In The News
Cottage Home Development Transforms Area Near South Haven
LakeBridge isn't the first Lake Michigan shoreline development for Brian Bosgraaf and his Holland-based residential development company, Cottage Home. But this development, just south of South Haven in an area known as Deerlick, was a commitment to both the environment and to the local community.
It's hard to believe while standing on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, just feet away from one of the five homes already built on the seven lots that make up the development, that just a couple of years ago you couldn't even see the lake from the spot. The 750 feet of beachfront were intertwined with bramble and 34 earth-mover tires.
The previous owner of the 10.5-acre property was concerned about erosion and put the tires along the beach. "He thought he was doing the right thing and with the high water table (in previous years), who could blame him?" Bosgraaf said. "There was tons of rubble and garbage."
Bosgraaf had to work with the Army Corps of Engineers to remove the tires. After some research on recycling the large tires, he found a company that could use them to make pig-manure scoops. The tires were removed from the beach, loaded on semitrailers and hauled away for their new use.
The cleanup was a long arduous process that took nine months. "You'd think the state would help you when you want to clean it up," Bosgraaf said.
Today the dune grass, which Bosgraaf planted in the dunes once they were restored to their natural state, waves in the breeze on a hot summer afternoon. And the water is so clear you can see the wreckage of a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan in the mid-1800s. It rests on the lake floor in water that's about waist-deep.
"It's really rewarding to see the beauty of these houses and that they enhance the shoreline," Bosgraaf said.
Deerlick park planned
The setting is private for the owners of the homes, but nearby, just beyond the jetty that Bosgraaf helped to restore, Deerlick Creek flows and beachgoers enjoy a small area of beachfront. A local group, Friends of Deerlick Creek, raised money to buy some of the site from Bosgraaf and the rest from another property owner. It will soon be Deerlick Creek Park, a township park with public access.
"This little treasure (Deerlick) will be preserved forever," Bosgraaf said. He said preserving the area and the beach, which had been used by local residents for years, was important to him.
Before emptying in Lake Michigan, the creek meanders along the backside or eastern border of LakeBridge. A hiking trail leads to a gazebo, which is set along the 1,000 feet of frontage on the creek. A wetland area is also part of the property.
Vegetative swales along the driveways help control the runoff water from storms. "It's very important that we don't have any storm water or erosion that gets into Lake Michigan," Bosgraaf said.
Although all of the homes are less than 2 years old, they seem much more established. Bosgraaf retained both the natural slope of the property and many of the old-growth oak trees.
The homes, built in a cottage style, feature western red-cedar-shake siding and round-fieldstone and manufactured-stone chimneys.
"We've tried to keep the architectural style with the local vernacular," he said. "We're in Michigan, and we want to keep (the home design) like it would have looked like."
In addition to their exterior melding with the environment, the interior structure and mechanics follow Green Built practices, including low-E windows and high-R insulation.
"These homes were all Green Built; they're energy-efficient," Bosgraaf said. In addition, the most recent construction will be LEED certified (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design).
The LakeBridge homes, which range in price from $1.6 million to $4 million, are mostly vacation homes. Most are owned by Illinois residents; one is owned by a family from Missouri, and another homeowner is from Michigan.
Dream come true
Buying one of the homes in LakeBridge was more than a dream come true for Michigan native Michelle Bower. Having grown up in Bangor (her parents are Bernard and Genevieve Bournay, who formerly owned Swanstra Rexall Drug), she spent a lot of time on Lake Michigan.
However, Bower now lives in Boston with husband, Bill (who's from Mattawan), and their four children. Before purchasing the home in LakeBridge they spent summers in South Haven.
"We've been coming here (to Lake Michigan) for 12 years and had been renting a condo," Bower said. "We'd been looking for years; we just found this spot and watched it develop."
Bosgraaf also is working on a development in Glenn, which is north of South Haven. He named the development Suequehanna (a Native American name for "pure water"). It has four sites; two are on Lake Michigan and two are not. At the development, Bosgraaf has designed a Green Idea home, which will be open to the public. The model home will feature geothermal heat, sustainable forest products and many other Green Built features.
Bosgraaf worked with his father, Ted Bosgraaf, in real estate and home development in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000 he started Cottage Homes, and so far Bosgraaf has designed and built 30 homes along the lakeshore.
Among the numerous awards Bosgraaf has received for design is the 2007 Custom Builder of the Year from the Home & Building Association of Greater Grand Rapids.
