FRUITLAND TOWNSHIP, MI – A motif of the West Michigan shoreline are beach houses, many of which are summer homes opened up for just 10 weeks a year or less.

After you walk through one or two, they start to all look the same from the inside: Granite countertops, big windows, walls of plywood or painted gypsum-board and open floor plans.

But one house recently listed at 2221 Scenic Drive stands out from the crowd – in part, because of the way it looks. Originally priced at $1,950,000 in February, it’s now listed at $1,875,000 with Kathi Hazard of Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt.

Built in 1979, the home has a modern appearance. It was designed by Grand Rapids’ Gray Lundwall Associates and built by Muskegon’s Vander Ven Construction Co – apparently trying to channel Frank Lloyd Wright.

“It’s certainly a labor of love,” said owner Katrina Olson. She and her husband Bruce have lived in the home since 1994. It was originally built by John and Linda Hilt as their family home. “It’s kind of a timeless house, in a way.”

From the front, the home appears low-slung. A twist in the walkway shows visitors right away that the building did not originate from a builder’s cookie-cutter plan. A walk around to the back shows an overhang – another modernist touch. What can’t be seen because of the low profile the house is a basement, nestled into a natural fold of the dune landscape, Olson said.

“It just looks like it belongs here,” she said. “It just tucks in.”

Inside, the windows stand out as uncharacteristically generous for a 1970s home — and yet, the west side of the house isn’t all glass, like they are for many beach homes built in the 1990s. The floor plan of the 9,000-square-foot home surprises first-time visitors, with its twists and suddenly-expansive rooms.

Even the laundry room has a sweeping view of Lake Michigan. The house contains a game room, five bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms. One of the full bathrooms and a large bedroom with living space and a kitchenette make up a separate wing of the house the Olsons remodeled for a relative who lived with them. The space had previously been an indoor swimming pool built by the Hilt family.

The homes’ finishes are eclectic – floors alternate from oak to bamboo to cork and brick. Walls in much of the main living area are lined with a dark cedar. Olson said some of the wood used on the home was harvested on site. The building comes with a 12-acre lot and 340 feet of frontage on Lake Michigan.

Something else makes the building stand out from others dotting the West Michigan shoreline: It’s not just a summer house, but a home. The building has been a year-round family home, for both the Hilt and the Olson families. Two young families lived out their golden years there.

“One of our sons got married here,” Olson said. “It’s a house that has had a lot of happy lives.”