Kristen and Andy Cragg weren't looking for a cabin when they visited friends Up North in 2001. But it was a rainy weekend, so they popped into an open house on Lower Hay Lake in the Whitefish chain.
"It was an old, cabin-y cabin — with some highly questionable DIY plumbing and electrical," said Kristen. But it was on a quiet lake with a sandy beach, woods and loons. "It's an incredibly peaceful place — a magical place."
So the couple bought the cabin, and soon their five kids were bringing their friends up for swimming, water skiing, jet-skiing and jumping on the family's water trampoline.
"We have a big family, and we like to entertain a lot," said Kristen.
But the old, one-bathroom cabin was far from ideal for entertaining. "My brother is an architect, and he and I had been talking for years — 'How can we make the cabin work better?' " Kristen said.
An answer came in 2009. Kristen went Up North and discovered that a pipe had split, flooding the cabin. "We took the ceiling out, and there was a foot of water on the floor," she recalled. Rather than deal with extensive repairs and possible mold, the Craggs decided to tear down the old cabin and build a better one.
"I had been thinking for years about my fantasy cabin," said Kristen. Working with builder Lands End Development, the Craggs built a Minnesota lodge-style home big enough for large groups to gather. There are six bedrooms, plus a bunkroom, and a guest suite above the garage, so they can comfortably sleep 24 people.
Kristen's parents had an enormous table with 10 leaves that seats 18 to 20. "I wanted a place I could fit that table," she said. It's now in their supersized kitchen, along with an 18-foot island that seats another eight. "Everyone can sit together," she said. "You can whip out a dinner for 30 people."
