West of Dodge Street, off of Highway 275 in a lake community near Valley, Nebraska, you’ll find the Akerson family home—unique not only for its contemporary appearance but also its construction from the ground up.

The Akerson crew includes Marie, a certified registered nurse anesthetist; her husband, Joshua, a mental health technician; and their five kids, whose ages range from three months to 13.

"With the floor plan, we wanted to do something open on the main level. That way we could keep an eye on all the kids," Marie says of the designing process.

Their first home sold while their new house was still under construction, so the Akersons stashed their belongings in a storage unit and lived with Marie's father for four months until the building process was complete. The family moved to their new home in October, only a month after Marie had her youngest child.

They chose the house design after viewing four different floor plans with Ideal Designs; from there, Marie and Joshua chose a design they thought would best fit their family life as well as include the contemporary flair that the two were looking for, such as white countertops and cabinets in the kitchen. The Akersons then built the house from the ground up. They especially enjoyed purchasing their own supplies, including toilets, closets, and "funky" light fixtures—a star burst chandelier in the dining room and a tiered champagne bubble chandelier in the entry way.

In addition to the house's contemporary accents, such as a large cedar beam in the house's front, an oversized and segmented front sidewalk, and a giant master tub, the back walls and windows face a lake—Marie's favorite aspect of the house.

"We always wanted to live on a lake and our backyard is a beach," Marie says. "It's a lake house."

The Akersons hope living next to the water will encourage more outdoor family activity, as well as provide an opportunity for their kids to get out and about once summer rolls around. Marie says they're looking forward to having other families over in the summer for lake activities, although their community also includes a large population of empty-nesters, which means less noise and more seclusion.

As for living in the small, peaceful, lake community about 30 minutes outside Omaha, Marie says she and her husband both grew up in small towns (Weston and Wahoo, Nebraska, respectively) and are used to the quiet away from the hub of an urban lifestyle—more than that, they welcome it.

"We love living here," Marie says. "We both have stressful jobs, so it's nice to come out to the lake where it's so quiet and calm and serene."

With their home's beautiful lake views and its provided sanctuary away from the bustle of city and work life, it's safe to say the Akerson family home is more than worth the drive and elbow-grease.

"It's nice to be out of Omaha but also so close," Marie says. "It's just us out here."  OmahaHome