This four-bedroom, three-bath home, built in 1978, was once decorated with foil wallpaper and carpeted floors — and its best view of the Huron River was from the master bathroom window.
“It was like a home you’d see in any subdivision (from the 1970s),” says architect Brad Angelini. “(It was) a one-story with small windows that weren’t taking advantage of
the river.”
All that changed when homeowners Ron and Barb Hirschl met with Brad and Theresa Angelini, husband-and-wife architects and co-partners at Angelini & Associates Architects in Ann Arbor. The homeowners wondered if the main living areas could face the water and the private spaces could be on the other side.
“The river bends right near the house and they have spectacular views,” Brad says. “For Ron and Barb to make that big of a suggestion — to flip the house completely — it was magic, and it triggered the ability to put glass along the whole riverfront wall.”
Achieving such an epic task meant taking everything out and starting all over again, drastically changing the floor plan, moving a staircase to the lower level, adding an addition for the master suite and office, and raising the ceilings. The only original interior feature still intact is the great room’s wood ceiling.
That in itself — figuring out how to unite the existing ceiling with the heightened ceilings in the other rooms and holding everything up — was a complication, Theresa says. Adding to the difficulty was the onset of the pandemic. “We had in-person meetings,” says Ron, a busy pediatric surgeon, “and Zoom meetings.” The Angelinis used cardboard and digital models to go over the tweaks with their clients as the plan evolved. They were even able to figure out how to locate the media room, complete with a golf simulator and Peloton exercise bike, on the main floor, rather than putting them in the basement, where the ceiling was too low for golf swings.
During the pandemic, certain supplies were hard to get ahold of, such as can lights. Building supplies soared in price, but the contractor, Robin Cook, was able to keep the project on track. The kitchen moved all the way to the other side of the house, so the Angelinis had to come up with an enjoyable sequence of spaces to make the long journey from the garage to the kitchen, especially when carrying groceries, a pleasant trek.
“In spite of all of the challenges, there were no compromises in quality,” says Theresa, who loved the fact that, during the year-and-a-half remodel, Barb worked with her tirelessly to source all of the materials for the interiors. Barb also visited the construction site every day during the process — even the dead of winter didn’t deter her — to watch the progress.
Now, after more than a year in their house, the Hirschls can’t get over the “wow” factor of waking up, walking into the main living area, and taking in the view. “The first thing we see is the water. It’s almost like an infinity pool,” says Barb, an effervescent homemaker, gardener, and longtime volunteer for the Ann Arbor Thrift Shop. Depending on the light, she says the water is either blue, green, or after a hard rain, brown — and awe-inspiring any time of the year.
The couple moved from a large two-story suburban home with a basement, and they also had a cottage in northern Michigan. They sold both, and are now living essentially on one floor, trading the traditional furnishings of their previous dwellings for more modern accoutrements — Fjord recliners, Rove Concept bar stools, a custom-made live-edge walnut dining table from Woody’s Wood Bench in northern Michigan — all complemented by sleek natural-finish hickory flooring and stunning overhead lighting.
Barb, the cook in the family, loves her new quartz-countertopped kitchen, with high-end appliances, a garden sill for herbs, her prized Miele espresso machine, and the adjacent pantry with all manner of shelves, drawers, and counter space. Ron loves the media room’s huge screen projector TV, and the higher ceiling lets him take big swings with the high-def golf simulator, which the couple enjoys year-round.
The house is wired to the nines with Smart Home features for the lights, the blinds, the TVs, gas fireplace, locks, garage door, alarm — even the master bath’s shower heads, which are customized with temperature settings for each user.
The basement features a pool table, three bedrooms, and a bath — ideal for their three grown children and expanding families — and gives the home 4,453 square feet of heated space. From the first-floor deck, there’s a patio with a fire pit and a spa. From the lower level walkout, there’s a mooring area for their kayaks, and steps leading down to the water.
“It’s very much a rural feeling,” says Barb, even though they’re close to Ann Arbor. She and Ron love to walk their 4-acre property with their golden retriever. They’ve discovered a horse farm nearby, another neighbor with chickens, and a turtle laying her eggs, and they report the soothing ripples of the river never stop.
BUYER’S GUIDE
ARCHITECTURE
Angelini & Associates Architects,
Ann Arbor, angeliniarchitects.com
BATHROOM, PRIMARY
Backsplash, Blue – Tozen, Lunada Bay, Virginia Tile
Bathtub – Signature Hardware,
Ferguson Plumbing, Troy
Cabinetry – Grabill, Silestone, Angelini & Associates Architects, Ann Arbor
Flooring – Milestone, Landmark Ceramics, Virginia Tile
Lighting – Modern Forms Mini Loft, Gross Electric, Ann Arbor
Tile, Shower (White) – American Olean, Virginia Tile
Wall Paint – Sherwin-Williams, Reserved White
BEDROOM, PRIMARY
Artwork – Ann Arbor Art Fair, Ann Arbor
Fireplace – Heat & Glo, Williams Distributing, Grand Rapids
Flooring, Carpet – FLOR, Interface
Flooring, Wood – Laura Schafer, Schafer Hardwood Flooring, Tecumseh
Sconce, Bedside – Kuzco Lighting, Gross Electric, Ann Arbor
Wall Paint – Sherwin-Williams, Reserved White
GREAT ROOM
Artwork, Flowers – Pierre Paul Design, Ann Arbor
Chandelier – Tech Lighting, Gross Electric, Ann Arbor
Fireplace – Halquist Stone, The Belden Brick Co.
Flooring – Schafer Hardwood Flooring, Tecumseh
Light Fixture – Shakúff, Bespoke
Lighting Solutions
Lounge, Chaise – Ethan Allen
Ottoman – Ethan Allen
Pillows, Accent (Blue) – Ethan Allen
Pillows, Accent (Yellow) – Pottery Barn
Rug – Ethan Allen
Sconce – TECH, Gross Electric, Ann Arbor
Sofa – Ethan Allen
TV – Sony
Wall Paint – Sherwin-Williams, Reserved White
KITCHEN & DINING ROOM
Cabinets – Grabill, Angelini & Associates Architects, Ann Arbor
Chairs, Accent – Fjords Urban, Esquire Interiors, Plymouth
Chairs, Dining – Arhaus
Chandelier, Dining – Shakúff, Bespoke Lighting Solutions
Chandelier, Kitchen – Kuzco Lighting, Gross Electric, Ann Arbor
Countertop – Envi Surfaces, Dwyer Marble & Stone Supply, Farmington Hills
Flooring – Schafer Hardwood Flooring, Tecumseh
Hood – Zephyr, Big George’s Home Appliance Mart, Ann Arbor
Oven and Microwave – GE, Big George’s Home Appliance Mart, Ann Arbor
Refrigerator – Sub-Zero, Big George’s Home Appliance Mart, Ann Arbor
Rug, Accent – FLOR, Interface
Rug, Area – FLOR, Interface
Sink – Elkay, Ferguson Plumbing Supply
Stools, Bar – Norman, Rove Concepts
Table, Dining – Woody’s Wood Bench
Table, Side – West Elm
Wall Paint – Sherwin-Williams, Reserved White
MEDIA/GOLF SIMULATOR ROOM
Bike – Peloton
Flooring – FLOR, Interface
Wall, Rubber Flooring – Amorim Rubber Flooring, Blakely Products, Warren
Wall Paint – Sherwin-Williams, Reserved White
PANTRY
Cabinetry – Grabill, Angelini & Associates Architects
Countertop – Envi Surfaces, Dwyer Marble & Stone Supply, Farmington Hills
Flooring – Schafer Hardwood Flooring, Tecumseh
Light Fixture – Lowell, Hinkley Lighting, Gross Electric, Ann Arbor
Wall Paint – Sherwin-Williams, Reserved White
EXTERIOR
Building Materials – Boral TruExterior
Chairs, Adirondack – Living Accents, Ace Hardware
Fire Pit – Unilock
Grill – Hestan
Landscaping – Aaron’s Lawn Care, Ypsilanti
Lighting, Back – Modern Forms Pandora
Lighting, Front – Gross Electric, Ann Arbor
Masonry – Unilock
Paint Color – Benjamin Moore, Soot
Roofing – Landmark Pro, Certainteed
Staircase, Metal – The Iron Shop
Windows – Anderson Windows & Doors
ADDITIONAL PROJECT CONTRIBUTORS
Builder – Robin Cook, Robin C. Cook Building LLC, Ann Arbor
Initial Design – Andrew Wolking
Project Designer – Nathan Clark, Angelini & Associates Architects, Ann Arbor
Text by Patty Lanoue Stearns | Photography by Jeff Garland
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