ON THE WATER
HOT SPRINGS HOME PROVIDES RELAXED LAKE LEISURE
Tucked in a cozy cove on Lake Hamilton, the lake home of Magnolia resident Susan Dees has provided decades of relaxation for her family.
Her parents and a few other families purchased five lots in the cove in the late 1960s for a little less than $20,000. With the cabin having been in the family for decades, Dees and her husband decided to remodel the cabin late last year. The update added modern features, an additional bedroom and a much-improved environment.
“The place was literally falling apart,” Dees said. “I’ve got so many memories here. I was 14. I skied all over the lake. My kids learned to ski here, so it’s real sentimental.
“My brother said, ‘Why don’t you just sell it and buy another place?’ I said, ‘It wouldn’t be the same.’”
Dees said the home was taken all the way down to the studs during the renovation. She worked with Ralph Hughes of Hughes Design and Construction and architect Brent Shuler on the redesign. Hughes said the only parts of the house they were able to save were the roof and the subfloor.
“With a remodel, you never know what you’re going to get into,” Hughes said. “What’s going to be rotten? What’s going to be solid? Part of [the house] was concrete-block walls. We started out trying to reuse those, and we winded up pretty much tearing out all the blockwork and building stud walls.”
Two of the biggest changes made in the design of the home were the addition of a bedroom and the relocation of the kitchen. The third bedroom was added by closing in part of the original master bedroom, and the home’s former galley kitchen was replaced by a new kitchen in the former dining room.
“Mother used to have to step out for someone to go by to get to the bathroom,” Dees said of the old kitchen.
The new kitchen added a lot of cabinets to the home. It was designed by Alissa Oates of Restructure Design in Hot Springs Village. The cabinets feature pullouts that allow for maximum storage and convenience. Oates worked with a friend of Dees’ who was serving as interior designer on the look of the kitchen. The restructure also provided laminate flooring, which offers a vintage look with a padded feel and can stand up to any water that may be tracked in from the lake.
“Her color palette was very neutral, but it helped really open the space up,” Oates said. “That house is not huge, but I think everything we did storagewise and keeping everything to a whiter tone really helped.”
Dees also replaced the home’s old windows, which had become cloudy over time. The new windows provide outstanding views of the lake and allow in plenty of natural light.
For decor, Dees used many items from her family. Out on the deck, there is a shelf made from old skis that her father built. Inside, there are various items her mother painted and photos of family and friends. One of the most sentimental items for Dees is a brass horse hat rack on which she hangs one of her father’s caps.
Outside, the home was repainted a clean gray, the roof was replaced, and the old deck was replaced with a composite deck. Dees also added a small patio and pergola area just outside the kitchen.
Dees said she looks forward to spending summer weekends at the lake house with her children and grandchildren.
“That was the purpose: to make it where we could all be together,” she said.