupelo:  Overlooking the frozen Lake Michigan

 Statistics were found on the WOOD TV 8 Blog and Climate.gov. 

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Pier View Cottages

For those of you that have been following the blog this past year you will have seen the posts about the article for the 2013 'Great Lake Story' from Michigan Blue Magazine. It has been a pleasure to work with the team at Mike Schaap Builders to bring these lakeside visions from Visbeen Architects to life.

Located on a private beach in South Haven, MI, each of these spectacular homes have an unobstructed view of the pier and the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan. These award-winning designs are within walking distance of downtown South Haven, a premiere beach town in West Michigan. 

If you are looking for a lake home or you simply would like to see the product of two talented teams, visit the Pier View Cottages website to view these beautiful lake homes and the charming beach community in which they are located.

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Michigan Blue Magazine: Great Lake Story Ch 3

Currently on newsstands, the Travel & Adventure issue of Michigan Blue Magazine continues the tale of the Great Lake Story with Chapter Three.  In this feature, you will meet the talented team involved in bringing the Emmett, and future homes in the Pier View Cottages development, to life.  When you put together such stellar and talented companies as Mike Schaap Builders, Benchmark Wood Studio, DeGraaf Interiors, Baumann & DeGroot Inc., Morden Electric Inc., Bekins Appliance Inc, and The Stone Mill (not to mention, Visbeen Architects), the end result is sure to exceed expectations.  Read on to meet the team...

 

For ease of reading, click here to view the full article on our website.

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Michigan Blue Magazine: Portraits of Michigan and Great Lake Story Begins

Michigan BLUE Magazine's special bonus Cottages issue is out and is just as lovely as it sounds.  From articles on vacation rentals, to the beginning of a Great Lake Story, to profiles on builders, architects and designers who make lakefront living look good, this issue is jammed packed with goodies!  All meant to get us in the spring and summertime mindset, since mother nature isn't cooperating with the weather in our neck of the woods.  Here is some delightful content we think you should check out.....

Great Lake Story: Chapter 1
Taken from the project journal of the talented builder of the project, Mike Schaap begins the story of our design with a little glimpse into it's picturesque setting.  Pier View Cottages in South Haven has the best of both worlds when it comes to location: a personal sense of place and privacy on Lake Michigan within a quintessential beach town community, walking distance from vibrant shops, restaurants and parks, the city pier and marina.

The Carefree Cottage
Looking for more haven, less hassle?  Try a slice of "same time next year" or buy into a bigger piece of Michigan's varied vacation pie.  And where can you get a slice of vacation pie in West Michigan?  Look no further than The Beach House, a property in Holland we designed and Bouwkamp Builders built that offers fractional ownership.

To read the full story, click here to view it on our website.

Portraits of Michigan
BLUE was kind enough to include Visbeen Architects in this feature on Michigan-based industry experts who bring a personal passion for crafting cottage havens our clients have dreamed of.  Read about builders, an architect (ahem, you might know who this is :) ) and designers who take waterfront homes to the next level.

To read the full story, click here to view it on our website.

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