JACK RENDULICH
The Luhrsens’ great room is magnificent, but Lake Superior gets center stage with large banks of Lake-facing windows.
JACK RENDULICH
Landscaping was still under way – and not ready for photography – when Lake Superior Magazine visited Chrysa and Mike Luhrsen’s new home, but the entrance with its impressive custom flame-birch door was beautiful and welcoming … as were the Luhrsens.
“I want this house back.” It was as simple as that for Mike Luhrsen as he stared into the ashes of his beloved Lake Superior-view dream home. He instantly knew he wanted to recreate it and his wife, Chrysa, signed on immediately.
Mike spent years planning, designing and overseeing construction of the original log home that stood on the site near Duluth. He and Chrysa met while the house was in progress, married and raised their son, Calvin, there. High on the hill in Duluth Township with a commanding view of Lake Superior, it was home for 20 years.
And it was all gone in about an hour and a half.
“We will never know the cause of the fire,” Chrysa says. “The fire burned so hot and so fast, there was nothing left for the fire marshall to look at.” It destroyed the home and killed their three pets.
“When it happens to you, you can’t believe it. Things happen and you roll with it,” Chrysa remembers. And roll they did. Several stars aligned to enable them to replicate their home.
First, a spare set of the original plans were still intact in Mike’s dad’s house. Second, Mike’s nephew, Jim Abbott, had first-hand knowledge of building the log home.
In high school at the time, Jim was brought on as hired help doing menial tasks like mixing mortar, digging trenches for the plumbing, sanding and finishing the logs. It was his first introduction to construction, but it was his ticket into the business. After working for a builder in the Twin Cities, he returned to the Northland to start up his own firm, Abbott Construction. Jim also knew the house as a resident. He and his wife lived with Mike and Chrysa for several months while building their own home nearby. Mike now turned to Jim, asking his nephew to rebuild their home with the same footprint and floor plan, but not as a log home.
“I knew that doing something just as unique in a stick house would not work,” Jim says. “We discussed using timber-frame elements instead, which worked for Mike and Chrysa.”
Teaming up with timber-frame expert Mark Sherman of Woodland Builders and Design, they set to work. “It was nerve-racking,” Jim remembers. “I knew the original house was sentimental to Mike. I knew it would be hard.”
JACK RENDULICH
The Luhrsens’ new home does not have log walls, but keeps the warmth of wood with knotty-pine walls and cherry wood flooring, stretching from the sun room with its view of the deck and Lake Superior to the great room, dining and kitchen area and throughout the two-story home.
The insurance went a long way in covering costs, but inevitably the reality of replacing the home and its contents outstripped those resources. Once again, the team worked to create unique yet affordable details to give the new place its individuality and polish. With her freelance home designer business in ashes, Chrysa threw her talents full time into the building project. Mike put a lot of miles on their truck, sourcing and hauling materials. The stunning result created a home with custom features that reflect its former character while incorporating a new style.
Walking through the front door brings the perfect introduction to old and new. The exterior clearly is no longer log, but the cedar shakes surrounding the entryway give it the cottage look that Chrysa wanted. Knowing from her business that first impressions are huge, a “nice front door” was high on her list. That became possible when Mike stumbled on The Modern Woodsmith in Wetmore, Michigan, while deer hunting in the Upper Peninsula. Company woodworkers crafted a heavy custom door of flame birch with inset panels adorned with decorative metal studs and a curved top, all within Luhrsens’ budget. The company also milled the cherry flooring for the great room just beyond.
Reclaimed timbers provide attractive rustic supports for the entry hall and frame the great room and the Lake Superior views beyond, a wide welcoming space that invites relaxation.
A beautifully set dining table indicates Chrysa’s gift for home décor. It nestles under a stained-glass hanging lamp that came from Let There be Light in Stillwater – as did its predecessor. Comfortable yet stylish furniture, grouped in an easy conversational setting, populates the adjacent sitting area. The soaring, knotty-pine vaulted ceiling and two stories of windows provide ample views of the Lake. An outdoor sitting area on the deck beckons those inside.
JACK RENDULICH
The new fireplace echoes the original but has its own charm.
The towering stone fireplace dominates the room. Reaching to the 23-foot vaulted ceiling, the fireplace is a significant and sentimental carry-over from the log home, recreated by Eric Moshier of Solid Rock Masonry. The original, featured in the February/March 2002 issue of Lake Superior Magazine, was modeled after the massive fireplace in Naniboujou Lodge, where the Luhrsens spent their honeymoon.
“We sat in that dining room and admired the fireplace many times,” recalls Mike. During one stay there, they found a heart-shaped stone on the shore that became a focal point in the stonework of their own fireplace.
After the fire, the leaning remnants of that structure had to be knocked down, but amazingly Chrysa’s older son, Brett Blindauer, and Calvin found the heart stone
in the rubble. Today, it graces their fireplace once again, a blackened but heart-warming memorial to the old home.
Few other pieces survived the fire. An heirloom lamp was one of those few. “It was the only thing I wanted out of my grandpa Luhrsen’s house,” Mike says. The glass was broken and melted onto the ironwork, but Let There be Light restored it. It now hangs in the corner of their bedroom.
While it is easy to be impressed with the overall layout of the great room with the adjoining kitchen and loft overhead, the details evoke true appreciation for the skillful workmanship in this home.
“Jim and Mark were constantly looking for ways they could get interesting effects cost effectively,” Chrysa says.
A look in the powder room illustrates this well.
Mike had been holding onto a diamond-willow tree in the garage for over 20 years. The builders used it to support the walnut slab used for the vanity surface. Chrysa finished the twisting branches into a striking combination of light smooth wood and dark rough bark. A natural crack in the walnut vanity top became a river of stones when Jim filled it with epoxy and added glass shards with backlighting to illuminate them. The final touch was a vessel sink that Jim carved out of a large granite stone.
“We just kept adding ideas,” Jim says.
The most significant change in the design of the house was adding a dormer in the loft. By heightening the original roof plan on one side, they gained a more spacious sitting area that now doubles as sleeping space for company. An extra window on the extended side wall provides a clear view of Stoney Point, a place that Mike holds dear. “This is one of the things we knew we wanted to change from the old house,” Chrysa says. “It was the best money we spent.”
JACK RENDULICH
A piece of walnut was used for the kitchen bar. Contractor Jim Abbott proposed finishing the end with a “waterfall” or turndown piece, based on a picture he’d seen. Chrysa and Mike liked the idea, and Jim figured out how to make it work.
Nestled under the loft, the kitchen retains much of its original feel. Mike particularly wanted the hickory cabinets back, but Tim Rainaldo of Oldtown
Woodworks Ltd. in Superior recommended natural yellow birch, which delivered the same interest and movement in the wood grain at a lower cost. The sleek and modern space functions comfortably, especially with the addition of a double oven and a pantry on the
JACK RENDULICH
A piece of walnut was used for the kitchen bar. Contractor Jim Abbott proposed finishing the end with a “waterfall” or turndown piece, based on a picture he’d seen. Chrysa and Mike liked the idea, and Jim figured out how to make it work.
old design.
Asked to name their favorite rooms, Chrysa and Mike answer in unison: the sun room. No surprise then that this is where you will most often find them.
Positioned on the side of the great room, it features windows on three sides with ample views of the Lake and yard. The cedar ceiling is vaulted but lower than the great room, giving it a cozy feel. Mike appreciated that Woodruff Lumber could replicate the custom grooves in the paneling overhead.
Chrysa’s professional decorating touches add a distinctive flair to the home. Shopping estate sales, second-hand stores and craft shops, she would add a coat of paint here, new upholstery there to exact finishing touches. She also went far beyond that, rolling up her sleeves to pitch in with construction. She personally stained every inch of wood, inside and out, and taped all the sheetrock.
“Jim and Mark did a lot to tell me how to do things,” she says. “I really appreciate the skills of people who do this kind of work.”
Reflecting on the year of rebuilding, Chrysa says, “Sometimes we look back and can’t believe how much we did in that time. There were so many people we worked with who were such good artists and cool people. And Mike and I spent a lot of time together.”
It has been a year since they moved back into their home.
“It feels like the old house. Friends say it’s the same,” Mike says. Many think it’s even better. Although Mike still misses the log elements, he knows he’s home again. “It feels good now.”
Molly Hoeg, a frequent contributor to LSM, lives in Duluth with her husband, Rich. In reporting this story, she and Chrysa discovered a connection; Chrysa remembered selling and fitting Molly’s wedding dress 35 years ago.