Hunting Camp Cottage Turned Modern A-Frame Hideaway

A designer transforms a cramped cottage outside of Lake Ann into a bright and space-saving hideaway with a fresh, modern vibe. Take a look inside this Northern Michigan home.

This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.

Carrie Drier has always loved the rustic charm of A-frames—the iconic cottages admired for their affordability and snowshedding roofs that spread throughout ski country in the middle of the last century. Drier once even planned a vacation to Salt Lake City around a stay in a particular A-frame—there, she learned an important lesson about functional space. “Use of space is hard with an A-frame,” she explains. The cabin in Salt Lake was so tight it didn’t have space for a dining room table, and the living room was overly cramped.

When she bought her own A-frame outside of Lake Ann several years ago, Drier knew she wanted to maximize the living space with a full kitchen and enough room to play games at the kitchen table. She also envisioned an open living area with views from the dining room table into the loft above. That dream was just the beginning of a much-needed total makeover for the old structure (built in 1991) that had long been used as a hunting camp.

Photo by Kristen Turick

Photo by Kristen Turick

Photo by Kristen Turick

Drier was in Covid-19 quarantine when she first saw a listing for the 1,100-square-foot cottage, so she sent her husband along with her contractor, Kevin Umbarger, to look at the place. “It was in really rough shape,” Drier says, “but from the beginning, I had this vision of scalloped cedar shingles and a black metal roof.” A closedin front porch interfered with the sleek lines of the building, but, she says, “I knew once we ripped the front porch off it would make the whole A-frame stand out.”

On that first tour, Drier’s husband took a video of the cottage for her and when he showed her the kitchen, he tried telling her it wasn’t in too bad shape. Though she didn’t say anything at the time, Drier knew immediately it all had to go. The new kitchen features black stainless-steel appliances and cabinets she bought unfinished and painted Sherwin-Williams’ Cavern Clay, a terracotta shade. A furniture piece acts as a small kitchen island with two seats. Enclosing the old back door created space for a stackable washer and dryer, and a new sliding door opens up to the backyard.

Photo by Kristen Turick

Drier has been designing vacation homes since 2015 through her company Roost North and had done several smaller remodels before this A-frame project, so she’s had plenty of time to refine her style: a blend of streamlined modern with cozy and unusual accents—which is why she chose to keep some of the wood paneling inside the house.

“I didn’t want to rip out everything,” she says. “I wanted to keep some of the character.”

Creating space wherever possible became a priority. The team tore down a half-wall that divided the toilet from the vanity and closed off one of two separate entrances, creating room for a new vanity with double sinks. Sherwin-Williams Origami White walls and a custom mirror that mimics the shape of the A-frame round out the bathroom’s clean style and create a sense of spaciousness.

Under the roofline upstairs, Drier carved out room for a bedroom outfitted with twin beds, each with custom built-in shelves. She found more storage by replacing what she describes as an “ugly” old railing across the open side of the loft with a custom art deco-style bookcase that doubles as a railing. The newly freshened loft also features a king-size bed, new carpet and expanded windows overlooking a new 916-square-foot deck (built with black composite decking) that artfully encapsulates an existing tree.

Photo by Kristen Turick

Photo by Kristen Turick

Photo by Kristen Turick

The living space extends with a new deck, which acts as an outdoor room offering plenty of seating. A pea-gravel pathway leads to a nearby fire ring and two custom A-frame storage sheds for keeping firewood dry.

Although the hideaway is just minutes from the village of Lake Ann, Drier hopes the tiny A-frame creates an in-the-middle-of nowhere feeling of spaciousness and escape and a backdrop for the next generation’s memories.

Photo by Kristen Turick

Lake Ann A-Frame Building Resources

Photo by Kristen Turick

Photo by Kristen Turick

Photo by Kristen Turick

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