Modern retreat

Windows throughout the Zahradnik family’s home on Lake Delhi invite the tranquility of the outdoors inside.

Writer: Bryce Jones
Photographer: Cameron Campbell

Dave Zahradnik didn’t expect to buy a lake house when he started visiting friends at Lake Delhi during the COVID pandemic. But after touring a modest 1960s cabin that was about to hit the market, the architect from Cedar Rapids made an offer that same day.

The cabin had been built from leftover materials salvaged from construction jobs at Cedar Rapids’ Lindale Mall. From the highway, the drive winds down a little path Zahradnik’s kids call the “tree canyon” and then from the garage to the house. “It’s like a bridge,” he said. “I always think of it as the crossing over from my weekday life into my weekend life — letting everything go and just enjoying the weekend on the other side of that bridge.”

Zahradnik initially planned to restore the original cabin, imagining holidays and summer weekends there with family. But after discovering extensive rot, he decided to start over.

He spent the next two years designing and building a home with five bedrooms, a fully stocked beach bar and generous indoor-outdoor living spaces. Perched above the lake on a site that aligns with the original cabin, the new house features floor-to-ceiling windows, two expansive decks and an 8-foot cantilever that makes occupants feel as though they’re floating above the water.

In the morning, sunlight fills the whole space. “It’s just the most beautiful way to wake up and cook your breakfast,” Zahradnik said.

An architect since 1992, Zahradnik typically favors a more commercial aesthetic. His wife, Karla, is an interior designer and prefers a homier aesthetic. She softened the lake home’s clean, modern lines with warm wood finishes and cozy furniture.

The exterior materials were chosen to blend into the landscape. The black corrugated metal requires little maintenance, and slatted wood ceilings throughout the home help absorb sound — a welcome feature when 20-some relatives gather for Thanksgiving.

In winter, all the windows make Zahradnik feel like he’s “inside a little snow globe,” and wood-burning stoves add to the charm. In summer, family and friends gravitate to the makeshift beach bar, where neighbors often stop by to spend an afternoon along the shore.

For all its thoughtful design, though, architecture is only part of the house’s appeal. It’s a place where people can spend time together.

“The whole crux of it all was when my mother passed away back in 2008,” Zahradnik said. He used part of his inheritance for the down payment on the property, hoping to create something that would honor her memory. “I wanted it to be something where my mom is still giving to the family and making sure there’s a gathering space for us.”

Zahradnik and his buddy worked on the house one winter morning at dawn. “It was that blue light out over the water, and Bob [Hingtgen] and I were sitting there dangling our feet over, and my wife took a picture. We were sitting there having a beer after we finished doing the electric work. We were cold, but we had a good time.”

Contributor Bryce Jones grew up in Cedar Rapids and writes about design, culture and beauty. Now based in Los Angeles, she enjoys frequenting the movies, exploring the diverse food scene and soaking up the sun at her local parks.

Photographer Cameron Campbell of Ames is a licensed architect and owns Integrated Studio; he’s been photographing architecture professionally since 1998.