Dreaming in the Poconos: The Story of SkiView Cabin
Discover how Paulina Burns turned a neglected A-frame cabin in the Pocono Mountains into a cozy retreat inspired by her childhood in Poland. Her journey is a testament to creativity, determination, and the magic of making a house a home.
Behind the Inspiration
Owning a cabin has been my dream for a long time. I’m originally from Poland, and my family owned a lake cabin where we spent most of our summers. Once I moved to the US, I wanted to recreate a piece of home and get a place where I could go away with my friends and family to make memories the same way we used to when I was younger.
I chose this cabin in particular because I wanted a “project” and a space where I could get creative. I didn’t want a turn-key home but something that I could give my personal touches to. Plus, I love challenges! When I started my search, I was looking for somewhere that was no further than a two-hour drive from my primary home, and I wanted something I could get to on a Friday evening, work on during the weekend, and return on Sunday evening.
Although I had saved a few homes on Zillow, I had not been looking long until I came across this particular cabin. It was actually the first place that I went to check out and the last… Love at first sight is an understatement! I saw it in late November, put an offer in a few days later, and closed in early January. The timing worked out perfectly… Covid hit two months later, my job switched to “fully remote,” and I ended up moving there for the following ten months. This allowed me to experience the space on a full-time basis and make smarter renovation choices.
The Cabin’s Original Condition
The cabin was built in 1972, and in the 48 years prior to me buying it, it had only two owners. The owners before me used it as a short-term rental as there is an old ski slope just across the street, so, in its prime, it was quite a desirable location. The ski slope, however, closed in 2016, and the cabin sat empty for quite some time. Although it had great bones, it definitely needed a lot of love.
When I pulled into the driveway on my first visit and saw this charming little A-frame cabin tucked away amongst the trees, there was the same smell in the air that I remember from our cabin in Poland. As I walked up towards the house, I had flashes of my childhood and felt incredible excitement, and it was at that moment I (immediately) knew that this was the one. An unexpected bonus was that there was already a decently sized shed, which was perfect for storing all the tools I would need and some antique/vintage treasures I had already started collecting in anticipation of my future cabin. It was late fall, and the land was covered with leaves and broken branches.
There was a small, wobbly deck that I knew needed to be replaced immediately. As soon as I walked inside and looked up and saw the original chandelier, I fell in love with it immediately. The second best discovery was a wood-burning fireplace. The space felt very dark and smelled like an old, abandoned home. Hardwood floors in the living room had never been finished but were in good enough shape to be salvaged.
The kitchen floors were plywood, the window trims were chewed by squirrels occupying the space (inside and out!), and everything was very dated. The bathroom had an old yellow tub, a functioning toilet, and a small vanity and was a decent size to add some storage as well as a washer and dryer.
The cabin is 1000 sq ft with an open concept. There is only one (lofted) bedroom and one bathroom. I liked the smaller, cozy footprint, and fewer rooms also meant less work It was functional and livable enough for me to stay there during the renovation, and despite all of the necessary work that needed to be done, I could totally see its potential!
An Evolving Vision
My friends and family have an ongoing joke that it will never be finished as I keep adding projects and ideas!! Some of my design choices came from challenges I faced during the renovations and financial limitations. I was doing all the work by myself with a small budget, so I had to adapt some of my choices based on these factors. I love the look of natural wood, but all of the walls had a dark finish with many visible stains. I wanted to sandblast them to return to their original beauty, but the cost was too high, so I decided to paint the interior white instead. This brightened the space and gave it an immediate “facelift.” It really is amazing what a few buckets of paint can do!
I wanted the space to feel cozy, inviting, and lived in, and by looking at my interior design, you can definitely see that minimalism is not my cup of tea! Although I do not like a cluttered look, I love to be surrounded by fun and interesting things that mean something to me and make me feel at home.
Renovating Solo: Challenges and Lessons
Doing everything alone with little to no additional support was definitely a huge challenge. I’m not the strongest person physically, and not having an extra set of hands to hold things up or carry heavy objects was not easy. I refused to let these limitations prevent me from pursuing my dream. My choices were to either give up or figure it out by myself. I’m quite stubborn, love challenges, and push myself outside of my comfort zone, so giving up was not an option. I always take the approach of “you can learn everything if you just put your mind to it.” When I was a little girl, I used to say, “If boys can do it, so can I!”
The process wasn’t easy and has given me plenty of frustration, tears, and doubt. My impatient nature wasn’t helping either, as I wanted to get everything done right away. I’ve always been quite handy and learned my way around tools by helping my father during different projects and home renovations, but this was pushing my somewhat limited skills to the next level. With enough research and many tutorial videos, though, I was able to tackle one project at a time and learn as I went. I was doing most of these projects for the first time… Installing hardwood floor, then sanding and staining it, for instance, installing a new staircase and tiling the bathroom — to name a few. I have learned a lot through trial and error and was able to truly push myself out of my comfort zone by doing some basic plumbing or re-wiring the bathroom lights (I took safety precautions, though! The bathroom was done with the virtual support of an electrician!!).
There were a few unexpected emergency projects; one that springs to mind was changing the water heater, which broke down during the winter and flooded my newly installed wood floors! Luckily, in the end, the damages weren’t so bad, and I was able to get everything fixed.
On top of an ongoing renovation, I came up with some “less needed” fun projects, like building a library or built-in cabinets in the living room. These were more for an aesthetic look and to create interesting visual additions to the space. I had to redo a project and start over again a couple of times because I tried taking shortcuts and didn’t do it properly. The saying “measure twice, cut once” was not my best practice initially. I learned a lot and approach projects quite differently now! I take my time to think things through, plan better, and measure properly. I found out the hard way that this definitely saves me time and headaches down the road. It is still an ongoing learning process with constant challenges. The more things I check off of my “to-do list,” the crazier ideas I continue to come up with.
The Most Challenging and Rewarding Moments
Every project is completely different and presents its own set of challenges. The biggest and most impactful one was painting the walls. It took me a few weeks of working on tall scaffolding and high ladders. Starting with primer and then adding a couple of coats of paint took forever. Getting into all the creases and grooves of the wood paneling was very tedious. When I used the paint sprayer in the kitchen for the first time, I went too heavy on the paint, which resulted in drips all over the walls, and I had to sand it all down and redo it again. This was one of my first projects, and it made such a huge impact. Waking up in a bright, clean space was so rewarding and gave me motivation to carry on and move on to the next task.
I love sitting down after a long day of hard work, looking around, and enjoying the feeling of accomplishment.
Incorporating Unique Features: The Story Behind the Bookshelf
I remember seeing a library ladder in an antique store, which got me wondering how I could incorporate something like that into the cabin. I’ve always loved home libraries, and not having straight walls in an a-frame home limited my options, but I’m not good at taking no for an answer.
I came across a perfect vintage ladder on Facebook marketplace and drove 90 miles (each way) to pick it up! I strapped it onto the roof of my car and drove a couple of hours back through heavy rain, but it was definitely worth it! After a few hours of sanding it down and giving it a fresh stain, it looked like it was meant to be here. The only area that had enough height and, of course, a flat wall was above the front door.
I didn’t use any design program to sketch it out; I simply drew it on a piece of paper, visualized it all in my head, and got to it. It took me a few weekends to build it, and lifting the long, heavy wood shelves while balancing on a 12-foot ladder was no easy task! Halfway through, I had a big moment of doubt… I was worried that it would look too busy and cluttered, but at that point, I was already committed, so there was no going back. It would have been so much work to dismantle and take everything down and then fix up the wall. I knew I had to just trust my gut and initial vision.
I decided to go home and take a few days away from this bookshelf dilemma to gain my energy and enthusiasm back. Looking at unfinished projects and all the mess around was giving me anxiety.
A week later, I was back and determined to get it finished. Taking some time off was so much needed and helped me see my vision again. Once it was all done, it literally gave me tears of joy. Now it was finally time for some fun and getting it decorated! I took a few trips to some local thrift stores, and approximately three full shopping carts of books later, I got all the shelves filled. This and painting were the projects that made the most significant impacts.
On a Budget
The cabin purchase was quite a spontaneous one. When I started scrolling on Zillow, at first only to see what was out there, I came across this gem; I couldn’t pass on it. I knew I had enough savings to cover the initial mortgage costs and kick off the renovation process, but I knew that everything else would be (and still is being) done on an ongoing basis. While searching for a cabin, it was important for me to find a place with good bones and where I could stay during the renovation process. I also invested in a thorough inspection to ensure the foundations were in good shape, the well and water were healthy, and any other essential structural aspects had no issues. Everything else, in terms of aesthetics, I could handle myself. From the start, I knew this would be a lengthy process, and I’ll be doing all the work in phases. The biggest cost saving is definitely in labor. Doing everything myself saves me a lot of money, which I can then invest into materials.
I also source a lot of second-hand items. I can spend hours searching for deals on FB Marketplace or flea markets. Pretty much everything in my cabin (besides mattresses and a few other select furniture items) was pre-owned. I do not only choose these from a cost-saving perspective but to reuse, repurpose, and give things a second life. For me, knowing that an item was once loved, and that all of its little dings, dents, and scratches tell their own stories only adds to the whole cabin charm. I like to surround myself with meaningful and sentimental objects. This is not only my quiet escape from very busy everyday life but truly my happy place.
A Dream Becomes Reality
The first words that come to mind are – tremendous reward and gratitude. This was also a very humbling process. It taught me patience and resilience and gave me strength not just physically but also mentally. There were plenty of challenging moments of troubleshooting, problem-solving solving, and frustrations, but in the end, the satisfaction of accomplishment is the best prize.
Sometimes, I sit back, look around, and can’t believe this is my reality. It truly shows that when you put your heart, mind, determination, and hard work into something, you can accomplish it and overcome the impossible.
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