1970'S LAKES REGION VACATION HOME RENOVATION
The Success Story
Susan came to Lighthouse Contracting Group hoping to restore her family’s Lakes Region vacation home, which had been part of her life since she was a girl. This three-bedroom, three-bath home was built in 1972 and needed a significant renovation. The home was brought entirely down to the studs before being beautifully restored while keeping the memories and charm of the original home.
See how the collaboration between Lighthouse Contracting Group and Lauren Milligan of Backdrop Design breathed fresh air into this 1970s family home.
The Exterior Transformation
The total transformation of this home is significant, to say the least. Yet, simultaneously, the original design shines through and keeps Susan and her family's memories of their home within reach.
The exterior renovation included all new windows, siding, and entry doors and the building of two new decks - one off the main living area and another off the primary bedroom.
On the front side of the home, we reconfigured all new windows and doors and chose Grayne Treated cedar vinyl siding with evergreen-colored windows and trim. We decided on a Simpson fir door for the entry door and Mathews Brothers Sanford Hills for the windows.
We framed two new decks for the home, a 12’ x 18’ deck off the living room and a 6’ x 10’ deck off the primary bedroom, and chose Azek/Timbertech 5/4” x 6” English Walnut PVC for the decking and selected Westbury Tuscany textured black powder coated aluminum railings.
Open Concept Design
Although the intention was to keep the home true to its original state, layout adjustments were made to the main living space of the home. The kitchen and living room were joined together by removing a wall that separated the two.
All paneling and drywall were removed, as well as a brick wall in the home’s entry. We reconfigured the windows and entry doors on the front of the home, which now lets in ample natural lighting that fills the entire main living space. Additionally, we opened the kitchen by removing the wall above the cabinets to allow light to pass through from the entry and the newly replaced sliding doors in the living area.
The original ceiling beams were removed and replaced with prefinished V-Groove on the vaulted ceiling in the living room, dining room, kitchen & entry area - which now brings warmth and dimension to the space. The floors were entirely redone, with luxury vinyl plank flooring throughout the main living areas.
Restored Original Pieces
There were a few pieces from the original home that were special to Susan and her family, which we could restore and incorporate into the new home design. We love being able to salvage meaningful pieces of furniture, light pendants, or handmade pieces and reconfigure them to match the updated aesthetic of our client’s project.
For Susan’s home, we were able to restore and incorporate a blue dresser which made the perfect bathroom vanity, her father’s liquor cabinet was uniquely refinished and mounted on top of a custom bookshelf in the living room, a pew from the kitchen, which now serves as a bench in the entryway, a brick wall leading to the lower level, and a few lighting fixtures throughout the space.
Final Thoughts
We had such a wonderful time renovating this Lakes Region vacation home for Susan. We welcome you to watch the video above to see more details of Susan’s final renovation reveal. During this project, we had the pleasure of partnering with many of our area’s top talent. If you are thinking of a renovation project here in the Lakes Region, our Lighthouse Contracting team would love to work with you. Click the button below to start your project today.
Our Local Partners
Location: Gilford, NH | Year Completed: 2023 | Subcontractors: Backdrop Interior Design, Normand Electric, Finer Tile and Masonry, John Groesser’s Plastering, Freer and Son HVAC, O’Hara Property Services, McGann Painting & Pressure Washing, Stone Creations, Imperial Hauling