Raise your hand if you love a good cabin story!
“I think my favorite part being up there is life is simpler, life is quieter and slower.”
Jenna Beall Mueller had been routinely sending her husband Adam listings for Adirondack camp houses, but whenever they found one in their price range, they would see it had been updated with unappealing details like an 80s kitchen remodel or drop ceilings. But patience paid off! A sweet Adirondack camp in Lake Luzerne, NY, popped up on @Cheap Old Houses. “This was the first cabin that caught Adam’s attention,” said Jenna.
At just under 600-square-feet, the 1930s cabin had charming details like a quaint kitchen and a cathedral ceiling in the living room. It had been in one family for a hundred years and the price tag was just right. They closed on it for $123,000. Adam has family in the area, and treasured the memories of growing up amidst the Adirondack camps. Now, Jenna and Adam get to share the experience with their toddler, Marigold.
When they make the trip to the cabin, it’s for a good stretch of time so they can enjoy their quiet time in the woods. Jenna told me, “I think my favorite part being up there is life is simpler, life is quieter and slower. We’re only a 10-minute walk from the lake. We bring our three dogs. There are so many beautiful moments of nature and waterways. I think we both just feel better versions of ourselves up there and there’s still a Target 20 minutes away when you need Tylenol for your toddler.”
To make it their own, they updated the dilapidated bathroom by removing an oversized toilet, adding tile to the floor and some walls and installing a clawfoot tub in the space where there once stood a musty fiberglass shower. They created a sleeping loft for guests, built a deck to maximize the outdoor space and installed a septic system to replace the cesspool that was there before. “Those are super normal for camps of that era,” said Jenna. Though there was unexpected expense for the septic, Jenna says it was worth it. “It’s been wonderful having a new septic because then we were able to install a washing machine and we have the tub.”
When I asked Jenna what her daughter thinks of the camp, she said: “She talks about the cabin all the time. She always talks about playing and having picnics down on the beach. She loves the outdoors and being able to walk her along these gorgeous pine paths down to the lake has just been magical. And it’s cool, too, because that’s how Adam grew up. So she’s getting to do all the things he did when he was a little guy.”
People CRAVE these remarkable camp dwellings and cabins — it’s wonderful when they pop up intact with most of their original details. Thank you, Jenna and Adam for saving this one, and for sharing your story with us!
Want more inspiration from bold buyers who breathe new life into old homes? Grab a copy of the Cheap Old Houses book—or send one to your favorite cabin-obsessed friend. You never know whose dream house might be waiting inside.
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