Lake House Photo Tour

We fell in love with this quirky, mid-century modern/1970s Contemporary fixer-upper when we toured it in January of 2019. It needs a lot of love and a TON of work and we’re here for it! Let me “walk” you through and share what we have done in the past two years (a very realistic picture of how slow DIY from afar when it’s not your full time job can be) and what we have planned for this 1,550 square foot cottage on Chautauqua Lake:

~ The Exterior ~

It’s in decent shape compared to the majority of the house. The roof, siding, and deck all look good. We are going to add gutters because the main entrance of the house turns into a waterfall without them. I just love the gabled roofs and the landscaping is nice, too, though it’s a lot to manage and we will be simplifying what is there this spring (2021).

In the past 2 years we have:

• Replaced falling soffit
• Remove moss from one side of the roof

In the spring/summer of 2021 we plan to:

• Add gutters
• Paint the siding and trim
• Tear out some of the plants
• Remove the deck railing and fix the drainage issues on the deck

Eventually we would like to:

• Replace the faux stone with actual facing stone on the chimney
• Replace the front door and garage door
• Replace on of the windows with a door to our official entrance (that doesn’t exist yet)

~ The Entryway ~

The main entrance is through the garage into the house, so there really isn’t a front door- part of that modernist charm. We do plan to replace one of the windows with an official entrance into the house.

Once in the garage, you walk through a little mudroom to enter the actual house. It has some extra-special carpet and flooring that we are looking forward to replacing.

If you want to go upstairs, currently you also must go through the garage. There was no door when we moved in, so Matt hung some $15 Magic Mesh to at least keep some insects out.

This area is eventually going to be enclosed. We’re going to build a firewall between the garage and the interior and expand the mudroom to include laundry, a powder room, and enclose the staircase that leads to the second level. We plan to frame this out at the end of 2021.

~ The Kitchen ~

The kitchen has a lot going on but it is a generous space! 19’2″ x 11’6″. Below you can see part of the guest bedroom and a portion of all that was going on back in 2019: cabinets that needed replaced (one was just a front that hid empty space- there was no base- I found that out while vacuuming and it tipped over), purple countertops, faux paneling, wallpaper and a border, beams that hold up a storage loft, and 12″ stick-on floor tiles.

We started renovating the kitchen fully in 2020 and we are slated to finish in the summer of 2021.

In the past 2 years, we have:

• Removed the loft
• Removed countertops that extended into the living room through the pass-through window
• Built an 8 foot ceiling
• Put in insulation
• Created a flat coffered ceiling with left over beadboard from our bedroom ceiling project and 1 x 6 pine
• Rewired light switches and prepped for the installation of recessed lighting and a chandelier
• Installed new tile flooring
• Installed vertical shiplap, baseboards and trim
• Installed 2/3rds of the kitchen cabinets
• Moved plumbing for the new sink location
• Installed the framing for the built-in banquette

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We need to finish the following:

• Sand and paint the ceiling
• Install the lighting
• Install upper cabinets and microwave
• Install butcher block countertops
• Install the new sink and faucet
• Cabinetry hardware
• Finish building the banquette
• Build the kitchen table
• Build interior shutters for the window
• Install open shelving
• Hang mirror and artwork

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~ The Living/Family/Great Room ~

We call this room the great room, though it’s not technically correct. This is by far our favorite space in the house and has a spectacular view of the lake which doesn’t come through in photographs.

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This room is what made us fall in love with the house. All of these sliding doors beckon you to go outside- something we didn’t do enough at Harmony Hill Cottage (our first cottage at CHQ). The carpet seems to be new, so we’ll hold on to it for a while but when it wears out we’d like to put in hardwood, or repeat our bedroom plywood project if it holds up well. This room mostly needs a coat of white paint over everything, including the fireplace, which we have primed but have yet to paint. We initially thought the light fixtures weren’t working but we found that there is a switch that needs to be turned on by one of the doors and then everything works.

In the past 2 years, we have:

• Put up new curtains
• Replaced the sconce above the doorway
• Replaced 2 of the three door handles
• Primed the fireplace to paint

In 2021 we plan to:

• Paint the fireplace
• Mount a TV on the fireplace
• Consolidate our furniture to work with the rest of the space

Eventually we would like to:

• Install tongue and groove ceiling planks
• Remove the wallpaper that has been painted over and paint Delicate White like the rest of the house
• Replace the trim
• Replace the ceiling fan
• Replace the carpet when it ages out

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~ Guest Bedroom and Ensuite Bath ~

Another selling point for this house is that it has three bedrooms, all with ensuite bathrooms! Of course that means you have to go through a bedroom anytime you hear nature’s call, but that’s why we’ll be adding a powder room to the laundry/mudroom.

In the past 2 years, we have:

• Removed the shelving
• Removed wallpaper
• Removed random moldings only to discover why there are random moldings
• Installed beadboard on the ceiling
• Installed trim and baseboards
• Primed half the room for painting

In 2021 we plan to:

• Sand and paint the ceiling
• Finish priming and paint the room
• Install window treatment
• Install plug in sconces
• Build and install radiator covers
• Set up the bed
• Build wall mounted nightstands
• Hang art

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The bathroom has a closet, some nice, waterproof beadboard detail, built in shelves above the toilet, and a crap-ton of dirty looking tile. It can’t help it, it’s the way it was made. I wiped every surface in this room until it was shining and replaced the toilet seat. The flooring appears to be LVP and we actually really like it. We probably won’t renovate this bathroom for 5 years or so because it works and is only cosmetically deficient so far. The first thing to go will probably be the yellow tub and tile. We’ll likely replace it with a walk-in shower- I’m envisioning everything in black and white. We’ve also discussed removing the closet. This plan will probably evolve over the years, but for now please enjoy a mixture of mustard and lemon yellow colorways.

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~ The Kids’ Bedroom and Ensuite Bath ~

This part of the house is an addition to the original as far as we can tell. There are some clues in the garage, on the roof, and in the master bathroom. That explains the extra level in the back of the room as well as the L-shaped stair case that leads to the bathroom. When we saw this room for the first time, that’s when I started calling this house an M.C. Escher drawing brought to life.

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What I wrote in May of 2019:

“In this room we’ll add the beadboard to the ceiling, remove the track lighting and install an industrial-style ceiling fan (there’s no air conditioning), paint the paneling, close off the old closet and create a new closet where the second stair case is (yep, there are two separate ones), and add wide-plank, pine plywood floors. We are going to attempt to complete this entire room within the next two weeks.”

Hahahahaha! I can’t stop laughing at the “complete this entire room within the next two weeks.” It’s still not technically done and it’s nearly 2 years later, not 2 weeks. Oh the naievté.

In the past 2 years, we have:

• Removed the old closet and created a new closet where the old staircase is
• Removed carpet and made and installed our plywood floors – click here for the tutorial post
• Installed beadboard ceiling – click here for tutorial post
• Painted everything
• Installed most of the trim and baseboards
• Replaced track lighting with modern track lighting
• Brought in rug and furniture
• Built a play boat for the boys

What we plan to do in 2021:

• Build and install radiator covers
• Finish trim and baseboards
• Caulk some more
• Paint chairs for the room that I found in a dumpster
• Paint the toy box
• Hang art
• Find a good wall mount fan

About the bathroom:

Go straight, turn right, then through this curious door into what we’ve affectionately been calling the Hobbit Hole (Lord of the Rings, anyone?).

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It’s not an optical illusion, this door follows the slope of the ceiling and it’s quite a tight space. It needs paint, of course, likely a new vanity and sink, a new toilet, and new flooring for sure- the orange shag extended into this bathroom . *shudder* But we actually like the tile! It’s charming, right? Also, why it stops at a weird spot over the sink, I cannot figure out! They didn’t run out of tile- we have the extras in the garage.

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In the past 2 years, we have:

• Removed carpet
• Removed toilet (was not functioning)
• Removed vanity while we had the dumpster
• Installed temporary carpet tiles in order to refinance the property

We likely won’t touch this space for 5 years or so. The other bathrooms are functioning and our money needs to go elsewhere. But I do have a pretty sweet 1970s inspired design for the little Hobbit Hole bathroom.

~ The Master Bedroom and Ensuite Bath ~

The last room on the tour! The wallpaper. The paneling. The paneling that was removed and replaced with contact paper. The orange shag carpet. The three (3!!!) water lines in the floor. The twenty-two (22? Yep, 22.) outlet plugs in the room. The good: 13′ x 13′ space, 3 windows, vaulted ceilings, and a view of the lake. Oh, and if you thought it was funny that we planned to finish the other bedroom in two weeks, then brace yourself because that timeline included this room as well. We really had no clue at all- 1. how long renovations take and 2. just how much work this house actually required.

In the past 2 years, we have:

• Removed shelves, wallpaper, paneling, and carpet
• Made and installed plywood flooring
• Installed beadboard ceiling
• Painted everything
• Installed all trim
• Replaced ceiling fan
• Installed wired sconces; added a new receptacle for the right side sconce
• Installed window treatments
• Brought in rug and furniture

In 2021 we plan to:

• Caulk again
• Install doors for both bedrooms
• Build and install radiator covers
• Hang art and move our old TV in here- the first time I will have ever had a TV in a bedroom

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There are steps down to our bathroom but nothing like the kids’ bathroom. In here we will put in a tile surround, replace the vanity and sink, paint, and replace the linoleum with basketweave tile.

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Did you notice that window? It’s no longer a functioning window and is an odd shelf-like feature. That’s one of our clues that the kids’ room was an addition. I have grand ideas of having a custom stained-glass piece made for it and back lighting it. Matt’s grand idea is a skinny aquarium. Neither of these things will happen, haha!

This used to house a pocket door but then was replaced with a very dysfunctional louvered closet door. We’ll be bringing the pocket door back- I’m hoping for a single or 3-panel door where the panels are frosted glass!! We could potentially start this project at the end of 2021.

So many necessities, ideas, options, and dreams. We are really looking forward to continuing the transformation of this house- what we feel is a diamond in the rough. We’re so glad you’re along for the ride and hope you’ll keep reading to see how this project evolves!

One other addition from 2019- a dock that will outlive us and we can see it from our living room. It used to belong to the city but they downsized and we got a great deal. The boys love to grab fallen sticks and dip them into the water. We love our little slice of Chautauqua Lake!