Liz Marinik doesn’t want to admit in print how long it took to build her just-completed lakefront home in Bay Village. Some of the delay can be attributed to problems with subcontractors. But when you’re as determined as Liz to make every square foot of your home unique, you need time. Liz, who did all of the design work, was a single mother living in Florida before she met her “prince” and moved north. She spent her summers as a child on Lake Shangri-La in Wisconsin. Her husband, Mark, cultivated his love of the water while living in a waterfront condo in Rocky River during his bachelor years. Now, the two share their own Shangri-la with Liz’s two teenage children.
Obsession: Liz knows every detail of the home, from the speakers in the theater room (Atlantic Technology) to the tiles on the roof (Monier Lifetile). Her only regret: During all the days spent working on the house, she often ordered pizza for the guys — and ate it herself, gaining 10 pounds she’s just now losing.
The appliances: Typically, builders give an allowance of a few thousand dollars for these. The Mariniks spent $58,000, which they say was a deal. Sounds impossible? Here’s a list of what’s in the kitchen: two cooktops by Thermador (one gas and one electric). Two Sub-Zero 36-inch refrigerators and a full-size wine fridge. A Miele double oven, warming drawer, built-in coffee maker and steam oven, along with a GE Advantium oven that also functions as a microwave. There is a full-size Miele dishwasher, along with a single-drawer version by Fisher and Paykel. The adjacent pantry, where Liz packs the kids’ lunches, has an undercounter fridge, microwave and Fisher and Paykel double-drawer dishwasher. The house also has a full kitchen in the basement, along with various fridges scattered throughout the house, bringing the total to nine.
It’s strong: The house was built with 72 tons of steel.
Then, there’s the basement: This 5,000-square-foot walkout has a full kitchen, steam room, hot tub room, theater room and a gym with 15 pieces of commercial-grade equipment.
Warm and cozy: To heat and cool the home with a conventional system would have cost $30,000. The radiant heating (including the four-car garage and front-entry terrace) and high-velocity air conditioning they selected cost more than $100,000. But the highest heating bill the Mariniks had last winter was $920 — not bad for a 15,000-square-foot home.
| Year built: 2006 Who built it: Liz and Mark Marinak hired most of the subcontractors themselves. Style: Warm contemporary Size: Just less than 15, 000 square feet. The lot: 1.75 acres with 152 feet of lake frontage Baths: 9 Bedrooms: 4 Appraised Value: $1,300,800 (No. 31) |
