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Mohawk Lake Cottage

38 projects · 669 photos

Our newer cottage on Mohawk Lake — the more recent renovation work, room by room and project by project.

Radiant barrier going in under the rafters. Tools on the plank floor, no finished surfaces yet.

Finishing the Attic Bedroom

25 photos

Final inspection signed off on the building permit. The attic was now legal living space.

Turning the Attic Into Living Space

23 photos

Buderus boiler with the rebuilt copper manifold, zone valves, expansion tank, and circulator.

Boiler, Baseboard Heat, and Water Heaters

5 photos

Started here. Bare slab, exposed joists, utilities all on display.

Cleaning Up the Basement

4 photos

Roof before — frost on the old shingles. The valley is where the new vent cap had to land.

Bath Fan and Roof Vent

7 photos

Stamp on the back of a panel: Noda Plank Rustic, Japan, February 1969. That dates the last time anyone touched this room.

Gutting and Rebuilding the Attic

41 photos

demo and renovation

Original flue connection — corroded through, charred, insulation falling apart. Reason enough to redo the whole heating side.

New Boiler Manifold and Baseboard Loops

11 photos

What I started with — dirt floor, joists hanging full of old plumbing and posts shimmed up on whatever was handy.

Cleaning Out the Crawlspace and Re-Plumbing

19 photos

Day one — a tree trunk down across the bottom of the driveway, blocking access from the road.

Clearing the Driveway and Entry

5 photos

yard and landscape

From the doorway looking out at graded dirt before any pavement. This was the staging area for everything before it.

Paving the Driveway

15 photos

yard and landscape

Old electric meter and the network interface on weathered siding. Cobwebs, peeling paint, and the bottom of the meter base rotted out.

New Service Panel and Lighting

9 photos

Wood-sided cottage on the stone retaining wall after the exterior work was done. Same house, holding itself differently.

Final Grade, Walkway, and Curb Appeal

9 photos

yard and landscape

The concrete steps had pulled away from the foundation — that vertical crack was funneling roof water straight at the wall.

Repointing the Stone Foundation and Patio

19 photos

siding and exterior

Original gutters were stuffed solid with debris — that was sending water straight into the fascia and back down the siding.

Washing the Cottage and Hanging New Gutters

13 photos

siding and exterior

Old shingles — ridge cap lifted, fascia cracked at the gutter, granules basically gone. Past due.

Full Roof Tear-Off and Re-Shingle

21 photos

Engineered septic plans rolled out for review. Three-bedroom design, sized for the lot and the soil we'd tested.

Engineered Septic System Plans

6 photos

Climbing rope and rigging staged on the slope before the crew started up. Steep ground, lots of pre-rigging.

Taking Down the Big Trees

24 photos

yard and landscape

Before — crumbling sill, charred-looking subfloor, exposed wiring above. Worst part of the cottage.

Sealing Up the Crawlspace

21 photos

Deck stairs starting point. Railings loose, boards splitting.

Rebuilding and Staining the Deck

9 photos

siding and exterior

Track hardware and instructions out on the bench before I started cutting.

Double Pocket Doors Between Rooms

5 photos

demo and renovation

Panel open with the new Generac surge protector wired in alongside the breakers.

Panel Upgrade and Laundry Hookup

7 photos

This is what I was working with. Paint coming off the siding in big curls.

Stripping and Repainting the Exterior

11 photos

siding and exterior

Green board going up on the sloped ceilings with the recessed cans already roughed in.

Finishing the Attic Bedrooms

52 photos

Looking down the open-tread stairs with the oil burner switch on the bare wall. Starting point.

Finishing the Basement Stairwell

20 photos

Sweeping up offcuts after laying the gray vinyl plank.

Flooring, Stairs, and the Reveal

18 photos

Looking through the new opening into the kitchen with green board stacked for the patch-in.

Opening Up the Main Floor

52 photos

demo and renovation

Entryway and stairs draped in plastic before the spray gun came out.

Masking and Spraying the Whole House

44 photos

Old roadside stone wall before — overgrown but salvageable as the spine of the new beds.

Regrading, Paving, and Mulch

17 photos

yard and landscape

Home Depot flatbed dropped the pallet at the lake side. Piggyback forklift earned its keep that day.

Hanging Drywall and Closing It Up

26 photos

Loading flooring boxes into the trunk. I did most of the supply runs myself.

Floors, Paint, and Doors Through the House

30 photos

demo and renovation

Before shot — beadboard wainscoting and painted plaster. The whole main floor needed to come apart.

Gutting the Main Floor

22 photos

demo and renovation

New LVL beam set across the opening between kitchen and living room. Lake view all the way through.

LVL Beam to Open the Living Room

18 photos

demo and renovation

Hearth blocks pulled and staged. Drill out, ready to start repointing the failed joints.

Restoring the Stone Fireplace

4 photos

Started with this. Collapsed wall, leaning pillar, brush growing up through it.

Stone Patio and Retaining Walls

12 photos

yard and landscape

Old floor pulled back to the plank subfloor with new Hampstead Elements boxes staged.

Running New Vinyl Plank Floors

11 photos

Excavator parked on the snowy lot with utility lines marked. Cold start to a big job.

Winter Septic and Excavation

16 photos

yard and landscape

My son working the slope with the string trimmer. The brush was head-high before we started.

Clearing the Hillside and Setting Stone Borders

8 photos

yard and landscape

Big fallen trunk lying across the wooded slope. Had to come out before I could regrade.

Clearing the Lot

10 photos

yard and landscape

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