TIMBERFRAME, POST and BEAM HOMES

... access to recycled wood, and it was nice in this case to be able to stay within the same species.”

It’s an area of the house that Jane claims as her favorite—not just because of the abundant sunlight that streams in through the glass wall and ceiling, but also because it’s home to two of her most prized possessions: a pair of hundred-year-old stained-glass windows that originally were housed in a Cincinnati church (see “Hear of Glass,” left).

Making Memories

The rest of the house serves as a canvas for the eclectic mix of art, antiques and other treasures Rick and Jane have amassed through various travels. The teak-burl chair in the great room was find from one of Jane’s visits to her brother in Washington (the artist himself ferried the 400-pound seat thousands of miles to the couple’s home), and the beams in the dining room are decorated with a collection of floral plates that Jane discovered at various antique stores and flea markets.

“There are a lot of memories,” Jane says. “You can look at something and think, ‘I remember where we were when I bought that.”

But it’s not just the home’s décor that gives Rick and Jane cause to reminisce. The house itself is a lasting testament to the hours and days of hard work that went into getting it just right.

“We basically put our heart and soul into this house,” Jane says, “and we’re happy with what we got.”

The home’s most distinctive feature is the 16-by-8-foot glass-walled “sun space” that sits to the left of the front door. “We often have requests for unique features,” says North Woods co-owner Larry Kruse, “but we hadn’t done anything like that before.”

Heart of Glass

“It was almost like I was meant to find these windows,” home-owner Jane Sturtz says of the two 100-year-old stained-glass windows that flank her home’s “sun space.” One day, she happened to notice an ad in the paper for a local auction of seven windows, which had been removed from a Cincinnati church and languished in storage for years.

“I didn’t really have any expertise,” Jane admits. “I just knew I liked stained glass.”

As luck (or fate) would have it, at the auction, she met Brian McHale of Windows of Heaven, a Cincinnati-based stained-glass restorer. After purchasing four of the windows, Jane struck a deal with Brian, who was able to restore three of them to like-new condition and even fit two to the home’s specifications by incorporating pieces from the remaining window.

Once restored, the window’s beauty was enough to sway Rick, who was initially skeptical of his wife’s impromptu purchase.

“When Brian put the windows up and all the light came through, Rick said, ‘I take back every work I said,’” Jane laughs. “They just bring so much color and light.”

-C.M.

Home Details

SQUARE FOOTAGE: 3,835
TIMBER PROVIDER: North Woods Joinery