Two Entryways, One Home: A Lakefront Exterior Remodel

Before: A Home With No Identity From Either Direction

Prior to TreHus’ renovations, this Lotus Lake home had undergone several rounds of remodeling and touch-ups, leaving the homeowners with a mismatched exterior that severed the connection between the home’s updated interior and its surroundings on both sides of the house. Joe Dean, Designer + Project Manager, explains that the home’s exterior “lacked a particular architectural style,” leaving the house feeling disjointed and “provided no visual interest or cue to the updated interior.” Whether arriving by car or by boat, there was nothing to signal what was waiting inside.

The Front: Curb Appeal From the Street

Curb appeal is the first impression of a home from the street — everything from exterior design to landscaping. Successful curb appeal invites and intrigues without overwhelming. This Lotus Lake home strikes that balance with neutral tones and simple landscaping that are anything but boring, paired with clean lines and strong geometric features that draw the eye toward the front door.

A key move was adding a projecting shed roof over the entry — a simple addition that gives the home an immediate sense of presence, leading visitors toward the door while helping balance the existing home’s wide, low rooflines. “These changes provide a visual sense of presence to enhance and direct visitors to the entry,” says Joe.

The Back: Curb Appeal From the Water

Built for boating, the rear of this home is its second face — and it had to work just as hard to welcome guests arriving by water as the front door does for those arriving by car. An expansive back deck and screened porch, oversized windows, and a rear boat storage garage and driveway carefully leverage the home’s blueprint around its lakefront setting. A large retractable screen wall joins the covered porch to the back deck, creating a connected yet distinct gathering space and transition from indoors to outdoors.

The rear covered screen porch does double duty — beyond opening the home toward expansive lake views, it solved a practical problem by improving the long-term durability of the existing flat roof over the rear storage garage below. A large vaulted shed roof gives the space volume, while high clerestory windows above the motorized retractable screen let natural light flow in without sacrificing the view. On the porch’s other sides, sliding screened windows let the family open the space fully or close it off depending on the weather.

The Thread That Links It Together

Sleek and modern with touches of nautical white shiplap siding and warm wooden elements, the home’s new exterior connects the gap between its two faces. “The materials and coloration add textural contrast to the simple, but large, original exterior design form,” explains Joe. The shed roof massing introduced at the entry carries through to the rear of the home, repeating the same architectural language at both “front doors” so the home reads as one cohesive design from any direction.

Smaller details reinforce the connection. The new garage doors were a high-impact change: beyond refreshing the home’s street-side appearance, their glass panels bring additional natural light into the garage spaces. Natural wood finishes tie the home to its lakeside landscape, while a custom black iron cable railing on the deck stays nearly invisible — keeping the lake as the unobstructed focal point.

Whether guests pull into the driveway or tie up at the dock, this Lotus Lake home now offers the same sense of arrival: a confident, modern exterior that points toward the heart of the home and frames the lake beyond it.