Lego project turns into dream home for Wisconsin family

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MCT) - What began as a father-and-son project with Lego blocks the summer of 2004 turned into the inspiration for architect Fred Dahms' dream home.

The house he built in 2005 is almost an exact replica of the toy model he created with his son, Max, now 5.

"It sat on a shelf forever," Dahms says. "We'd tell people, 'That's our dream house.' And they thought we were crazy. But eventually I started drawing up the plans."

By Valentine's Day 2006, Fred, his wife, Julie, an attorney, and children Max and Mira, now 3, moved out of a two-bedroom Craftsman bungalow in Glendale, Wis., and into their modern two-story home, which realized the simplicity and openness they'd craved.

You won't find many walls here (and only one TV, a flat-screen above the living room fireplace).

The floor plan moves guests from the front door into a large, inviting space that encompasses the living room, dining area and kitchen. Behind the kitchen is a computer room and a small powder room.

Sunlight floods southern-exposed windows, bouncing brightness off white walls, white cabinetry and pops of color in furniture, rugs and wall art.

The remaining rooms, including the children's bedrooms and the master suite, are on the second level, visible only by ascending another work of art, the stairwell. Cut from Parallam, a construction beam material, the stairwell's floating design is so elegant that you almost forget its function.

"I was looking for an interesting, strong material," says Fred, who also used Parallam to construct bathroom countertops and the fireplace mantel in the living room.

The master bedroom is a glorious blanket of white that seems to extend into the clouds, thanks to a vaulted ceiling and a small upper window that reveals a corner of the sky. The master bath is bathed in warm, ocean-blue mosaic tiles.

The entire house measures about 2,200 square feet, not counting what Fred and Julie call their "bonus room" _ a finished but unused 800-square-foot space on the second level of a freestanding storage building in front of their home.

Although the couple managed to stay under their $100-a-square foot budget during the building process, they did encounter challenges.

"We had to fight for this, because the lot was unbuildable," says Fred, who works for Mikkelson Builders in Mequon. The land originally was in a floodplain, he says, but he worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and local government to take it out of the floodplain by using fill to raise it up five feet.

The house, which abuts the Milwaukee River, had to be built on a concrete slab. But the family seized the opportunity to incorporate more green elements into their home. Fred installed a hydronic heating system under the bamboo floors on the first level.

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Their love of efficiency extends to their choice of home furnishings. One of their favorite stores is IKEA, known for budget-friendly, modern furniture. They find other items online. When Fred yearned for a Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chair, he bought a replica on eBay for $300 _ a fraction of what an original would have cost.

"Knock-offs don't bother me as long as you don't pretend that they're the real thing," Fred says. And a less expensive piece is more conducive to family life because, he says, "you don't have to worry about sitting on it."

Recently the Dahmses sat down at their dining table (with a Sputnik light shining overhead) to talk about the art of home.

Q: The look of your home is spare but not sterile. How do you maintain that aesthetic and keep clutter at bay with two children and Claudia, the family cat?

Julie: Everything has a place. Art supplies are kept in the cabinet. If something gets broken, we get rid of it. And a lot of their toys, we just make sure that they make it into their bedrooms.

Q: What one word would you use to describe your home?

Julie: Modern? Progressive?

Fred: Fun. Fresh. I don't know if I can think of one word.

Q: Is this still your dream house?

Fred: Three years ago it was. Now we already have ideas about the next house.

This one has been more of a dream house than I expected it to be. But I don't know if we need the dream. The next home will have less of everything, including square footage. I'd also look into more geothermal heating and wood-burning options to heat the house, and solar energy to cut down on electricity costs.

Q: The blue accent wall in the kitchen adds a soothing touch to the space. How did that play into your design plans?

Julie: I tried to match the blue to my favorite blue dots in the picture that hangs there. I wanted it to be warm and cozy.

Q: Your first-floor home office seems to serve numerous functions.

Fred: At first I thought it would be mine, but really it's both of ours.

Julie: It also doubles as a guest room, so it's really efficient.

Q: What was the biggest benefit of adding the bonus room?

Fred: It adds about 800 square feet to the house, and it's kind of like our basement. We wanted it to be large enough for a mother-in-law suite, or use it as a room for the kids and their toys, or maybe another office. Really, it can be anything we need it to be.

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Q: How would you characterize the style of your home?

Fred: It doesn't really fit into any one style. It's really a mix of modern and traditional.

Julie: Yes, it's a fusion, so it would fit into the neighborhood.

Q: What's your favorite room?

Fred: The bedroom, because it's so comfortable. Plus, I like seeing the trees blow in the wind.

Julie: Sitting here at the kitchen table. It's nice and light.

Q: You obviously love your home, but is there anything about it that drives you crazy?

Fred: The fireplace.

Julie: We had to use a traditional masonry chimney, which isn't as modern as we would have liked.

Fred: Also, the faucet handles in the powder room (on the first level). We love the look of it, but the function is lacking. No one can figure out how to use them. And once you have soap on your hands, it's hard to turn the knobs.

It has the right form but not the function, so it doesn't quite work.

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© 2008, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.