Monona
The Kessler lake room
A 1970s lake house living room rebuilt around the view: a window wall, stone fireplace, and a white oak ceiling.
The house faced Lake Monona; the living room did not. Two small windows and a wall of shelving stood between the sofa and the water. We replaced the lake wall with a structural window unit, added a window seat that runs its length, and lifted the room with a white oak slat ceiling that hides both structure and lighting.
Lakefront setback rules made the permit path the hardest part of this one, which is why it took a design-build firm rather than a window contractor. Worth it: the owners now describe the room as “the reason we stopped talking about moving.”
Reviews
Rated 4.9 stars across 116+ reviews
“The island panels shifted over the winter, exactly like they warned us they might. They came back in February and fixed it without being asked twice. Who does that?”
“We interviewed four firms. Fourlakes was the only one that told us our budget would not cover our wish list, then showed us which two-thirds of it mattered.”
“Friday, 4pm, every week: photos and a plan. I never once called to ask what was happening in my own house.”
“Standing in their shop next to our half-built cabinets was the moment this stopped feeling like a leap of faith.”
“The addition matches so well that our neighbor of nine years asked if we had repainted. That is it. That is the review.”
“Their first estimate and the final invoice were the same number. In this industry that fact alone deserves five stars.”
Ready when you are
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