So Marty and Wendy bought themselves a new home.

"Watcha think, Babe?"

Unfortunately, it says "granma" and "granpa" from the undyed roots of its green rugs to its floral draperies. Strip and simplify would be my suggestion. Do like the spiral stairs though.

Wow! That house has some serious character!

What a nice project, and such potential! Chiming in to agree with everyone else. Remove wallpaper. Get rid of green carpet. Eventually remove paneling, I don't think the paneling is actual tongue and groove, it looks like 1/4" sheets. I say eventually on the paneling because you might wait until you've decided exactly which walls are staying and which ones are going. Once all the stuff is out the bones will reveal themselves better and you can make decisions at that point. I'd also get rid of the two large trees in front, they look too close to the house...roots and foundations don't mix well. Post a floor plan when you are able. :)

Love the potential to be a fabulous place! We are in a similar situation. We bought our retirement home a couple years down the road on a lake built in 1979 that needs some love! I will be following your progress!

Not a pro. Congratulations on your gorgeous new home! Having many fond memories of lake cottages dating back to my childhood in the '70s, I love so much about this house-- the front doors, the parquet floor, the spiral staircase... I don't even really mind the green carpeting (green is my favorite color, although the vividness of this green is a bit reminiscent of a golf course or Astroturf for my taste) or the floral draperies and wallpaper (although they do lean a bit frou-frou), but I'm a little weird. If I were you, I would remove the carpeting and, if possible, replace with hardwood flooring and area rugs. Like chocolatesnap, I think a dark Berber carpeting would be great on the stairs if you want them carpeted. I would remove the wallpaper and draperies, especially the valence in the bathroom. I might consider painting the paneling, although I don't think that it looks bad as is (maybe live with it awhile after making other changes. I would definitely get rid of the popcorn ceilings (being sure to have them checked for asbestos first). I would aim for a comfy cottage feel in the decor -- charming without being cloyingly cutesy. Maybe an eclectic mix of rustic, Scandi, MCM, and boho. As far as the exterior goes, I would keep the red door but would paint the slate-blue siding a hunter or forest green (dark enough not to seem too Christmassy, but light enough to not be mistaken by anyone for black).

I also like the fireplace! (One of the few things I like less about my current home as compared with other places I've lived is that it lacks a fireplace.)

I wouldnt touch the stairs either, they look great with the style of the house. Its a wonderful house with gorgeous views. It looks to be very clean and kept up. Just is outdated. I would just live in it before you do anything, since it is completely livable, and let the house tell me, what needs to be done (after I took out all the draperies, and other stuff that doesnt have to be there). You will be happier with the house once you have lived in it a while, and you know exactly what works and what doesnt work for you and your family. If you just have to do something, then work a bit on some of the overgrown landscaping, etc outside, and get the exterior all in tip top shape. The house deserves that.

I think once you take out the obviously ugly cosmetic trappings like the carpet and wallpaper, and repaint you'll have a better idea of where you want to take it. Doing those things is inexpensive, and better to start there than gutting and regretting it later. I personally think the house is a gem as it is and wouldn't make massive changes. I'm getting very tired of the sterile whites and greys and bareness and uniformity of the current trends.

History of property. Owners are now 84 and were the first owners in 1975. Apparently, they had parties of 125-200 people. So, lovely lifetime accumulation. The only major change they did iis adding the enclosed porch and replacing roof....

This is not our first reno project. We understand the potential hidden issues. Here is where we will start once we take possession after Dec 1:

1) Replace siding, any rotten wood, look at increasing insulation R-Factor

2) Trim and or cut some trees (sad/happy)

3) HVAC (they are older) - if we do propane, replace heat pump with propane furnace + AC

4) Bury propane tank (all electric, no LNG) - 500 gal? (Heat, FP, grill, ?)

5) Check electrical capacity potentially upgrade to 300A if needed?

6) Make sure there is no asbestos, lead, galvanized plumbing.

7) Remove ALL carpeting, wallpaper, window treatments (paneling. Its cheap stuff unfortunately)- see what everything looks like

8) Rebuild deck - sad, but at least 20+ layers of paint. Some considerable warping. Solid

9) Priority would be kitchen, then master bath.

10) secure fence for our doggie.

Sadly look at bank account....

OMG. I LOOOOOVE it.

I would remove wallpaper. I would probably do consistent floors throughout. But really it's so cool...for sure keep stairs. Love colors of exterior too. How fun.

I wanted to buy a retro MCM so badly on a lake here but hubby couldn't see the vision. Sigh...it was a gem.

It's likely that there's no insulation under the paneling. I'd remove, insulate and replace with drywall.

Our 1978 drywall texture was determined to be asbestos....the good news about that was we did not have to pull, or wait for, a demolition permit....it was all done under “asbestos abatement.”

Quite a house. If you can spend a few weekends there before deciding how to remodel, it would probably help with things like acoustics and tree trimming, as well as evaluating the exterior siding. Once the wood panelling and carpet (and furniture) are removed, the echoing from the glass, walls, and floor may be enough for you to set aside a budget for large area rugs. After the trees have lost their leaves this fall, you'll be able to see how the lake views would change in summer with some trees pruned or removed.

Much may be imagined more easily after the wallpapers and panelling are removed and the interior walls primed with white primer.

I'd go with Scandinavian style. Do you prefer bright or subdued colors?

This may provide some inspiration—it’s a long thread but they’ve been rehabbing a cabin on a lake. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5367688/abandoned-log-cabin#25987673

Yeah, this home with its strong architecture calls for a lot more than the generic "McMansion" look that gets tossed around on this board a lot.

I'd go full on MCM or even just full on modern. I'd really want to go big and strong with this space and make a statement, otherwise, why buy it?

@worthy, I just spat my drink out when I saw your comment 🤣🤣🤣 Hopefully, there isn’t a Helen or Darlene anywhere near this house!

Or Buddy taking a dip, eh?

Your plans for HVAC reminds me of a tale from one of the Eureka properties I managed. The renters abandoned the place in January without notice. Once I didn't get a check, I went to see what the issue was. They left the place unlocked, there was ice and snow and the AC unit in the attic had frozen and burst - water everywhere! I've never seen a unit like that. Took six weeks to clean up, re-floor and drywall, plus a total makeover while we were at it!

What are you trying to tell me about HVAC? We are definitely concerned about leaving the house during the cold without someone to look at property...

It seems pretty spacious and functional. New floors and paint and live in it a few months at least to see what bothers you and refine your punch list. A fun lifestyle is ahead. Congrats!

Yes, a friend just called me from MT saying they'd like me to do a walk-through of their property here in AR once a month. Apparently their friend was in AZ for the winter, ice maker line broke and flooded the MT house for over 5 months, so they're in the middle of a huge repair project battling mold 4 feet up on the drywall. We should meet when you get settled in here!

thanks for the heads up. yes, we would love to meet some new friends. thinking of Thanksgiving timeframe...

You can message me here or contact me via www.cavecreekcabin.com, a vacation property I manage. Looking forward to meeting.

I highly doubt you will need to go to 300 amp service for any reason these days. Power consumption is becoming less and less in homes over time as bulbs and appliances get more and more efficient. I have 200 amp service in my house and every circuit is 20 amp/12 gauge wire with a 30 amp circuit for our oven and and 30 amp for the dryer. Even with the oven and dryer going full tilt together and me being an avid industrial power tool user we've never even come remotely close to overdrawing the main supply. Unless you are going to use something like a TIG welder on site regularly while simultaneously running every appliance in your house, 300 amps is just silly.

What a time warp! I can't wait to see what you end up doing with this. Your beginning list sounds like a good start. Congrats on your retirement home!

Super Lumen- The size/capacity of the breaker box is not necessarily determined by concerns about simultaneous loads. My energy-efficient house, which is smaller in square footage than the OP’s, has a 200 amp service and it is totally maxed out even with a number of slim, double circuit breakers. Our electric bill is very low, there are only two of us, and we don’t have electric heat, but I could definitely use space for more breakers. There is a studio separate from the main house which has a 100 amp sub-panel, a greenhouse with a small space heater, lights, and low wattage germination mats, a shop in the garage that needs 220 volt breakers for my saws, a double oven in the kitchen that needs a 30 amp double breaker, outside lighting, landscape lighting, and an irrigation system. There is also a very small, on-demand water heater in the studio that is rarely used, but requires a pair of 30 amp double breakers all by itself. I’d love to have a 300 or even 400 amp service simply for the convenience of having many more separate circuits and not having to shut down a lot of things when I need or want to work on the system or troubleshoot. Most of these individual circuits are not being used simultaneously and I doubt that we’ve ever actually drawn as much as 100 amps at even peak demand time...but I wouldn’t consider a 300-400 amp panel “silly,” especially when I am able to afford an electric car.

As we are planning to move to propane based water heaters, dual fuel heat, that should reduce need, but the "breaker" issue could be the concern as mentioned. Plus, I love to cook, so dual electric ovens, induction stove, etc. do actually draw a lot of current. Electric car would be great someday as I'm in the solar industry. The thought of spending money on a new panel is not exciting, but potentially a necessity...

I like your house.

Without reading all the previous posts, other than cringing at some of the monochrome white photos a few people suggested (couldn't help seeing those):

Outside: refurbish anything that might be falling apart, and do some landscaping. I do worry about some of those roots being too close to the foundation. Love the balcony and the view. You have a lovely location.

I really like the paneling in the foyer. I'd want to change the flooring - perhaps a light toned wood throughout most of the house? I really like the entry doors, although I'm not typically a fan of double doors for major entries.

I like green, but as carpeting on the stairs - no. I'd remove and do another type of floor finish (and not carpet).

Assuming furnishings don't convey: I'd change out the drapes to something more light and airy, and remove the living area carpeting, perhaps in a tan coloration - but with some interest. (And again, the flooring I'd change.)

That fireplace is stunning. Don't "fix" it.

Dining: remove carpeting for a good engineered wood floor, add an area rug for under the dining table. I'm not fond of wallpaper, but this is not that obnoxious and could stay until you do other things in the home. At which point I'd probably paint that area a warm white. Leaving the trim a stained wood, and bringing in my own stained wood furnishings.

Kitchen floor tile is triggering my eyeball fatigue PSTD - but the wood-stained cabinetry is awesome. I'd remove the overly busy wallpaper and paint a warm tone - it need not be white, but definitely nothing dark. The countertops have that tell-tale Formica edging, Nothing wrong with that, and the color/pattern is fine, but I'd get a new Formica (without the old edging) or granite or quartz down the road. Nothing for an immediate change. I'd want to do something about the track lighting - ie, at least make it not look "track". I like that the kitchen is open and airy.

I absolutely LOVE the glass to the left in the room that looks like it contains a bar. If you decide to get rid of that, MAIL IT TO ME. I'd keep it surrounded by stained wood. The room itself is currently very cluttered, but that's the previous owners. Once that's cleared out some, it will be easier to discuss.

LOVE the room with the rocking chair and piano (which I assume are going/gone). The carpet I'd remove (again) and rely on area rugs. What I love about that room are those windows! This room will entirely depend on what you want to use it for!

That bar... way way way too cluttered, and I hate the step from it down to that room with the piano - I'd be killing myself tripping over it daily. Not sure how you could fix this however. But I do like that piano room. I am not sure why there's a sliding door between it and the bar. I'd probably want to remove, unless you can find an overriding reason?

That striped bathroom -first thing I'd deal with is removing them stripes - I am getting dizzy just looking in there... Otherwise it is probably fine, but I can't look more than a moment or two! Bathroom with the hot tub - I'd also get rid of the wall paper but not so critical as the other.

Overall, though, it looks like you have a house with good bones. And the location is awesome. Do take my opinions as just that - my opinions.

Hi Artemis_ma, thanks so much for taking the time(along with many others!) to give such a detailed response. The "piano" room is actually an added 3 season porch. Hence the sliding door. I believe it was originally a deck. Unfortunately, we need to make sure its structurally sound as there is some sloping.

We are definitely considering a lighter flooring (perhaps a rift white oak or similar). We originally were thinking of trying to reduce the fireplace footprint, but reconsidering...

We are leaning towards keeping that window, but maybe removing some of the curved areas at the other end.

Hope noone likes that kitchen. It WILL be a goner...Soup to nuts...

We bought literally after one 60 minute viewing, so at first impression, the wall paneling is cheap. We had seen MANY other homes and at much higher pricing. We finally decided that location near Eureka Springs, near a marina, and good area to take dog walks and VIEWS were more important. My wife absolutely loves 70's houses. Every time we go around Austin, those are the houses she points out. So, we'll try and retain as much as that "charm" as makes sense.

On opinions, this has been fun to see all the different ideas. From doing nothing, complete modernization, to tearing it down. I have a thick skin. My wife does not and won't even read this thread. I like the differences, keeps me challenged to make sure decisions make sense.

If the wood paneling is cheap, yes remove that! It looked to be of better quality in the photos. I'd definitely keep that fireplace as is, however. But, that's me.

Yes, interesting on all the house-improvement ideas and concepts are out there...

A rift white oak flooring could be quite attractive!

And understood about that one room being a past three-season porch - that may indeed have to guide future decisions. (But a beautiful landscape... however you manage to keep that aspect.)

BTW, the exterior? LOVE! it's like a swiss chalet. practically the only thing it really needs for now is a new set of front doors (that leaded glass is SO 80s). possibly some new porch lights. it looks like it might need new paint, but I think the color is good for now. I'm obsessed!

Any suggestions on front door? We are replacing the door in our 80's house with a steel/glass, but that may not fit here.

what if you refinished all of the wood on the front so that it looks new again?

just bring back the warmer wood tones to it

I like the wood tones w/the black siding too

BTW, here's a 70's remodel that turned out similar to the type of look you want

https://theeffortlesschic.com/living-room-reveal/

https://theeffortlesschic.com/1970s-kitchen-remodel/

That looks like one heck of a party house, I wasn't surprised to read that they entertained large groups at a time! I would definitely downsize the decks, and remove the wooden balcony.

Like the natural wood. Last one especially.

Just chiming in to say that house has personality plus, in a very awesome way, it’s a party unto itself! LOVE IT! I’d get rid of the carpet and wallpaper and live with it a bit to see what really makes you nuts and what you decide you enjoy before throwing any serious money at it. What a gem! Congratulations!

wow, what fun! I mean, it's going to take an eon just to strip all the wallpaper and grandma curtains and pull up all the carpets, but I think I'd do that asap and then have another look -- you'll be able to see what you're working with much better then! I can imagine leaving the paneling some places, painting others, and removing it in a third set. but you need to get a real feel for the house, view, and your own sensibility and then figure out how to craft what you have. do you like a midcentury vibe? because that's an obvious answer. just a simple version with quiet walls and furniture, letting the views and woods come inside, would be my leaning. not incompatible with having parties or any other uses (covid allowing)...

Dale,,I found a similar wood front house like yours. I was thinking if you could bring back the wood to this condition, w/the dark siding or dark trim, would look killer

try and sand the surface of the wood and get it as close to natural as possible.

Get some Penofin, marine oil coating (it's tinted and meant for UV protection) and apply it. they have a dozen diff stain colors. I used the Ebony Penofin on my oak doors and it's great stuff.

HI Beth H. Really like that look. My wife wants to keep colors, but she can be simultaneously risk adverse and then impulsive... The siding has some significant rot at the seams, so it may all need to go, but what you have shown may be a great option. Just need to stick with cedar siding...

Just some ideas. I don't have access to all the tools, so pardon the cabinets, etc. Construction criticism welcome.

mundell · More Info

mundell · More Info

mundell · More Info

Love the materials and the window--dislike the layout (first and foremost: sink too far form the cooktop). You might want to post a measured floorplan in the kitchens forum.

If you actually cook, with grease, that open shelving is less than desirable......no matter how good your hood is.

We cook most meals and I wipe down the cabinets and wall regularly--open shelving would be an utter nightmare for me. I can't imagine wiping down all of the shelf contents.

OK, yes, we cook all the time. In current home, the cabinets don't seem to be "greasy". I'll keep this in mind.

That's quite a hike from the sink to the cook top. Also it appears with the current layout that the cooktop is outside the kitchen. I would think through as you are cooking in your current home what steps you go through and how that would work in this design. Most prep work is done near the sink and then taken to the stove. How far are you willing to carry that? Also you often start with taking things out of the fridge and pantry and take it to the sink for prepping. How far are you willing to walk back and forth to get everything you need? If step count and getting exercise is your goal then this might work for you, but I think for everyday use you will find it inefficient. It looks good though.

Moved. Swap anything?

I think I'd try to put the sink and the cooktop on the exterior wall (with 4' or so of prep space between them, if there is space), and leave the fridge/pantry/ovens on the back wall. I say that because my 70s house had a kitchen with a ~6' aisle between the cooktop and the sink, like your latest plan, and it was a huge pain to go back and forth between with things like pots of boiling hot water or handfuls of vegetables. But it's too hard to say without measurements.

What is the door to in the back? Can that door move up some so you could have enough space to put the cooktop on that back wall? Then move the pantry and fridge etc. into the kitchen area again. Too far to walk and get things from those areas. Make sure to still have counter space to be able to put down hot things from the ovens/mw.

All in kitchen. The back room will be the laundry (is a bath with acrylic shower)