BOURIL

DESIGN

Contemporary three story waterfront home with cedar siding, stone accents, and elevated decks overlooking a narrow shoreline

Narrow Shorelines

Designing on narrow waterfront lots requires creativity, precision, and experience. We maximize space, light, and lake front views while working within municipal requirements.

PROJECT CHALLENGES

FEATURED PROJECTS

Custom lake home with multiple covered decks and large windows designed for a narrow waterfront property.

Lake Kengonsa

A narrow urban lot utilizes dormers for light while maintaining privacy. Prioritizing outdoor living with three tiers of decks with grand views of the lake.

Contemporary home with clean modern lines, tall windows, and a compact footprint on a constrained site.g

Lake Redstone

Simple shed roof forms allow for maximum glazing towards the lake while still maintaining a restrained building form.

Contemporary lakeside home with dark siding, stone accents, and expansive windows facing the water.

Meta Lake

Using a simple narrow form to control building costs, this two story lake home has a rustic lake feel while using modern materials for a low maintenance family vacation spot.

Renovated waterfront home with a new upper level addition and multiple lake-facing decks.

Okauchee Lake

Remodeling an existing home can preserve grandfathered home locations while also saving costs. A variance was permitted to allow the home to have higher ceilings. New windows, siding, and repainted masonry gave this home new life.

Modern three story home with vertical siding designed to maximize living space on a narrow urban lot.

Lake Monona

Making the most of every buildable square foot, this home uses vaulted ceilings at the primary suite to capture grand views of the water and city beyond.

Traditional two story home with a welcoming front porch and efficient design for a narrow residential lot.

Fox River

This remodel removed and replaced the roof form to allow for a new second story. Craftsman style details gave this owner the feeling of home.

OUR APPROACH

Making Every Foot Count

Designing on a narrow waterfront lot is a unique design challenge. While long, linear homes are common, waterfront properties often turn the traditional home layout inside out. Instead of orienting living spaces toward the street, the home's primary gathering areas are organized around the lake, balancing expansive views with privacy from neighboring properties.

Creating a successful waterfront home requires careful planning from the very beginning. Many homeowners want both their living spaces and primary suite to enjoy lake views, while maintaining separation between public and private areas. At the same time, the street-facing elevation often needs to accommodate garages and arrival spaces without compromising the home's architectural character.

Every waterfront project must also navigate state and local shoreland regulations, setbacks, and land use requirements. On narrow sites, these constraints leave little room for adjustment, making early coordination with municipalities and thoughtful site planning essential to maximizing the buildable area.

Finally, the expansive glass that makes waterfront living so special introduces unique structural considerations. Large windows, narrow building forms, and the higher wind loads associated with open water require close collaboration between architecture and engineering to create homes that are both beautiful and resilient.