If you ask Tyler Middleton what he loves about his new home, his thoughts barely make it past the front porch. “I think the porch reinforces the neighborhood culture of yesteryear. You sit on the porch and invite neighbors to stop by and have a seat,” Middleton says. In fact, Middleton and his wife Kim couldn’t wait for the house to be finished before they went out and sat out front to test it out. “We can have a beer or a glass of wine and just watch the world go by,” he says.
Enjoying such a slow-paced, nostalgic view of life might seem like an oxymoron for Middleton, who is the vice president and general manager of telecommunications giant CenturyLink, a company that prides itself on offering industry-leading high-speed Internet service to thousands of customers daily. “When I got involved in information technology, it seemed like a growing, vibrant industry, and that’s definitely been the case,” Middleton says. “It’s going to continue to evolve and accelerate.”
While he expects his career to continue to operate at high speed, Middleton knew life at home was about to slow down and he wanted a house to accommodate it. He and his wife of nearly 30 years have one son in college, one daughter who’s graduated from college and another daughter finishing high school. “We wanted a house that was smaller in scale but big in character,” he says. “We wanted lots of nooks to get away, such as a screen porch, a sunroom—even a tiny tavern.”
Creating a Plan
Middleton and his wife turned to Jon Monson of Landschute in Excelsior to design and build the house they’d always wanted. “We had the desire to create a future empty-nester house and someplace that we wanted to live for the rest of our lives,” Middleton says. He’d worked with Monson on a project before, and says it took nearly a year and a half to design and build a house with a light, airy Nantucket feel.
“It’s important to find a builder where you both share the same vision for the home,” he says. “If you have someone that builds contemporary homes, but you have a classic vision … It’s hard to cross that.”
Monson says the home was intended to be a classic Cottagewood cottage. “They wanted it to work for their family as it currently exists, and then when kids are gone, they want it to have a cozy, cottage feel,” Monson says. “The essence of what we do for new construction is to give it a charming, timeless character.”
Building a Home
First, Middleton had to find a place to build, since vacant lots are rare in the Lake Minnetonka region—and luckily, they found a house that had been empty for eight years. “It was on the verge of falling over,” Middleton says. In its place, he wanted a home that exuded old-world charm and character. “We wanted it finished in a way that makes it look like it’s been there for 100 years,” he says.
While he wanted the home to give a nod to a slower time, he wanted the technology inside to be anything but. The entire structure has CAT-5 (category 5) wiring with Wi-Fi access throughout the house. “We love it,” Middle says. “We can access music, video or the Internet from anyone’s iPhone, iPad or even the television.” The family has already enjoyed the access during get-togethers. They can even tap into the Wi-Fi on one of the treasured spaces: the front porch.
Back to Basics
It was important to Middleton to create a home that reflected the community he loved. His family has lived in Cottagewood since 1969 and he describes growing up there as something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. “It’s a great place to raise a kid and be a kid,” Middleton says. “There are Fourth of July parades. You can go down [to the Cottagewood General Store] and get an ice cream cone or a root beer. When you do, you’ll see all of your family and friends who have lived here for multiple generations.”
Middleton appreciates that people used to vacation in cottages in the area where he lives and has spent most of his life. Vacationers back then would relax, enjoy the lake and create a lake lifestyle that ultimately defined the region. “I think there’s a rich history in this area,” he says. “People started racing sailboats here. It was the golden era of Lake Minnetonka, and that kind of feel and culture still exists.”
And Middleton can see it all from his new front porch.
