Carriage house converted to rustic home along creek in Mazomanie

Posted by Samantha Haas on Thursday, November 30th, 2017 at 10:05am.

More surprises are revealed with every step you take on the property at 21 State St. Mazomanie, from gardens and a pergola to the mix of wooded and open land beyond the creek. Also tucked behind the stunning 1865 Victorian Italianate home is an old carriage house that has been skillfully converted to a second home.

Built in 1909, the barn had been turned into an art studio in the 1980s. Then while Dave and Karisa Friske were in the process of restoring the main residence into a bed and breakfast in the early 2000s, they also chipped away at converting the adjacent structure into their family's living quarters while retaining its essence.

"It had electricity, it had a furnace, but the upstairs was a barn ... and there was no running water," Karisa said. "It was kind of fun taking a shell of a building and then making it into this."

Accentuated by cathedral ceilings, original oak post and beam construction, and rustic decor, this home is a real contrast to the Victorian splendor of the main house. "It's kind of eclectic," Karisa added.

The 2,880-square-foot carriage house features four bedrooms and a bonus room, three full bathrooms, bar area, loft, and attached garage. Their kitchen has solid cherry custom built cabinetry and a 7-foot island that was brought over from the main residence. "It was amazing how it fit perfectly in here," Karisa said.

And that's not the only piece from next door. Karisa said when each room in the B&B got whirlpools, she couldn't get rid of the original clawfoot tub so she had it brought into her master bathroom here. Many other items throughout the home have been salvaged from other buildings. For example, each door upstairs features a number that came from an old hotel, and towering doors from a high school gymnasium open into the master bedroom.

All the beams are from an old barn in town, and the bar is made from salvaged barn wood from a family farm. Dave also built the stairs by cutting and straightening the metal that's wrapped around silos.

Since there is no basement, they use the loft space for an office and storage area. Their attached garage space has even been used for catering and a dance floor when they've hosted weddings on the property. And the custom built cedar deck is just a stone's throw away from the Black Earth Creek, a Class 1 trout stream that people from all over the Midwest are drawn to.

"If you like to fish, if you like to kayak, you can do it 20 feet from your house," Dave said. Karisa added that their kids also used to go tubing on the creek and crossed it to play in the woods with friends.

What really makes this property special is the setting. "It was our slice of heaven," Karisa said. "You're in town, but you're sitting looking at a creek, having bonfires back here. It's a little gem."

Interested in this property and area?
Check out our listing, main residence blog post, and Mazomanie real estate guide.

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