On the north end of Crooked Lake, where the trees still trace the shoreline Andy Kellogg once explored as a child, a new design now catches the light. The home Andy and his wife Katy built here is more than a return; it’s the continuation of a family story.
“How do we live in this house forever?” Katy remembers asking early in the design process. “We wanted to build this for all stages of life.”
That idea — designing for forever — shaped everything about the Kellogg’s project. From the start, they wanted a home that could evolve with their family: young children now, teenagers later, and years down the line, a home that would welcome their grown children and their families back to the lake.
A Legacy Reimagined
The land that holds their home has long been part of Andy’s family story. His parents first bought property on Crooked Lake with the hope that one of their four children might one day return. When that time came, Andy and Katy said yes — though the decision would be anything but simple.
The pair lived for years in the small cottage that once stood on the site, with two kids, two dogs, and a growing sense that the space couldn’t stretch much further. Their dream was to combine that lot with the neighboring parcel, also owned by Andy’s family, and build a single home that honored the past while planning for the future.
That vision required patience. Zoning approvals, variances, and township logistics delayed construction for nearly a year. But instead of frustration, the pause became a gift — time to design, dream, and refine their ideas with Riemco.
“It was a tall order,” Andy says. “I don’t know if Riemco understood at first the challenges that might be presented to them, but I’m confident to say they’re the only people around that could handle what we were looking to do and the scope and complications that came up. They handled it frankly with a lot of grace, a lot more than I would have.”
The Design of a Life
When the design process began, the Kelloggs arrived with a simple list: the number of bedrooms, a mudroom, a separate laundry, and a clear sense of how they wanted to live. Then they handed the list to Riemco’s design team and waited to see what would emerge.
Two complete designs came back — both distinct, both full of ideas they hadn’t considered. Those early sketches became the foundation for a dialogue that blended structure, style, and imagination.
One of the most useful tools, they recall, was a scoring template that asked them to prioritize unrelated things. “It would say, ‘a walk-in closet versus a full fireplace’, two things that typically are very separate. It really helped us prioritize.”
The resulting design balanced both of their priorities: Andy’s desire for function and Katy’s eye for modern style. Expansive windows and clean lines that fill the home with natural light, grounded by practical spaces designed for longevity and comfort.
Modern by Nature
From the start, Katy envisioned something unexpected for a lakefront setting — a modern home that would complement rather than compete with its surroundings. Riemco helped them refine that idea: contemporary lines softened by natural textures, a palette that mirrors the woods and water, and spaces that flow easily from indoors to out.
The walkout basement opens toward the lake, just twenty feet from the dock. Though unfinished now, it’s designed to become an extension of their living space, and a focal point for lake living, complete with a kitchenette and bath for lake guests — small details that prevent wet footprints from winding through the main floor.
“Their experience showed in every suggestion,” Andy says. “Like putting the lake bathroom by the door — something we never would have thought of, but now it makes perfect sense.”
The Beauty of What You Don’t See
For the Kelloggs, the greatest joys of their home aren’t the bold design features — they’re the quiet ones.
”The biggest joys that we get out of our house are the tiny things that we would never have thought of. Through the design process, the Riemco team made small recommendations that now we feel like, “Wow, that makes such a difference in our daily lives. Simple things like jam switches on all the closets. You open up the closet, the light turns on, you close the closet, the light turns off.”
The Kelloggs describe Riemco’s process as one centered on foresight — not luxury for its own sake, but thoughtfulness that endures. Every discussion looked beyond the build itself to how the house would function years from now.
They encouraged the Kelloggs to invest where it mattered most, in the unseen parts of the house: electrical capacity, HVAC, and plumbing built to handle future growth. Andy noticed the difference. Even their baseline quality exceeded what most builders consider “good.” Every recommendation came with reasoning — when to spend more, when something more modest would last thirty years without compromise.
What stood out most was the honesty. There was no sense of being sold or steered; instead, conversations felt transparent and collaborative. The team’s advice was consistent and practical, always aimed at the long-term benefit of the family rather than the project’s bottom line.
Partnership in Practice
Throughout the build, the relationship between the Kelloggs and the Riemco team deepened through communication and trust. Living next door during construction, Katy saw the team’s discipline up close. “Every single subcontractor treated our project like it was their own,” she says. “They cleaned up every night, they were always so respectful, and we were always informed about schedules.”
When unforeseen issues arose — a sewer line delay, a winter move-in — the tone remained collaborative. “We told Ron we’d move in with my in-laws if it meant spending Christmas in the new house,” Katy laughs. “And we did.”
That partnership extended well beyond move-in. Riemco’s warranty process impressed them with: proactive check-ins and small adjustments caught before they were noticed. “Jim, through the warranty process, has been so proactive. He says, We’re fixing all these things as he’s pointing out things and telling us you’ve got a year under warranty and we’re going to make sure everything’s perfect,” Katy explained.
Even the trades left a mark — literally. When the team had extra gravel from the build, they used it to regrade the Kellogg’s driveway across the street. “They didn’t have to do that,” Andy says. “But it shows how they think — the whole project, the whole relationship.”
Living the Design
Now, with the house complete and the lake just beyond their back lawn, the Kelloggs are settling into what they built together.
The screened porch — a last-minute addition Ron persuaded them to keep — has become the family’s favorite space. “The kids are out there almost every morning. They grab a blanket, they watch TV, or when their friends come over they migrate from the kitchen to the porch. It’s so awesome.” Andy says. “We have heated lamps out there and even had a New Year’s Eve party.”
Favorite features for Katy are the bar and wine rack that anchor their main living area, designed for the entertaining that defines so much of their life. And the office — a quiet space tucked away on the main floor — that allows her to work from home while her children return from school, bridging career and family life in a way that feels natural.
Each space, they say, has evolved beyond its blueprint — growing into daily rituals and small joys that can’t be designed on paper alone.
A Home That Thinks Ahead
As evening settles across Crooked Lake, the Kelloggs’ home glows softly against the shoreline — modern in form, grounded in history, and designed to grow right alongside them.
For Andy and Katy, working with Riemco wasn’t just about building a new house. It was about creating a place that could carry their family forward — a thoughtful, lasting expression of how they want to live.
