Budget Breakdown: An Architect Reimagines a Ramshackle Catskills Cabin for $170K
Photo by: Alan Tansey
Drew Stuart and his ex-wife Kristin never wanted the ease of new construction. When they were searching for a place to raise their son in the Catskills years ago, they were committed to undertaking a renovation. It would be the more difficult route, of course, but considering that Drew is a founding partner of INC Architecture & Design, they were excited about the creative possibilities.
"Originally, we were looking for a ‘weird ’70s contemporary’ to renovate, but then we stumbled upon this midcentury cabin," Drew recalls.
The two-bedroom hideaway was built in 1959, and Drew says that it was the "perfect size" at 1,000 square feet. The pair also liked that it was set on four acres of verdant land in a quiet valley, and Drew was especially excited that it all overlooked a stream. "I wanted to walk into my backyard to go fly fishing," he says. Aside from a lackluster redesign of the bathroom and kitchen that took place some 40 years ago, the home was still stuck at the center of the 20th century.
