The Alexandria Retreat - Alexandria, MN
Set along the shoreline it was built to embrace, The Alexandria Retreat is a masterclass in classic American shingle-style architecture, the kind of home that feels like it has always belonged to the lake. This Revision project reimagines a beloved lake house with soft cedar-shake rooflines, cascading gambrel gables, and hand-laid stone chimneys that rise proudly above the treeline, all wrapped in crisp white cedar shingle siding that catches the light differently with every hour of the day.
The home’s wraparound wall of windows dissolves the line between indoors and out, filling every room with lake light and framing water views from nearly every angle. Deep porches, a covered entry with classic white columns, and river-stone foundations nod to the great lake cottages of another era, while the scale and craftsmanship are unmistakably built for today.
Outside, the home was crafted for gathering. A stone-edged fire pit ringed with Adirondack chairs invites long evenings under the oaks, a hammock sways in the shade just steps from the water, and a meandering stone path ties the porch, the lawn, and the shoreline into one continuous living space. Mature trees, layered hydrangea plantings, and a circular motor court crowned by an American flag complete the arrival experience: stately, welcoming, and entirely unhurried.
The Alexandria Retreat exemplifies what a thoughtful, whole-home Revision can achieve: architecture with real presence, craftsmanship that will outlast trends, and a home reshaped not just for how it looks, but for how a family actually lives, together, outdoors, and on the water.
The Alexandria Retreat 2026
Inside the transformation continues with the same reverence for craft that defines the exterior. Sightlines were opened toward the water at every opportunity, with the great room’s soaring ceiling and abundance of glass drawing the eye straight out to the lake beyond. Natural materials carry through the interior palette, warm wood tones, honed stone, and soft whites that echo the shingled exterior and keep the home feeling grounded in its setting rather than staged against it.
Every choice in this Revision was made with longevity in mind, from the reinforced stone masonry to the reengineered rooflines that will weather Minnesota seasons for generations. The result is a home that honors the character of the original lake cottage while giving a growing family the space, light, and comfort they actually need today. The Alexandria Retreat is proof that the best remodels do not fight the bones of a home, they listen to them.
