NHC Home Tour 2021: Modern Craftsman Overlooking East Bay

Even the driveway to this home is spectacular. Up, up it winds and winds until it reaches the top of a bluff with a wide-open view of East Grand Traverse Bay. Stunning. Homeowners Andrew and Ashley Purcell kept their eye on the property for several years while visiting friends Up North from their home in Grand Rapids. About the time Andrew finished graduate school, the price dropped and the couple jumped at the chance to purchase it, with the dream of moving north and starting their family. Several years later, after working hard to pay down the property, they were ready to build. They met their builder, Steve Eveleigh of Northwest Carpentry, at a home builders show where, after seeing the awards he’s chalked up over the years, they approached him for the job.

From the get-go, this striking home was a collaboration between the Purcells, Eveleigh and the designers he works with, Pam Sheridan of Waterleaf Design and Jim Walters of Creative Home Design. Eveleigh also works closely with his suppliers, to assure that the clients stay within their budget. “When the design is finished our clients pretty well know how much their home is going to cost. No surprises,” he says.

If there were surprises on this building project, they were happy ones. Eveleigh succeeded in making the entire building process seamless. “He was easy-going and transparent,” Ashleigh says. “We felt like he genuinely cared about the house and he worked with us to make sure we were happy.”

The Purcells wanted the home’s exterior to have modern accents with transitional roots—and a bold, dark color palette. The end product is indeed striking. Board and batten siding, painted in black-toned Sherwin Williams Iron Ore, and black window frames contrast with the icy gray Eldorado dry-stacked stone, while gable trusses and cedar accents lend a Craftsman feel. A VistaLuxe Kolbe & Kolbe glass entry door and its twin door on the far side of the great room open up the gorgeous view of Lake Michigan on the horizon.

Inside the home, a soft-toned white oak floor mirrors a ceiling clad in the same wood with matching white oak beams. The fireplace mantel is clad in the same Eldorado stone as the exterior—except in a thinner version. The open kitchen is outfitted with dove gray custom cabinets and a generous island by Wolverine Cabinet Company. A sparkling white herringbone-patterned tile backsplash, a white custom hood, Cambria quartz countertops and Wolf/Subzero appliances round out this space that is both functional and beautiful. The team at Northwest Carpentry designed and built a fabulous adjoining pantry—a skill they also lent to the master bedroom closet.

A light-filled sunroom, an equally light-filled master suite and a perfectly appointed mudroom (floor-to-ceiling cabinetry by Wolverine Cabinet Co.!) round out the main floor. A lovely staircase with a custom black-steel railing and white oak treads leads to the upper floor and two children’s bedrooms. The rooms, which feel as sweet and cozy as an old farmhouse, top off this enchanted place, where the couple will raise their first child, due in January.

Building Resources for This Modern Craftsman Overlooking Easy Bay

Build and Design | Northwest Carpentry, LLC
Design | Pam Sheridan, Waterleaf Design; Jim Walters, Creative Home Design
Cabinetry | Karen Kortesoja & Amber Smith, Wolverine Cabinet Co.
Counters | Cadillac Cut Stone
Windows | Kolbe & Kolbe, Old Mission Windows
Building Materials | Builders FirstSource
Plumbing | Long Lake Plumbing
Electrical | Great Lakes Electric
HVAC | Comfort Heating
Stonework | Vidor Masonry
Glass & Mirrors | Twin Bay Glass