DETROIT LAKES
— Jim and Linda Duncan have been enjoying their home at 25685 Muskrat Lake Drive since they bought it, extensively remodeled it, and moved in six years ago.
And why not? Their four-bedroom, two bathroom home has a rural, lake home feel, yet is conveniently close to Detroit Lakes. “We just had it redone to make it our own,” said Linda.
The living room is bathed in natural light from the large windows overlooking the deck.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
The home, built by Paul Muckenhirn in 1988, was designed with a lot of character. It features a long deck of varied width that looks over a large area of wooded land, and the home includes lake access. The Duncans were married on that deck, and happily display the wedding photo in their home.
The house itself is a story and a half, with a large main floor, a roomy upstairs and a finished walkout basement.
The Duncans each brought four grown children into their marriage, and they have eight grandchildren whose photos are on proud display inside their home.
The focal point of the house is the living room, with its tall, peaked ceiling and sweeping windows that climb to the ceiling.
The big deck makes summertime a real pleasure at the Duncan home.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
“The living room and the deck is where we spend most of our time,” Jim said.
A fun feature in the home is a rectangular movie room that’s also great for watching sports, he added.
The Duncans are happy with the renovation work done on their home, by several contractors.
Francis Construction, which is located in the same neighborhood, built the large deck prior to the Duncans buying the house, and also did the exterior siding. They installed several new doors and windows as well.
The upstairs shower features glass blocks, glass doors and tile.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
Schmit Brothers Construction of Fargo built cabinets and bathroom cabinets for the home, as well as the unique tile and glass block bathroom shower. It also handled ceiling work and interior painting.
“They did a lot of work for us,” Jim said. “They also trimmed out the doors and windows and installed the crown molding.”
Design 2 Sell of Detroit Lakes handled the countertops, and the roomy stand-alone tub came with the house.
The upstairs bathroom of the Duncans’ home.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
Residential builder Dave Harrison of Detroit Lakes did a total remodeling job on the upstairs bathroom, and installed a shiplap ceiling in the basement and a downstairs bedroom. He also “really redesigned the whole theater room,” Jim said.
Matt Wimmer, owner of Northern Jack, a custom fabrication company in Detroit Lakes, built a stairway banister that combines wood and steel posts in a unique display of functional art.
A lot of the flooring throughout the house is original, and was done in high-quality tiles.
The end result is a classy, yet cozy home on Muskrat Lake Drive that makes a fun addition to the Damien Fall Home Tour this year.
The downstairs bar was built by Jim Duncan.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
The downstairs movie room.
Nathan Bowe/Fall Home
This side view shows off the “floor-and-a-half” design of the Duncan home.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
The kitchen on the main floor.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
The front entranceway to the Duncan home.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
The bathroom on the main floor.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
A decorative clock at the Duncan home.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
The master bedroom on the main floor.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
The finished basement.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
Photos of the Duncans’ grandkids are displayed on the main floor.
Nathan Bowe / Fall Home
Bowe covers the Becker County Board and the court system for the Tribune, and handles the opinion pages for the Tribune and Focus. As news editor of both papers, he is the go-to contact person for readers and the general public: breaking or hard news tips, story ideas, questions and general feedback should be directed to him.