Michael Lerner and his spouse, Amiee, set out on a major DIY dwelling renovation mission as they traded metropolis life for a contemporary begin in nature.
After years in Seattle, they bought their dwelling—the place Michael had constructed an accent dwelling unit (ADU) himself—and looked for the right rural retreat.
They discovered it simply ninety minutes north of the town: a round wood dwelling with gorgeous valley views.
With an unfinished barn and loads of open area, the property provided them a inventive outlet and the chance to tackle new hands-on tasks.
The invention: A singular prefab dwelling
When Michael and Amiee Lerner arrived at their new property, they confronted an uncommon problem. Michael believes this spherical wood home was a prefab package dwelling from the Nineteen Nineties.
“It was a package home,” he mentioned. “I imply, it’s loopy like within the ’90s they have been doing modular prefab stuff, particularly in a circle.”
Regardless of being known as spherical, the construction is definitely an octagon with a central help pole anchoring the whole design.
This unconventional structure offered a number of building puzzles.
“I actually don’t perceive how the ground joists are related,” Michael admitted. “And I type of don’t need to know.”
Past the home, the property itself was precisely what the Lerners had been in search of—loads of land and a house with character.
“I didn’t need to transfer to the nation and have like anyone else’s concept of a rustic dwelling,” Aimee defined. “I wished like one thing bizarre type of, and I feel that is type of bizarre.”
The DIY dwelling renovation begins: Remodeling the inside
Step one of their DIY dwelling renovation was making the inside purposeful.
With its uncommon form, commonplace furnishings wouldn’t work, so Michael used his creativity.
A musician by commerce, he utilized his problem-solving abilities to construct {custom} furnishings and storage.
“It was actually simply laborious to wrap your head round how all the things was going to slot in right here,” he recalled.
He crafted a {custom} cupboard—nicknamed the “David Byrne” for its outsized design—and built-in storage to maximise area.
Electrical work was one other main job, requiring him to run new wiring all through the home.
The octagonal partitions and ceilings additionally created building challenges.
“The angles are nuts,” Michael mentioned.
He used plywood and pocket-hole joinery to create built-in furnishings to work round this.
As a part of the renovation, he additionally put in a brand new fire, changing what he described as a “actually gross” one with a extra environment friendly, spherical mannequin.
Increasing the dwelling area: Storage and studio
With the principle home taking form, the Lerners turned their consideration to the unfinished barn and storage—key areas for increasing their DIY dwelling renovation.
Michael remodeled the storage into a totally purposeful dwelling area, including a rest room, kitchen, and visitor room.
He took on practically each side of building himself, from framing new partitions to putting in plumbing and electrical techniques.
“YouTube it,” he mentioned when requested how he discovered. “It was actually laborious.”
The barn turned Michael’s private workspace. He transformed a part of it right into a recording studio with custom-built cupboards and a hidden storage space for his gear. Soundproofing was a precedence.
“All of that is to mitigate the sound,” he mentioned. “There was no ground in right here, after which I constructed the wall right here, so there was no wall.” The studio now doubles as an Airbnb rental, providing visitors a one-of-a-kind keep.
The Cabin: A private DIY dwelling renovation mission
Michael’s ardour for DIY dwelling renovation didn’t cease with the principle home. He additionally constructed a small cabin totally on his personal.
The mission required clearing land, grading, digging put up holes with a tractor, and laying a basis—all duties he had by no means executed earlier than.
“I did this all on my own this summer season,” he mentioned. “I discovered all these things on YouTube.”
The cabin, measuring just below 20 sq. ft, was constructed with out permits, utilizing cedar milled from timber on the property.
Inside, a wooden range and cedar paneling create a comfortable ambiance. A detachable ladder results in a loft, which Michael plans to show right into a studying nook.
“I can not let you know how glad I’m to have executed it from the muse and to have executed each a part of this myself with out having any data,” he mentioned.
Embracing rural life: Challenges and rewards
Adjusting to rural life has include each difficulties and rewards.
The Lerners have needed to get used to slower web, native wildlife, and a distinct tempo of life.
“We’re nonetheless on DSL, which is admittedly, actually nutty,” Michael mentioned.
Regardless of the challenges, the DIY dwelling renovation has been a satisfying expertise. For Michael, constructing and designing their area has been simply as rewarding as making music.
“Being a musician, like making an album, is such an arduous lengthy course of, and I do all the albums myself additionally, like I I’m like a one-man band, so doing one thing like this it scratches the identical itch,” he defined.
The liberty to experiment has been one other spotlight.
“Like, my household will come over and be like, how on why you didn’t put any trim there? Like, that’s what I would like. I like trying on the plywood.”
By their DIY dwelling renovation, the Lerners have remodeled an uncommon home into a private sanctuary, embracing creativity and hands-on studying each step of the best way.
Take a digital tour of the Lerners’ DIY dwelling renovation by the video beneath:
Subscribe to Kirsten Dirksen’s YouTube channel to see extra distinctive properties like this.
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