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Paulinskill Lake House

24 projects · 344 photos

Our older lake house on Paulinskill Lake — full renovation across attic, baths, downstairs, exterior, and every room over a multi-year run.

Starting point: floral wallpaper, oval mirror, builder vanity. Hadn't been updated in decades.

Gutting the Lake House Upstairs Bath

19 photos

Towel-bar shelf unit on the bench in the shop. Pallet wood, dark stain, black pipe for the bar.

Built the Bath Storage Out of Pallet Wood

5 photos

Respirator on, jacket covered in dust. Old paint and drywall coming down — this was a full gut, not a refresh.

Gutting the Lake House Downstairs Bath

31 photos

Installing the gable fan myself. Wanted active ventilation up here to keep summer heat from cooking the room.

Finishing the Attic Conversion

8 photos

Opened up the wall cavities to see what was behind the plywood paneling. Original framing was rough but solid.

Framing and Insulating the Attic

18 photos

demo and renovation

Opened up a wall section to see what the original framing and sheathing looked like before committing to the gut.

Gutting the Lake House Attic

18 photos

demo and renovation

Block walls, slab floor, egress window. Decided early I wasn't going to frame this side — just clean it up.

Sealing the Block Walls

6 photos

Pulled the ceiling drywall in the bedroom first so I could see joists and wiring before touching the walls.

Gutting the Downstairs

13 photos

demo and renovation

Lakeside room finished. New sliders, stained trim, vinyl plank. The view does most of the work.

The Finished Downstairs

10 photos

Turnbuckle tension cables were already in the joists. Left them alone — they were doing their job.

Rebuilding Around the Steel Beam

13 photos

demo and renovation

Set the new electric water heater on a wood platform — gets it off the slab in case anything ever leaks.

Hiding the Water Heater

3 photos

Raised the plywood subfloor on shims to level it and run new wiring underneath before locking it down.

Turning the Attic Into a Bunkroom

44 photos

Cutting in the powered attic vent through the shingles. Picked a fall day so the roof wasn't roasting.

Roof Vent and Chimney Cap

4 photos

Bedroom with fresh paint and the original window trim. Subfloor still bare — flooring later.

Drywall, Mud, and Paint

20 photos

My son laying out the pine boards for the table top.

Building a Farmhouse Dining Table

6 photos

Sink and faucet sitting on the new quartz before I dropped it in. Corner cutout was tight.

Tying In the New Kitchen

6 photos

Stair stringer going in with the tongue-and-groove ceiling above. Loft stair early on.

Building the Loft Staircase

16 photos

demo and renovation

Saw and toolbox staged near the slider before laying floor.

New Floors Through the Cabin

9 photos

Building a barn door from pine planks. Nail gun, clamps, glue between the boards.

Knotty Pine Plank and Barn Doors

8 photos

demo and renovation

Looking through the new sliders to the deck. View I bought the place for.

Replacing the Lakeside Sliders

14 photos

demo and renovation

Spray-foamed around the AC sleeve to seal up the gap I'd been getting drafts through.

Framing, Insulation, and Electrical

18 photos

demo and renovation

Stairs sanded down to bare wood. Tools left where I stopped at the end of the day.

Refinishing the Original Stairs

4 photos

Original main bath: floral wallpaper, vinyl tile, vanity rotting at the base.

Stripping Walls and Ceilings

31 photos

demo and renovation

Scraping up the green vinyl tile to see what was under it. Original hardwood with tar paper still glued down.

Tearing Out the Floors

20 photos

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