Dotted with barns aplenty, the agricultural stronghold of Door County, Wisconsin, was the perfect place for Beth and her husband’s vision of a modern farmhouse.

Enlisting the help of Minnesota-based Salmela Architect, the clients worked closely together with principal architect David Salmela, as well as project architect Malini Srivastava to craft a custom rural home inspired by the local weathered barns.

“Our client, Beth, loves the open farm fields of the area, and this project was in many ways her vision,” note the architects, who named the project House for Beth. "They asked for a one-floor retreat with a minimal number of rooms and maximum amount of light and views, so that it would fit into the context of the open fields of Door County.”

As a result, the 1,093-square-foot farmhouse design features three main rooms with the division between private and public areas delineated by the stepped pitched roofs.

The taller gabled roof rests above the spacious open-plan living area, dining room, and kitchen, while the lower pitched roof houses the bathroom and two bedrooms in the rear. A third lean-to structure has also been added behind the bedrooms, and contains the mechanical systems.

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The minimalist design approach was also one of necessity due to the budget, which saw construction costs of $240,000.

“The house sits on a frost footing rather than a basement, and in lieu of a garage we designed a fenced car-court in the landscape,” explain the architects.

“The narrowness of the house enabled us to design a very efficient layout with ample daylight and a strong sense of connection to the surrounding fields throughout all of the spaces.”

All costs for this farmhouse design—from the house and landscape to the installation of utilities and septic—averaged $248 per square foot.

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Salmela Architect / @davidsalmela

Builder/General Contractors: Highview Builders

Cabinetry Design/Installation: Rod & Son Carpentry