Located within two hours of the Twin Cities in Comstock, Wisconsin, Kodiak Cabin is the perfect private and pet-friendly lakefront retreat. We chatted with husband-and-wife duo Eric and Stephanie Gutiérrez to learn about the cabin’s extensive building process, some of their favorite elements, and how they ended up with the ultimate back-to-nature escape.
Photography by Ellen Gustafson Photography
What was the process like bringing Kodiak to life?
It was a process — and basically a full-time job. We wanted to use a local builder and contractor. We sourced the building materials from the local hardware store, and they too were remarkably helpful in moving everything along. Everyone knows everyone in this small Wisconsin town, so if we needed anything, we’d just walk into the hardware store and ask around. We really gained an appreciation for the sense of community. Our contractor and his team completed a lot of the structure and some of the finishing work, but we took on most of the custom work. We built the fireplace and bench, completed the bathroom, tiled the backsplash, and built some of the furniture.
Were you inspired by a specific vision right from the start?
We had always said we just wanted a simple structure with a slant roof. We were inspired by simple midcentury-style structures and large windows. But I will say it was more of a fuzzy vision, and it certainly evolved as we actually got into the building process.
Where did you source furnishings for the cabin? What are some of your favorite pieces?
All of the furniture was either built by us or purchased secondhand. I love the $80 cozy camel sofa and the $9 wicker chair I found on Craigslist. We appreciate secondhand furniture because you can buy something of great quality for a more reasonable price, and we feel good about putting items to use again. We had a lot of fun collecting stuff from various places, but those were our big scores. Our garage was basically full of cabin items for the entirety of the build.
Did you run into any challenges while building the cabin?
The build process was complex, and we had to make many compromises along the way. We had a vision, but we are not architects. For example, I would have loved to have no space between the front windows — and that’s apparently not so easy with wind resistance and structural load. We had also planned to break ground in the fall, but the weather turned too quickly on us and the whole project got pushed to spring. Then once our foundation had been poured, a derecho storm hit the area. It was awful and we lost many trees, but luckily the build hadn’t started, and we only had a small repairable dent in the frost walls.
Another challenge we faced was when our builder had a heart attack while bobcat hunting mid-build. (No, I’m not kidding.) We are so thankful he was OK, and we were able to keep things moving while he recovered. The whole process took much longer than anticipated, but we learned so much and we really love the end result.
Hygge is all about finding joy and comfort in life’s simplest pleasures. How did you infuse Kodiak with this energy?
We love this term. First, it already existed to some degree. The lot just felt right when we first walked it. The cabin sits at the end of a dead-end road tucked in the trees and overlooking the nature side of the lake. We take a deep breath every time we arrive to take it all in. A lot of the magic has nothing to do with us. Kodiak does not take away from the environment, which was our goal. It invites you outside while providing a comfortable shelter to sleep, prepare meals and curl up by the fire. Simple, unfussy finishings and comfortable furnishings invite you to leave stress behind and just unwind.
