This ’50s-era residence started life as a camp cabin on Lake Champlain in the Adirondacks of Upstate New York. In 2011, Catherine and Taylor Haskins bought the waterfront property as a weekend getaway, drawn to its unique layout. “A lot of the houses in the Adirondacks have a rustic, rugged feel, and they’re very interior-oriented,” says architect Jill Porter. “This house is different. It felt a little bit more loft-like, and you could see the views beyond.”

Porter had gone to college with Catherine, bonding over “late nights in the painting studio,” and the architect was a natural fit for helping the couple improve on the previously “muddled” home. Around 1994, a previous owner had added wings to the original rectangular structure, resulting in an “amorphous, sprawling ranch,” says Porter, that did nothing to celebrate the home’s waterfront siting.

Over seven years, the group “hollowed out and renovated the entire home piece by piece,” says Porter, improving the energy efficiency, connecting the home to its views, and instilling crisp details to complement the midcentury vibe on the exterior.

Now, the kitchen, living, and dining rooms form a main living hub, and three distinct wings branch off of that, including a master suite wing; an en-suite and playroom for the couple’s son; and a third branch with a guest suite, gym, sauna, and office.

Before: Kitchen

“They knew immediately they needed to re-do the kitchen, and it was like a domino effect,” says Porter. “They saw how [the renovated kitchen] improved their quality of life, and then went room by room after that.”

In the main living area, the group swapped the location of the kitchen and dining room, opened up a support wall to create better interior flow, and installed new windows throughout. “Inspired by the expansive scale of the lake and mountain views, we shied away from small-scale detailing,” says Porter. “Rather, we relied on minimalist language that could stand up to the scale of the view beyond.”

After: Kitchen

Before: Dining Room

After: Dining Room

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

Shop the Look

Improved energy efficiency, via increased insulation and better-performing windows, was also a goal of the project. “It’s hard because there’s all this technology out there with making tight structures in construction,” says Porter. “But when you have a renovation and you’re trying to make the house the best version of itself, you have a limited palette you can choose from. So, we did the best we could with what we had.” The group also installed a new ventilation system and a solar array, which supplies much of the home’s energy needs.

Before: Playroom

After: Playroom

After: Kid’s Room

Before: Master Suite

After: Master Suite

After: Pool House

As the renovation unfolded, the Haskins family decided to make the home their permanent, year-round residence, and the project became a creative effort shared between friends. “This job was such a joy,” says Porter. “It was a real collaboration with their input and mine and the contractors.”

More Before & After:

A Former Motorcycle Shop Roars to Life as a Breezy Home on Mallorca

A New York City Apartment Goes From Dark and Cramped to Daring and Capacious

A Remodel Brings a Famous Cartoonist’s Former Home Back to Life

Project Credits:

Architect: Jill Porter Architect / @jillporterarchitect

Builder: Bessboro Builders

Structural Engineer for Pool House: Sellers Treybal Structural Engineers

Structural Engineer for the Main House: Upstate Design Associates

Landscape Design: Wagner Hodgson

Cabinetry: Fine Lines in Wood

Photography: Jim Westphalen

Pool: Northeast Pools

Board-formed concrete: Walker Construction

Metalwork: Ideal Garage

Appears In

Before & After: An Adirondacks Lake House Escapes its Amorphous Additions