WOODSTOCK, NEW YORK To see before/after photos click here
WOODSTOCK, NEW YORK
This home had originally been a single-room hunting cabin without plumbing or electricity. The one source of heat and the only “kitchen” was the beautiful rustic hand-built fireplace constructed from bluestone that had been quarried on the very property on which it was built. By the time we got our hands on it, it had had several small and uninspired additions built on that expanded the square footage to a still modest 800 sq feet. The additions made the house more functional in that they included plumbing and electricity but added little to the beauty. The rooms were small, enclosed and dark with low ceilings. The feature that sold us on this house was that amazing fireplace. So we set out to make the rest of the small home worthy of that centerpiece.
When we started renovation it was comprised of a modest living room, two small bedrooms, a very tiny kitchen, a bathroom and an enclosed porch. We were designing it to be a country/weekend home for a family with two children.
We took out the walls between the living room and enclosed porch and created an open kitchen. The space that had formerly been the tiny kitchen became a powder room and we managed to squeeze a small laundry room in there as well. The small, cozy, low-ceilinged cabin feel worked for this front area of the house but we wanted to add air and light and space to the place and, of course, we wanted to build a really fun and exciting room for the kids instead of just a small rectangle of space with a few twin beds in it. So, we took down all of the walls between the bedrooms and bathroom, we pulled out the bathroom fixtures and we started from scratch, raising the roof and building a loft above the new bathroom and closet. We built in stacked bunk-bed-inspired sleeping pods, each equipped with recessed lighting and USB ports. Across from the pods is a staircase leading up to a loft that can be used as a playroom, study or additional bedroom.
This tiny hunting cabin that grew into a small house is now an airy, light-filled home that sleeps eight comfortably. And it lives up to the glory of that hand-hewn fireplace.