After six houses and six children, Lisa Jasken Peterson knows her way around a house. And she knows how to design a house that’s accessible, good for large groups and still has a clean, fresh look to it. Walking through the front door of her and her husband Ben’s Muskrat Lake home, the first thing any guest notices is the cabin. The Muskrat Lake Lodge is an enclosed four-seasons sunroom made to look like an old cabin the rest of the house was built around. “This was a big deal,” she said of the sunroom. Whenever the Petersons are entertaining, Lisa said that the kids and wives are usually in the kitchen and the men are in the Muskrat Lake Lodge. The kitchen: Another must in a house that Lisa designs is a large kitchen. “We absolutely love it, my whole family,” she said. Since they entertain a lot - kids and adults - “this is the place everyone usually goes.” Knowing that, the open space, large kitchen and having everything on one level are the major things Lisa takes into consideration when designing a new house.
She also picks and chooses where to spend the money when building a house. She said she never puts extra money into granite countertops, for example, because she sees it better spent on a bigger kitchen or somewhere else in the home.She said when she designs a house, it’s both for her family’s needs and for resale. Working as a realtor, she knows what will sell and what people are looking for. Though they haven’t been in this house a year yet, Lisa said she plans to keep it for quite a while. “When I design a house, I live in it (the plans) for two weeks to make changes and get it figured out. Then away we go,” she said. “My brother and I have built houses together for a while.” The Peterson’s 4,000-square-foot home has an open floor plan with most of the space on the main floor. “Everything has to be super open,” she said. “There are lots of different entertaining spaces.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156871","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] Off one end of the main living space is the master bedroom and bathroom. Usually a house is built so that you enter the master bedroom and then the bathroom from there. Lisa switched that up for this house though. She said she has the bathroom first because with a large family, the master bathroom is utilized as well and this way the bedroom can stay private. “We obviously like the lake view but also the privacy,” she said was another reason for the switch. A patio off the bedroom overlooks the lake. Over the master bedroom area is a loft that houses an open living space with a television and craft table and the teenager bedrooms. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156874","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] There is an outdoor balcony from the loft, which Lisa said they can watch the sun set from the patio downstairs, then run upstairs and see 15 more minutes of sunset. On the other side of the house is the younger kids’ wing. Not interested in a basement, Lisa said she likes the separated area - which includes a pocket door to close off the area if desired - for the kids. This wing includes a bathroom, two bedrooms and a small living room. She said the bedrooms aren’t overly big because she doesn’t want the kids and friends holed up in their rooms anyway. Instead, with the commons area, they can “spill out into their living room.” “It’s not fancy but logical designs,” she said. The laundry and mud rooms are located off the oversized garage. Since there’s no basement for storage, Lisa said she likes her garages bigger for storage purposes. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156878","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] The mud room is organized with baskets for hats, gloves, etc., and the laundry room has a basket for each family member’s clean laundry - baskets complete with a tag that has their picture and name on them. Lisa said a large laundry room is also important to her because with a large family, so much time is spent doing laundry. Above the garage is a “bonus room,” though it’s an apartment Lisa’s daughter and her husband inhabit. She said that since her children are spread out in age, she wanted to be able to not only help out her daughter and new son-in-law but also give her children a chance to have a close relationship with each other. Outside, the special touches keep coming. Since they sold their playground with the last house, Lisa had a slide attached to their patio area that ends in the yard. They also have a fire pit and outdoor seating on their patio. Though she has maybe moved through several houses in the past, this one is different, she said. “The trees on this lot were just waiting for this house to be here.” And she has no intention of leaving them for quite a while. Follow Pippi Mayfield on Twitter at @PippiMayfield.After six houses and six children, Lisa Jasken Peterson knows her way around a house. And she knows how to design a house that’s accessible, good for large groups and still has a clean, fresh look to it. Walking through the front door of her and her husband Ben’s Muskrat Lake home, the first thing any guest notices is the cabin. The Muskrat Lake Lodge is an enclosed four-seasons sunroom made to look like an old cabin the rest of the house was built around. “This was a big deal,” she said of the sunroom. Whenever the Petersons are entertaining, Lisa said that the kids and wives are usually in the kitchen and the men are in the Muskrat Lake Lodge. The kitchen: Another must in a house that Lisa designs is a large kitchen. “We absolutely love it, my whole family,” she said. Since they entertain a lot - kids and adults - “this is the place everyone usually goes.” Knowing that, the open space, large kitchen and having everything on one level are the major things Lisa takes into consideration when designing a new house. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156867","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] She also picks and chooses where to spend the money when building a house. She said she never puts extra money into granite countertops, for example, because she sees it better spent on a bigger kitchen or somewhere else in the home.She said when she designs a house, it’s both for her family’s needs and for resale. Working as a realtor, she knows what will sell and what people are looking for. Though they haven’t been in this house a year yet, Lisa said she plans to keep it for quite a while. “When I design a house, I live in it (the plans) for two weeks to make changes and get it figured out. Then away we go,” she said. “My brother and I have built houses together for a while.” The Peterson’s 4,000-square-foot home has an open floor plan with most of the space on the main floor. “Everything has to be super open,” she said. “There are lots of different entertaining spaces.”
Off one end of the main living space is the master bedroom and bathroom. Usually a house is built so that you enter the master bedroom and then the bathroom from there. Lisa switched that up for this house though. She said she has the bathroom first because with a large family, the master bathroom is utilized as well and this way the bedroom can stay private. “We obviously like the lake view but also the privacy,” she said was another reason for the switch. A patio off the bedroom overlooks the lake. Over the master bedroom area is a loft that houses an open living space with a television and craft table and the teenager bedrooms. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156874","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] There is an outdoor balcony from the loft, which Lisa said they can watch the sun set from the patio downstairs, then run upstairs and see 15 more minutes of sunset. On the other side of the house is the younger kids’ wing. Not interested in a basement, Lisa said she likes the separated area - which includes a pocket door to close off the area if desired - for the kids. This wing includes a bathroom, two bedrooms and a small living room. She said the bedrooms aren’t overly big because she doesn’t want the kids and friends holed up in their rooms anyway. Instead, with the commons area, they can “spill out into their living room.” “It’s not fancy but logical designs,” she said. The laundry and mud rooms are located off the oversized garage. Since there’s no basement for storage, Lisa said she likes her garages bigger for storage purposes. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156878","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] The mud room is organized with baskets for hats, gloves, etc., and the laundry room has a basket for each family member’s clean laundry - baskets complete with a tag that has their picture and name on them. Lisa said a large laundry room is also important to her because with a large family, so much time is spent doing laundry. Above the garage is a “bonus room,” though it’s an apartment Lisa’s daughter and her husband inhabit. She said that since her children are spread out in age, she wanted to be able to not only help out her daughter and new son-in-law but also give her children a chance to have a close relationship with each other. Outside, the special touches keep coming. Since they sold their playground with the last house, Lisa had a slide attached to their patio area that ends in the yard. They also have a fire pit and outdoor seating on their patio. Though she has maybe moved through several houses in the past, this one is different, she said. “The trees on this lot were just waiting for this house to be here.” And she has no intention of leaving them for quite a while. Follow Pippi Mayfield on Twitter at @PippiMayfield.After six houses and six children, Lisa Jasken Peterson knows her way around a house. And she knows how to design a house that’s accessible, good for large groups and still has a clean, fresh look to it. Walking through the front door of her and her husband Ben’s Muskrat Lake home, the first thing any guest notices is the cabin. The Muskrat Lake Lodge is an enclosed four-seasons sunroom made to look like an old cabin the rest of the house was built around. “This was a big deal,” she said of the sunroom. Whenever the Petersons are entertaining, Lisa said that the kids and wives are usually in the kitchen and the men are in the Muskrat Lake Lodge. The kitchen: Another must in a house that Lisa designs is a large kitchen. “We absolutely love it, my whole family,” she said. Since they entertain a lot - kids and adults - “this is the place everyone usually goes.” Knowing that, the open space, large kitchen and having everything on one level are the major things Lisa takes into consideration when designing a new house. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156867","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] She also picks and chooses where to spend the money when building a house. She said she never puts extra money into granite countertops, for example, because she sees it better spent on a bigger kitchen or somewhere else in the home.She said when she designs a house, it’s both for her family’s needs and for resale. Working as a realtor, she knows what will sell and what people are looking for. Though they haven’t been in this house a year yet, Lisa said she plans to keep it for quite a while. “When I design a house, I live in it (the plans) for two weeks to make changes and get it figured out. Then away we go,” she said. “My brother and I have built houses together for a while.” The Peterson’s 4,000-square-foot home has an open floor plan with most of the space on the main floor. “Everything has to be super open,” she said. “There are lots of different entertaining spaces.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156871","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] Off one end of the main living space is the master bedroom and bathroom. Usually a house is built so that you enter the master bedroom and then the bathroom from there. Lisa switched that up for this house though. She said she has the bathroom first because with a large family, the master bathroom is utilized as well and this way the bedroom can stay private. “We obviously like the lake view but also the privacy,” she said was another reason for the switch. A patio off the bedroom overlooks the lake. Over the master bedroom area is a loft that houses an open living space with a television and craft table and the teenager bedrooms.
There is an outdoor balcony from the loft, which Lisa said they can watch the sun set from the patio downstairs, then run upstairs and see 15 more minutes of sunset. On the other side of the house is the younger kids’ wing. Not interested in a basement, Lisa said she likes the separated area - which includes a pocket door to close off the area if desired - for the kids. This wing includes a bathroom, two bedrooms and a small living room. She said the bedrooms aren’t overly big because she doesn’t want the kids and friends holed up in their rooms anyway. Instead, with the commons area, they can “spill out into their living room.” “It’s not fancy but logical designs,” she said. The laundry and mud rooms are located off the oversized garage. Since there’s no basement for storage, Lisa said she likes her garages bigger for storage purposes. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156878","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] The mud room is organized with baskets for hats, gloves, etc., and the laundry room has a basket for each family member’s clean laundry - baskets complete with a tag that has their picture and name on them. Lisa said a large laundry room is also important to her because with a large family, so much time is spent doing laundry. Above the garage is a “bonus room,” though it’s an apartment Lisa’s daughter and her husband inhabit. She said that since her children are spread out in age, she wanted to be able to not only help out her daughter and new son-in-law but also give her children a chance to have a close relationship with each other. Outside, the special touches keep coming. Since they sold their playground with the last house, Lisa had a slide attached to their patio area that ends in the yard. They also have a fire pit and outdoor seating on their patio. Though she has maybe moved through several houses in the past, this one is different, she said. “The trees on this lot were just waiting for this house to be here.” And she has no intention of leaving them for quite a while. Follow Pippi Mayfield on Twitter at @PippiMayfield.After six houses and six children, Lisa Jasken Peterson knows her way around a house. And she knows how to design a house that’s accessible, good for large groups and still has a clean, fresh look to it. Walking through the front door of her and her husband Ben’s Muskrat Lake home, the first thing any guest notices is the cabin. The Muskrat Lake Lodge is an enclosed four-seasons sunroom made to look like an old cabin the rest of the house was built around. “This was a big deal,” she said of the sunroom. Whenever the Petersons are entertaining, Lisa said that the kids and wives are usually in the kitchen and the men are in the Muskrat Lake Lodge. The kitchen: Another must in a house that Lisa designs is a large kitchen. “We absolutely love it, my whole family,” she said. Since they entertain a lot - kids and adults - “this is the place everyone usually goes.” Knowing that, the open space, large kitchen and having everything on one level are the major things Lisa takes into consideration when designing a new house. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156867","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] She also picks and chooses where to spend the money when building a house. She said she never puts extra money into granite countertops, for example, because she sees it better spent on a bigger kitchen or somewhere else in the home.She said when she designs a house, it’s both for her family’s needs and for resale. Working as a realtor, she knows what will sell and what people are looking for. Though they haven’t been in this house a year yet, Lisa said she plans to keep it for quite a while. “When I design a house, I live in it (the plans) for two weeks to make changes and get it figured out. Then away we go,” she said. “My brother and I have built houses together for a while.” The Peterson’s 4,000-square-foot home has an open floor plan with most of the space on the main floor. “Everything has to be super open,” she said. “There are lots of different entertaining spaces.” [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156871","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] Off one end of the main living space is the master bedroom and bathroom. Usually a house is built so that you enter the master bedroom and then the bathroom from there. Lisa switched that up for this house though. She said she has the bathroom first because with a large family, the master bathroom is utilized as well and this way the bedroom can stay private. “We obviously like the lake view but also the privacy,” she said was another reason for the switch. A patio off the bedroom overlooks the lake. Over the master bedroom area is a loft that houses an open living space with a television and craft table and the teenager bedrooms. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156874","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]] There is an outdoor balcony from the loft, which Lisa said they can watch the sun set from the patio downstairs, then run upstairs and see 15 more minutes of sunset. On the other side of the house is the younger kids’ wing. Not interested in a basement, Lisa said she likes the separated area - which includes a pocket door to close off the area if desired - for the kids. This wing includes a bathroom, two bedrooms and a small living room. She said the bedrooms aren’t overly big because she doesn’t want the kids and friends holed up in their rooms anyway. Instead, with the commons area, they can “spill out into their living room.” “It’s not fancy but logical designs,” she said. The laundry and mud rooms are located off the oversized garage. Since there’s no basement for storage, Lisa said she likes her garages bigger for storage purposes.
The mud room is organized with baskets for hats, gloves, etc., and the laundry room has a basket for each family member’s clean laundry - baskets complete with a tag that has their picture and name on them. Lisa said a large laundry room is also important to her because with a large family, so much time is spent doing laundry. Above the garage is a “bonus room,” though it’s an apartment Lisa’s daughter and her husband inhabit. She said that since her children are spread out in age, she wanted to be able to not only help out her daughter and new son-in-law but also give her children a chance to have a close relationship with each other. Outside, the special touches keep coming. Since they sold their playground with the last house, Lisa had a slide attached to their patio area that ends in the yard. They also have a fire pit and outdoor seating on their patio. Though she has maybe moved through several houses in the past, this one is different, she said. “The trees on this lot were just waiting for this house to be here.” And she has no intention of leaving them for quite a while. Follow Pippi Mayfield on Twitter at @PippiMayfield.After six houses and six children, Lisa Jasken Peterson knows her way around a house. And she knows how to design a house that’s accessible, good for large groups and still has a clean, fresh look to it.Walking through the front door of her and her husband Ben’s Muskrat Lake home, the first thing any guest notices is the cabin.The Muskrat Lake Lodge is an enclosed four-seasons sunroom made to look like an old cabin the rest of the house was built around.“This was a big deal,” she said of the sunroom.Whenever the Petersons are entertaining, Lisa said that the kids and wives are usually in the kitchen and the men are in the Muskrat Lake Lodge.The kitchen: Another must in a house that Lisa designs is a large kitchen.“We absolutely love it, my whole family,” she said.Since they entertain a lot - kids and adults - “this is the place everyone usually goes.”Knowing that, the open space, large kitchen and having everything on one level are the major things Lisa takes into consideration when designing a new house.
She also picks and chooses where to spend the money when building a house. She said she never puts extra money into granite countertops, for example, because she sees it better spent on a bigger kitchen or somewhere else in the home.She said when she designs a house, it’s both for her family’s needs and for resale. Working as a realtor, she knows what will sell and what people are looking for. Though they haven’t been in this house a year yet, Lisa said she plans to keep it for quite a while.“When I design a house, I live in it (the plans) for two weeks to make changes and get it figured out. Then away we go,” she said. “My brother and I have built houses together for a while.”The Peterson’s 4,000-square-foot home has an open floor plan with most of the space on the main floor.“Everything has to be super open,” she said. “There are lots of different entertaining spaces.”[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156871","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]Off one end of the main living space is the master bedroom and bathroom. Usually a house is built so that you enter the master bedroom and then the bathroom from there. Lisa switched that up for this house though.She said she has the bathroom first because with a large family, the master bathroom is utilized as well and this way the bedroom can stay private.“We obviously like the lake view but also the privacy,” she said was another reason for the switch.A patio off the bedroom overlooks the lake.Over the master bedroom area is a loft that houses an open living space with a television and craft table and the teenager bedrooms.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156874","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]There is an outdoor balcony from the loft, which Lisa said they can watch the sun set from the patio downstairs, then run upstairs and see 15 more minutes of sunset.On the other side of the house is the younger kids’ wing. Not interested in a basement, Lisa said she likes the separated area - which includes a pocket door to close off the area if desired - for the kids.This wing includes a bathroom, two bedrooms and a small living room. She said the bedrooms aren’t overly big because she doesn’t want the kids and friends holed up in their rooms anyway. Instead, with the commons area, they can “spill out into their living room.”“It’s not fancy but logical designs,” she said.The laundry and mud rooms are located off the oversized garage. Since there’s no basement for storage, Lisa said she likes her garages bigger for storage purposes.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156878","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]The mud room is organized with baskets for hats, gloves, etc., and the laundry room has a basket for each family member’s clean laundry - baskets complete with a tag that has their picture and name on them.Lisa said a large laundry room is also important to her because with a large family, so much time is spent doing laundry.Above the garage is a “bonus room,” though it’s an apartment Lisa’s daughter and her husband inhabit. She said that since her children are spread out in age, she wanted to be able to not only help out her daughter and new son-in-law but also give her children a chance to have a close relationship with each other.Outside, the special touches keep coming. Since they sold their playground with the last house, Lisa had a slide attached to their patio area that ends in the yard. They also have a fire pit and outdoor seating on their patio.Though she has maybe moved through several houses in the past, this one is different, she said.“The trees on this lot were just waiting for this house to be here.”And she has no intention of leaving them for quite a while.Follow Pippi Mayfield on Twitter at @PippiMayfield.After six houses and six children, Lisa Jasken Peterson knows her way around a house. And she knows how to design a house that’s accessible, good for large groups and still has a clean, fresh look to it.Walking through the front door of her and her husband Ben’s Muskrat Lake home, the first thing any guest notices is the cabin.The Muskrat Lake Lodge is an enclosed four-seasons sunroom made to look like an old cabin the rest of the house was built around.“This was a big deal,” she said of the sunroom.Whenever the Petersons are entertaining, Lisa said that the kids and wives are usually in the kitchen and the men are in the Muskrat Lake Lodge.The kitchen: Another must in a house that Lisa designs is a large kitchen.“We absolutely love it, my whole family,” she said.Since they entertain a lot - kids and adults - “this is the place everyone usually goes.”Knowing that, the open space, large kitchen and having everything on one level are the major things Lisa takes into consideration when designing a new house.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156867","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]She also picks and chooses where to spend the money when building a house. She said she never puts extra money into granite countertops, for example, because she sees it better spent on a bigger kitchen or somewhere else in the home.She said when she designs a house, it’s both for her family’s needs and for resale. Working as a realtor, she knows what will sell and what people are looking for. Though they haven’t been in this house a year yet, Lisa said she plans to keep it for quite a while.“When I design a house, I live in it (the plans) for two weeks to make changes and get it figured out. Then away we go,” she said. “My brother and I have built houses together for a while.”The Peterson’s 4,000-square-foot home has an open floor plan with most of the space on the main floor.“Everything has to be super open,” she said. “There are lots of different entertaining spaces.”
Off one end of the main living space is the master bedroom and bathroom. Usually a house is built so that you enter the master bedroom and then the bathroom from there. Lisa switched that up for this house though.She said she has the bathroom first because with a large family, the master bathroom is utilized as well and this way the bedroom can stay private.“We obviously like the lake view but also the privacy,” she said was another reason for the switch.A patio off the bedroom overlooks the lake.Over the master bedroom area is a loft that houses an open living space with a television and craft table and the teenager bedrooms.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156874","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]There is an outdoor balcony from the loft, which Lisa said they can watch the sun set from the patio downstairs, then run upstairs and see 15 more minutes of sunset.On the other side of the house is the younger kids’ wing. Not interested in a basement, Lisa said she likes the separated area - which includes a pocket door to close off the area if desired - for the kids.This wing includes a bathroom, two bedrooms and a small living room. She said the bedrooms aren’t overly big because she doesn’t want the kids and friends holed up in their rooms anyway. Instead, with the commons area, they can “spill out into their living room.”“It’s not fancy but logical designs,” she said.The laundry and mud rooms are located off the oversized garage. Since there’s no basement for storage, Lisa said she likes her garages bigger for storage purposes.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156878","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]The mud room is organized with baskets for hats, gloves, etc., and the laundry room has a basket for each family member’s clean laundry - baskets complete with a tag that has their picture and name on them.Lisa said a large laundry room is also important to her because with a large family, so much time is spent doing laundry.Above the garage is a “bonus room,” though it’s an apartment Lisa’s daughter and her husband inhabit. She said that since her children are spread out in age, she wanted to be able to not only help out her daughter and new son-in-law but also give her children a chance to have a close relationship with each other.Outside, the special touches keep coming. Since they sold their playground with the last house, Lisa had a slide attached to their patio area that ends in the yard. They also have a fire pit and outdoor seating on their patio.Though she has maybe moved through several houses in the past, this one is different, she said.“The trees on this lot were just waiting for this house to be here.”And she has no intention of leaving them for quite a while.Follow Pippi Mayfield on Twitter at @PippiMayfield.After six houses and six children, Lisa Jasken Peterson knows her way around a house. And she knows how to design a house that’s accessible, good for large groups and still has a clean, fresh look to it.Walking through the front door of her and her husband Ben’s Muskrat Lake home, the first thing any guest notices is the cabin.The Muskrat Lake Lodge is an enclosed four-seasons sunroom made to look like an old cabin the rest of the house was built around.“This was a big deal,” she said of the sunroom.Whenever the Petersons are entertaining, Lisa said that the kids and wives are usually in the kitchen and the men are in the Muskrat Lake Lodge.The kitchen: Another must in a house that Lisa designs is a large kitchen.“We absolutely love it, my whole family,” she said.Since they entertain a lot - kids and adults - “this is the place everyone usually goes.”Knowing that, the open space, large kitchen and having everything on one level are the major things Lisa takes into consideration when designing a new house.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156867","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]She also picks and chooses where to spend the money when building a house. She said she never puts extra money into granite countertops, for example, because she sees it better spent on a bigger kitchen or somewhere else in the home.She said when she designs a house, it’s both for her family’s needs and for resale. Working as a realtor, she knows what will sell and what people are looking for. Though they haven’t been in this house a year yet, Lisa said she plans to keep it for quite a while.“When I design a house, I live in it (the plans) for two weeks to make changes and get it figured out. Then away we go,” she said. “My brother and I have built houses together for a while.”The Peterson’s 4,000-square-foot home has an open floor plan with most of the space on the main floor.“Everything has to be super open,” she said. “There are lots of different entertaining spaces.”[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156871","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]Off one end of the main living space is the master bedroom and bathroom. Usually a house is built so that you enter the master bedroom and then the bathroom from there. Lisa switched that up for this house though.She said she has the bathroom first because with a large family, the master bathroom is utilized as well and this way the bedroom can stay private.“We obviously like the lake view but also the privacy,” she said was another reason for the switch.A patio off the bedroom overlooks the lake.Over the master bedroom area is a loft that houses an open living space with a television and craft table and the teenager bedrooms.
There is an outdoor balcony from the loft, which Lisa said they can watch the sun set from the patio downstairs, then run upstairs and see 15 more minutes of sunset.On the other side of the house is the younger kids’ wing. Not interested in a basement, Lisa said she likes the separated area - which includes a pocket door to close off the area if desired - for the kids.This wing includes a bathroom, two bedrooms and a small living room. She said the bedrooms aren’t overly big because she doesn’t want the kids and friends holed up in their rooms anyway. Instead, with the commons area, they can “spill out into their living room.”“It’s not fancy but logical designs,” she said.The laundry and mud rooms are located off the oversized garage. Since there’s no basement for storage, Lisa said she likes her garages bigger for storage purposes.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156878","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]The mud room is organized with baskets for hats, gloves, etc., and the laundry room has a basket for each family member’s clean laundry - baskets complete with a tag that has their picture and name on them.Lisa said a large laundry room is also important to her because with a large family, so much time is spent doing laundry.Above the garage is a “bonus room,” though it’s an apartment Lisa’s daughter and her husband inhabit. She said that since her children are spread out in age, she wanted to be able to not only help out her daughter and new son-in-law but also give her children a chance to have a close relationship with each other.Outside, the special touches keep coming. Since they sold their playground with the last house, Lisa had a slide attached to their patio area that ends in the yard. They also have a fire pit and outdoor seating on their patio.Though she has maybe moved through several houses in the past, this one is different, she said.“The trees on this lot were just waiting for this house to be here.”And she has no intention of leaving them for quite a while.Follow Pippi Mayfield on Twitter at @PippiMayfield.After six houses and six children, Lisa Jasken Peterson knows her way around a house. And she knows how to design a house that’s accessible, good for large groups and still has a clean, fresh look to it.Walking through the front door of her and her husband Ben’s Muskrat Lake home, the first thing any guest notices is the cabin.The Muskrat Lake Lodge is an enclosed four-seasons sunroom made to look like an old cabin the rest of the house was built around.“This was a big deal,” she said of the sunroom.Whenever the Petersons are entertaining, Lisa said that the kids and wives are usually in the kitchen and the men are in the Muskrat Lake Lodge.The kitchen: Another must in a house that Lisa designs is a large kitchen.“We absolutely love it, my whole family,” she said.Since they entertain a lot - kids and adults - “this is the place everyone usually goes.”Knowing that, the open space, large kitchen and having everything on one level are the major things Lisa takes into consideration when designing a new house.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156867","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]She also picks and chooses where to spend the money when building a house. She said she never puts extra money into granite countertops, for example, because she sees it better spent on a bigger kitchen or somewhere else in the home.She said when she designs a house, it’s both for her family’s needs and for resale. Working as a realtor, she knows what will sell and what people are looking for. Though they haven’t been in this house a year yet, Lisa said she plans to keep it for quite a while.“When I design a house, I live in it (the plans) for two weeks to make changes and get it figured out. Then away we go,” she said. “My brother and I have built houses together for a while.”The Peterson’s 4,000-square-foot home has an open floor plan with most of the space on the main floor.“Everything has to be super open,” she said. “There are lots of different entertaining spaces.”[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156871","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]Off one end of the main living space is the master bedroom and bathroom. Usually a house is built so that you enter the master bedroom and then the bathroom from there. Lisa switched that up for this house though.She said she has the bathroom first because with a large family, the master bathroom is utilized as well and this way the bedroom can stay private.“We obviously like the lake view but also the privacy,” she said was another reason for the switch.A patio off the bedroom overlooks the lake.Over the master bedroom area is a loft that houses an open living space with a television and craft table and the teenager bedrooms.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1156874","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"325","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"750"}}]]There is an outdoor balcony from the loft, which Lisa said they can watch the sun set from the patio downstairs, then run upstairs and see 15 more minutes of sunset.On the other side of the house is the younger kids’ wing. Not interested in a basement, Lisa said she likes the separated area - which includes a pocket door to close off the area if desired - for the kids.This wing includes a bathroom, two bedrooms and a small living room. She said the bedrooms aren’t overly big because she doesn’t want the kids and friends holed up in their rooms anyway. Instead, with the commons area, they can “spill out into their living room.”“It’s not fancy but logical designs,” she said.The laundry and mud rooms are located off the oversized garage. Since there’s no basement for storage, Lisa said she likes her garages bigger for storage purposes.
The mud room is organized with baskets for hats, gloves, etc., and the laundry room has a basket for each family member’s clean laundry - baskets complete with a tag that has their picture and name on them.Lisa said a large laundry room is also important to her because with a large family, so much time is spent doing laundry.Above the garage is a “bonus room,” though it’s an apartment Lisa’s daughter and her husband inhabit. She said that since her children are spread out in age, she wanted to be able to not only help out her daughter and new son-in-law but also give her children a chance to have a close relationship with each other.Outside, the special touches keep coming. Since they sold their playground with the last house, Lisa had a slide attached to their patio area that ends in the yard. They also have a fire pit and outdoor seating on their patio.Though she has maybe moved through several houses in the past, this one is different, she said.“The trees on this lot were just waiting for this house to be here.”And she has no intention of leaving them for quite a while.Follow Pippi Mayfield on Twitter at @PippiMayfield.
