The Greening of Shoreland Hills by Barbara Stodola
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THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 25, Number 35 Thursday, September 10, 2009 The Greening of Shoreland Hills by Barbara Stodola Blending with the tall trees of Shoreland Hills, the house built by Larry Wood chips blanket the steep dune; the stairway consists of chunks of Zimmer and Ted Perzanowski was designed to harmonize with nature. street pavement salvaged from a vacant lot in Michigan City. On a tree-shaded dune in Shoreland Hills, Larry “It’s been a passion of mine during my thirty-year Zimmer and Ted Perzanowski have built an eco- career, to make a home as environmentally friendly friendly house that defers to the natural beauty of as possible,” says Zimmer. “We used local products, its site. local craftsmen, and recycled materials whenever About forty oaks remain on the property, and a possible. We sent the trees to a sawyer from Har- fi ve-inch mulch of wood chips blankets the ground bert, and a company from Stevensville (Lakeshore – mulch created from the fi fteen trees removed to Stair) did the interior stair treads and fl oor boards.” make way for the house. Chunks of asphalt street On the fi rst fl oor are offi ces for Zimmer, an inte- pavement, hauled away from a vacant lot in Michi- rior designer, and Perzanowski, whose counseling gan City, now form a rustic stairway, climbing up practice is subtitled “Talk To Ted.” the dune – just one of the clever recycling tech- niques used in construction of the house. Greening Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 September 10, 2009 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.thebeacher.com/ PRINTED WITH Published and Printed by TM Trademark of American Soybean Association THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. Ted Perzanowski Larry Zimmer, an operates a interior designer, counseling owns a Chicago- practice, Talk To based fi rm, Ted, from the No Place Like new home in Home. Shoreland Hills. Greening Continued from Page 1 The second-fl oor living space measures just 1,000 square feet. “We’ve lived together for twenty-three years,” says Zim- mer, “and this is all the space we need. Neither one of us col- lects or accumulates much. We want a place that is simple, clean and peaceful; neutral earth tones that blend with the outdoors. Up here, at the top of the dune, it’s like living in a tree house.” The exterior pine siding came from a managed forest in northern Michigan. It is applied in two directions, Zimmer points out – vertically across the front, to emphasize the ver- ticality of the trees; and horizontally along the side, to echo the horizontality of the land: “oaks meeting the dune,” he muses. Treated with an ebonized stain, the home’s siding A construction photo shows the eight-inch-thick wall insulated with foam, sandwiched between two layers of particle board. blends in quietly with the bark of the trees. Zimmer designed the house and an architect friend, Jim Jaksa, acted as consultant. “The house is not ‘stick-built’,” Zimmer says. “It is platform-framed using SIPS (structur- al insulated panels), which consist of three layers – a foam panel sandwiched between two layers of particle board. The panels are made by Porter Corporation in Holland, Michi- gan, another local supplier. Our walls are eight inches thick, and the roof is twelve inches. The windows are triple-paned, for the highest energy effi ciency that was affordable.” A consulting company from Valparaiso, Energy Diagnos- tics, has given the house a fi ve-star rating – which means, Zimmer says, “It is 50% more energy-effi cient than the stan- dard code-built house.” The cost of utilities has been esti- mated to run $1,304. annually – to include heating, cooling, lighting. “We shall see,” he says with a smile. “This will be Square square square rectangle – the home’s simple geometry our fi rst winter here.” contributes a ghostly presence to the leafl ess winter trees. THE September 10, 2009 Page 3 Zimmer and Perzanowski lived for six years in another house they built in Michigan City. Previously they renovated a 100-year-old Vic- torian house in Chicago. They broke ground in Shoreland Hills in October, 2008, and moved in mid-August, 2009. Their decision-making was guided by life experiences. “We’ve taken trips to national parks out west and natural areas in Europe and New Zealand, and we feel it’s our respon- sibility to preserve the beauty of nature,” Zim- mer said. “We tried to do things in the most economical way possible.” The ground fl oor, made of cement, was fi n- ished off so expertly that “We applied a clear acrylic fi nish, and it almost looks like stone.” The spiral staircase, a space-saving design by The stair rail marks off the custom-designed Zimmer, was fabricated in Three Oaks, Michi- kitchen from the open gan, by Eric and Wally Meissner. “It is a steel living space. structure, open in the center to let the light come through,” Zimmer said. “The entire stair- case, with its steel frame and oak stair treads, was made in their shop. It took fi ve guys to carry it into the house.” All the drywall was made in Indiana, of 90% recycled material. There is a three-zone heat- ing/ cooling system and an on-demand water heater. Solatube lighting makes use of natural The spiral staircase, sunlight, and other lights are on dimmers. Ap- designed by Zimmer, was built of oak pliances are energy star-rated. stair treads circling The kitchen consists of a fi fteen-foot wall around an open steel with sink, dishwasher, electric oven and gas framework. cook-top set into the countertop. That’s it; fi f- teen feet takes care of food preparation needs. A niche around the corner accommodates the refrigerator. Doug Barnes, a master cabinet- maker from Michigan City, used rift-sawn white oak for the custom cabinetry. The coun- tertop, a high-density plastic material called Virtuestone, comes from Stevensville, Michi- gan – whereas most stone products, Zimmer points out, need to be imported. The living area is a large open space with the kitchen wall opposite the fi replace, and a seating area that is comfortably but simply furnished. Square carpet tiles, set into the oak fl oors, maintain the minimal decor. The fi rebox, a prefab unit clad in ceramic tile, was made in Richmond, Indiana, of 50% recycled glass. Facing it are the sofa and two end ta- bles, “the only things new,” Zimmer says. Sev- eral chairs are antique Arts & Crafts pieces, a style he likes “because it has a contemporary look.” Greening Continued on Page 4 The fi replace, made of recycled glass, is fl anked by curtainless windows and a pair of antique Arts & Crafts chairs. THE Page 4 September 10, 2009 Greening Continued from Page 3 The interior décor is personalized by small paint- A bedroom, a bathroom, a screened porch and a ings, the work of local artists David Langley and large walk-in closet complete the second-fl oor living Julie Kasniunas, Paul Jeselskis’ pottery, and a few area. Another space-saving device is the placement pieces by old friends. Otherwise, Zimmer points out, of washer and dryer in the most convenient spot – “Nature is our art work.” right there in the walk-in closet. Zimmer’s design was achieved after years of con- Windows are placed for cross-ventilation and templating how to build effi ciently, economically, to allow the greatest possible exposure to the out- and in harmony doors. The house is so designed that very few doors with nature. are needed, thus providing an unbroken view and a He commend- continuous fl ow, without the disruption of opening ed the work and closing doors. of Flemington To keep attention focused on the woodland view, Construction, neutral colors are used throughout the house. Wa- local carpenter ter-based paints from Sherwin-Williams are appro- Kirk Silver, and priately named “vertical taupe” and “kilim beige”. other crafts- men involved in the custom- built project, and refl ected on “how gratifying it was, to work with people who love what they do.” Open doorways contribute to the home’s spacious feeling, allowing outdoor views from all angles. THE September 10, 2009 Page 5 Micky Gallas Properties 123 (219) 874-7070 Beach CRS (219) 874-5249 City T (269) 586-2350 Michigan 1-800-680-9682 www.MickyGallasProperties.com Micky Gallas ABR, CRB, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, SRES Long Beach • Michigan City • New Buffalo Cell 219/861-6012 Turn the Key NEW PRICE NEW LISTING NEW LISTING 2011 Juneway Drive • Long Beach 6733 W. Ben Davis Drive • Michigan City 206 Tryon Farm Lane • Tryon Farm $469,000 $450,000 $269,000 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. Two fi replaces, country 6 bedrooms, 3 baths. Lower level features rec 1 bedroom, 2 baths. Living room with wood kitchen with center island, formal dining room with custom designed brick fi replace burning stove. Huge master bedroom with room, beautiful oak fl oors under carpet in & full kitchen. Large bedrooms. Master suite private bathroom & walk-in closet.