Residential · Renovation · 2025
Lakeside Retreat
A 1960s lake house opened to the water: one long room, deep eaves for the afternoon sun, and a garden that runs down to the shore.
The brief
The owners wanted to see the lake from the kitchen, keep the house cool without running the air conditioning all afternoon, and stop the yard from washing into the water every summer storm.
We kept the original footprint and structure, took out the wall between the kitchen and the living room, and added a covered porch on the lake side.
- Location
- Lake County, Florida
- Completed
- 2025
- Type
- Residential renovation
- Size
- 2,400 sq ft
- Scope
- Architecture, interiors, landscape
- Status
- Built
Photos
Select a photo to see it full size.
-
The garden path, planted to hold the bank · Photo: Fluid sample library -
Rain off the new eaves · Photo: Fluid sample library -
The rain garden in a summer storm · Photo: Fluid sample library -
The lake in a winter wind · Photo: Fluid sample library
Before and after
Drag the divider, or focus it and use the arrow keys.
Before
After
The approach
Deep eaves on the west side shade the glass in the afternoon, and windows on both sides of the long room let the lake breeze through. The bank is planted with natives that hold the soil, and the roof water runs to a rain garden instead of the lake.
The result
The kitchen, the living room and the porch now face the water. The owners say the house stays comfortable through most afternoons with the windows open, and the bank came through its first storm season intact.
Credits
- Architecture
- Fluid Studio
- Interiors
- Fluid Studio
- Landscape
- Shoreline Landscape Co.
- Builder
- Harbor Building Co.
- Photography
- Fluid sample library
Planning a project like this?
Tell us about the site, the budget and when you'd like to start.