WRITER | MARY ROSE KULCZAK
PHOTOS | MEL CASTER, ENGELSMA HOMES, LLC
Engelsma Homes, LLC
West Meets Midwest at Aspen Hill Farms
Winter 2025 Issue
Aspen Hill Farm is nestled on 25 acres in Ada, Michigan. Featuring a horse barn, a riding arena and trails, this property was the perfect setting for a family that loves animals and the outdoors. The existing 1980s-era house, however, was not ideal.
“While charming, she showed her years and was in need of work,” the homeowner says. “We explored the options to update the home to fit more of our needs and style desires. However, at the end of the day, we accepted that ultimately we would not get what we were hoping for. That is what drove us to choose to take it down and start new.”
The family interviewed eight different builders before choosing Engelsma Homes in 2020.
“We felt more of a connection with Engelsma in our dialogue,” the homeowner says. “They are a family business with multiple generations working in the company, and I come from a similar background. The design and style of the home was a relatively far departure from what builders in the area were used to, and I appreciated their enthusiasm to try something new.”
The family wanted the feel of a modern rustic lodge, similar to what they experience when traveling out West. “We are a downhill skiing family and have spent our lives traveling to ski towns out West. We love the mountains and the vibe, and some of the architecture you see.”
“We had a very strong idea of the style we wanted going into the project, as well as features throughout the home, mixing rustic woods and metal together in a complementary way. We have always referred to it as West meets the Midwest.”
The exterior of this 7,000-square-foot home combines these complementary elements in striking detail. The large gas lanterns and cedar siding add to the rustic lodge feel, but it was the addition of four semi trucks full of Montana moss-covered stone that truly reflects the care and attention to detail.
The family worked with Erin Hoehn, director of design at Engelsma Homes, to bring natural elements into the five-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bath home, both inside and out.
“We talked about their very specific inspiration for the house, with photographs of what they were looking for, from the authentic materials like Montana moss stone and the Douglas fir and Eastern white pine timbers to the cedar siding,” Hoehn says.
“We definitely did a lot of specialty lighting. We probably spent the most time on the exterior elements and the lighting, hand-selecting the siding and mapping out potential layouts and percentages of the mix of material in a way that was very unique.”
Visitors to the home know they are about to step into something special when they approach the front entry, with mortise-and-tenon timber and double doors. Many of the elements from the exterior can be found on the interior as well, including stone, cedar and distinctive lighting.
The rustic theme is repeated throughout the home with stone walls and fireplaces, hand-distressed timber beams and cedar-paneled ceilings. These accents are found in the great room, with its soaring ceiling and window view, as well as the nearby kitchen.
The floating staircase, constructed of wood and steel, suspends over a three-story stairwell.
It leads to a stunning space in the lower level culminating in a pond and water feature that is home to walleye, perch, smallmouth bass and sunfish, evoking the rivers and streams of the West.
“We said the only thing this house doesn’t have is a water feature,” Hoehn says. “We needed to include something unique like this, and floated the stairs over the top, which is pretty spectacular.”
An impressive 290-bottle wine cellar was also added, taking full advantage of the extra space to create a unique experience for guests.
The family wanted the home to be comfortable for everyday living, with children and dogs free to travel from inside rooms to outdoor adventures. They also wanted the home to be welcoming to guests, as they enjoy entertaining and hosting events year round. They created an outdoor setting that is just as impressive as the home’s interior.
“We wanted an outdoor living space large enough for family and friends, which we tried to accomplish through our patio and pool deck area,” the homeowner says. “To support that, we put in two sets of accordion doors off the patio, which opens up the walls between the patio and kitchen areas.”
“We wanted to create an extension of the kitchen space,” Hoehn says. “There is a wood burning fireplace, an outdoor grilling area and comfortable seating. With heaters and ambient lighting, we can really get that indoor-outdoor feel without the walls.”
The family enjoyed working with the designers and project managers of Engelsma Homes over the course of several years.
“We made some great relationships with the Engelsma team,” the homeowner says. “We had to work through some real challenges in putting together a unique home like this, but they were up for every challenge.”
