In Michigan, lake living is more than a summer pastime. It’s a homecoming.
It’s the smell of sunscreen and wet towels, the sound of kids running barefoot through the house, the long days that begin on the water and end around a firepit. It is Fourth of July weekends, cousins piled into bunk rooms, early morning fishing trips, quiet sunset boat rides, and the unmistakable feeling of turning the corner, seeing the water, and immediately exhaling.
For Rob and Maria Riemenschneider of Riemco Design + Build, that feeling is personal.
Rob grew up spending summers on North Lake, where his family bought a cottage when he was 8 years old. His memories are filled with fishing, sailing, skiing, and the kind of endless summer days that become woven into a family’s identity. Years later, Riemco built a year-round lake home for Rob’s parents after they sold that original cottage.
Maria’s own lake memories began at her mother’s family home on Beetle Lake near Battle Creek, where cousins gathered for entire summers and learned to water ski together. Her family also spent summers in South Haven, giving her both the intimate inland lake experience and the expansive feeling of Michigan’s western Great Lakes shoreline.
That combination of personal history and professional expertise now shapes how Riemco approaches waterfront homes on lakes near Ann Arbor and throughout Southeast Michigan.
Founded in 1988 by Rob’s father, Bob Riemenschneider, the company grew from a background in real estate and a desire to create something more tangible for clients. From the beginning, the business was rooted in small-town values: taking care of people, building trust, and doing the right thing.
Rob joined the business in his early 20s, learning construction from the ground up. “I started in the field,” he says. “Helping the trim guys, helping the framers, doing drywall repairs, sweeping floors. I had to learn fast.”
Today, Rob serves as president of the company, while Maria leads many of the early client relationships and project conversations. Rob’s son has also joined the business as a project manager, continuing the family tradition of learning the work firsthand.
For Riemco, being family-owned is not simply a descriptor. It shapes the experience clients have from beginning to end.
“As owners, we are very involved in every project, from the initial communication to long after the project is completed,” Maria says.
That same philosophy carries into the homes themselves.
“Truly, it’s all about our clients and building more than their house,” she says. “It’s about building that relationship and an enjoyable experience to ultimately have a home for our clients to live and build memories in — a home that will last through generations of their family.”
Unlike firms known for one signature look, Riemco’s work is deeply customized. Some lake homes lean modern and minimalist. Others evoke the timeless warmth of a classic Michigan cottage.
People often describe a Riemco home as recognizable, but the common thread is not a particular aesthetic, but a sense of quality, longevity, and intentionality.
“I think most people associate us with something timeless,” Rob says. “We’re building for our clients and how they want to live.”
That becomes especially meaningful on the water, where the surroundings shape every design decision and homes are often passed down from generation to generation.
“With so many lakes around us here, and our Michigan summers being short, building homes on these lakes becomes a retreat in our own backyards,” Maria says.
For many families, that retreat is increasingly becoming a year-round home rather than a simple summer cottage.
“People live very differently today than in the past,” Maria explains. “Having that retreat is very important for them.”
As a result, many older lake cottages are being replaced entirely rather than renovated. “Most existing lakefront cottages don’t have the structural integrity to remain,” she says.
Designing on a lakefront property also comes with unique challenges that homeowners may not initially anticipate. Water tables, soil conditions, zoning requirements, lot access, and site limitations can all significantly impact a project before construction even begins.
“Upfront site due diligence is critical,” Rob says.
That is why Riemco encourages clients to begin conversations with a builder as early as possible — even before purchasing a lot.
“The hardest part is when people already own the property and then discover they can’t do what they envisioned,” Rob says.
Regardless of what a client envisions, lakefront design begins with one central priority: the view.
“Anytime we’re building on a lake, it’s all about taking in the views and surroundings,” Rob says. “From the second you walk in the front door, you want that sightline.”
Today’s lake homes are also increasingly designed for gathering. Outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, screened porches, and expansive entertaining areas have become especially popular as families look to maximize Michigan’s fleeting warm-weather months. Many homes also include practical lake-focused features like outdoor showers and lower-level kitchenettes, allowing family and guests to move easily between the house and the water.
Still, despite evolving trends, the emotional goal remains remarkably consistent.
“There is a different feel on a lake,” Maria says. “People want a haven where family and friends want to be. It’s more casual, more comfortable, and a place people want to stay and come back to.”
That sense of ease is something both Rob and Maria recognize in their own lives as well.
“The older we get, the more we appreciate it,” Maria says. “You realize how quickly the seasons go by, so you want to make those memories while you can.”
For Riemco, helping families create those memories begins long before construction. “A good design-build process starts with listening,” Maria says. “Before we ever talk about floor plans or finishes, we want to understand how our clients live, what matters to them, and how they want their home to feel.”
From there, the company guides clients through a highly collaborative process that integrates planning, design, and construction under one roof. “One of the advantages of design-build is that our whole team is solving problems together from the beginning,” Maria explains. “It helps avoid surprises later.”
That integrated approach allows the team to balance beauty, functionality, budget, and constructability simultaneously rather than as separate conversations. “Building or renovating a home is deeply personal,” Maria says. “We never forget that people are trusting us with a huge part of their lives.”
That mindset shapes the construction phase as much as the design itself.
“We want clients to feel informed and cared for, not stressed or left in the dark,” she says.
By the end of a project, the relationship often extends far beyond a professional transaction. In a community like Chelsea and the surrounding lake towns, clients regularly become neighbors and friends. Rob and Maria run into homeowners at coffee shops, school events, restaurants, and community gatherings long after the final walkthrough.
“At the end of a project, our closings are filled with laughter and hugs,” Maria says. “When we become friends and get to enjoy the homes as guests and not just being the builder, that is really an honor.”
At its best, a Michigan lake house is not simply a luxury home or a seasonal escape. It is a gathering place. A backdrop for birthdays and bonfires, coffee on the dock, snowy winter weekends, and generations of memories still waiting to happen.
For Riemco Design + Build, that is the true meaning of building for lake life.
Learn more at riemco.com.
“There is a different feel on a lake. It’s more casual, more comfortable, and a place people want to stay and come back to,” says Maria Riemenschneider.