For longtime Edina residents, Scott and Meggan Bowlby, finding an idyllic spot in Edina to establish their next home was a long process. They were looking to build a home that boasted a classic, established design, yet offered the accouterments this busy family needed.
The Bowlby family has lived in Edina since 1996, raising four children and becoming an indelible part of the community fabric—particularly the Edina hockey community. All four Bowlby children attended Edina public schools and the couple’s two youngest daughters play for the high school hockey team.
“Our son attends and plays hockey for Harvard and our daughter attends and plays hockey for the University of Wisconsin-Madison,” Meggan Bowlby says. “All four of our kids have been fortunate enough to win a Minnesota State high school hockey tournament. The Edina community is an amazing place to be a part of, and we feel very fortunate to have lived and raised our kids here.”
So how did the Bowlby family find the perfect Edina locale to build their dream home? As Jim Scott, principal and owner at Locale Design Build in Minneapolis explains, the search for a lot on Minnehaha Creek was a long one for this family.
“When I first saw the house, lot, views with Meggan, I looked at her and said, ‘Wow, this is the best site we’ve seen. We can do something really special here,’” Scott says. The original intent was to remodel the existing home, but after going through some rigorous design Scott and his team found it was going to be difficult to accomplish what the couple desired by remodeling the existing house, so the eventual decision was made to pursue creating a new home on the existing lot.
Located on Minnehaha Creek, the overall design aesthetic on the exterior of the home is an updated or more contemporary Tudor style. The home boasts a plethora of windows and doors—offering a wealth of stunning views of the creek and the backyard. “It is a peaceful setting and makes us feel like we have a cabin in the middle of Edina,” Scott says.
The vision of the Bowlbys was to create a comfortable home that feels like it has been there for a long time.
“The homeowners were concerned about fitting into the fabric of the neighborhood and really desired a home that was subtly elegant, authentic, timeless and not overstated,” Scott says. “The discussion of a handcrafted home came up many times. The decision to use stone for much of the exterior cladding was one that was driven by this desire to create a home that had permanence.”
The home boasts a full veneer stone façade and includes five bedrooms, three and a half baths, and two woodburning fireplaces. In addition, a wonderful private screen porch with a gas fireplace offers amazing views of the creek. On the interior, a subtle paint color is uniform throughout the home so attention is focused on the outdoor views.
The Bowlby family has almost 200 feet of creek frontage and the creek winds in such a way that the views up and down stream are long with no other homes interrupting the sight.
“The backyard is also very private. In the summer, when the foliage is in, you really can’t see the neighbors very much,” Scott says. “It makes for a very peaceful setting.”
Locale Design Build worked to create a home that is understated in a way that when you first enter you see the views through the house but the whole house does not give itself away all at once. “As one moves through the house you experience the different views from the different spaces,” Scott says. “It makes for a more interesting experience in the home and make each space unique in its own way.” The home’s design plan also allows for more corner rooms and windows to capture multiple views of the creek from the same space. This makes living areas feel connected to the surroundings.
“The home is built with exactly what we feel is important to our family,” Scott says. “It offers gathering spaces for us to hang out together inside and out—with and without family and friends.”
