Dwell: Budget Breakdown: A Family of Five Gut Their Rustic A-Frame Themselves—for $77K
Written by: Ameena Walker, Photography by: Shelter Upstate
In March 2021, Kenard and Jennifer Bunkley stumbled across a seemingly intact A-frame for sale near a campsite that they frequent in Pine Hill, New York. Seeing potential for both a vacation home and a source of passive income, the couple purchased the three-bedroom cabin for $199,000 and set out to make some cosmetic upgrades that they anticipated would run them around $25,000. The couple’s three children were involved in the renovation, and they particularly enjoyed the demolition process.
"We thought it would be a quick three-month turnaround to complete some enhancements, but it turned into about a year," explains Jennifer. The live-edge wood siding on the 799-square-foot home was in good condition, however, since the house had been unoccupied for five years raccoons had moved in and the insulation had deteriorated to a virtually nonexistent state. "We ended up having to strip the house down to the studs," says Kenard.
The children’s bedroom opens to the refinished outdoor deck.
With a gut renovation now on their hands, Jennifer and Kenard decided to transform the rustic cabin into a contemporary retreat where they could unwind with their three children during their time away from New York City. The pandemic made it difficult to find the right people to bring their vision to life within their budget and time frame, so they did it themselves.
$22,000
Plywood$7,000
Electrical & Heat$4,000
Plumbing$7,000
Framing$3,000
Windows & Doors$1,000
Decking$5,500
Subcontractors$3,000
Insulation$700
Paint$1,200
Fireplace$3,000
Appliances$5,000
Furniture$500
Lighting$1,060
Tiles$800
Soaking Tub$1,200
Cabinets/Counters$4,500
Dumpster$3,300
Landscaping$1,800
Tools & Supplies$1,400
Spiral Staircase KitGrand Total: $76,960
Before: Exterior: The A-frame’s exterior was originally a burgundy color, with white windows and door framing.
After Exterior: The exterior is now a sage green with black trim.
The couple, who both work in education, found time during school breaks for the family of five to work together to demolish and rebuild the home, learning construction and design techniques from the internet along the way. They only outsourced electrical and plumbing work, as well as help from a subcontractor for a few days, which ran them around $16,500 combined.
Before Entry: Live-edge wood wrapped the original interior, although the family had to remove it to insulate the structure.
After Entry: The family opted to refinish the spaces in plywood to cut back on costs.
Jennifer and Kenard wanted to maintain as much of the home’s original character as possible while infusing their own style. "We absolutely loved the initial look of the house, and because it was covered in very raw wood, we wanted to sort of duplicate that," says Jennifer. Their desire for minimalism led them toward a monochromatic color palette that mimics a tree both inside and out while evoking a warm feeling. The original burgundy exterior was repainted a sage green that is complemented by a black deck and stairs.
Before Kitchen/Living/Dining: The Bunkleys replaced the original spiral staircase with a DIY stair kit they found online.
After Kitchen/Living/Dining: The couch is from Rove Concepts, and the dining room furniture was sourced from various flea markets and trade shows.
Before Kitchen: Kenard and Jennifer removed a wall of closets in the original layout.
After Kitchen: The Bunkleys spent about $3,000 on new appliances.
"We stayed away from live-edge wood because of cost and since it wasn’t as simple, in terms of the process of getting it cut and placing it on the walls," Jennfier explains. "But we still wanted a raw wood look, so we went with plywood for a similar design with a more modern perspective." The floors and walls are crafted entirely of maple plywood installed with a wabi-sabi approach, which alone cost the couple nearly all of their initial budget.
Before Living Area: Replacing windows and doors throughout the home cost about $3,000.
After Living Area: The cabin features minimal artwork throughout, in keeping with its simple, pared-back aesthetic. A cozy TV nook lies just off the living area.
"Because of the pandemic, there was a major shortage of plywood and the prices tripled," says Jennifer. They spent $22,000 to outfit the home in plywood, saving money on delivery costs by picking up the material themselves and transporting it in a U-Haul. The couple also replaced the original interior spiral staircase that connects the two floors using a DIY stair kit that they purchased online for $1,400.
Before dining: The dining room had exposed ducts and small windows.
After dining: A neutral color palette added brightness and warmth to the home.
Before fireplace: At the fireplace, the couple removed brickwork and replaced it with plywood to match the rest of the house.
After fireplace: In total, the new fireplace cost about $1,200.
Avid vintage collectors and interior design trade show enthusiasts, Kenard and Jennifer sourced the bulk of their furniture from various marketplaces and thrift shops—like the Brimfield Antique Flea Market in Massachusetts and Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market in Connecticut—even scoring some items for nothing. "Someone was giving away dining room benches by a marina in Long Island, so we were able to get those for free," Kenard notes. They splurged on a gray low-profile sofa from Rove Concepts and rattan accent chairs from Zara Home, with the grand total for furniture coming close to $5,000.
Before principal bedroom: The primary bedroom had exposed ducts and live-edge wood.
After Principal bedroom: The subdued interior design aims to mimic the inside of a tree.
By foregoing an architect, contractors, and an interior designer, the couple were able to save money on their home renovation, though they still ended up going way over their $25,000 budget. Ultimately, the renovation cost roughly $77,000, largely due to the price of plywood jumping from $20 per sheet to around $60 per sheet during the pandemic.
Before bedroom: The couple remodeled the outdoor deck at upper top level for roughly $1,000.
After Bedroom: Kenard and Jennifer made a custom light fixture (pictured top left) for one of the children’s bedrooms.
After bathroom: The Bunkleys splurged $800 on a deep soaking tub and paired it with ceramic terrazzo tiles.
"It was a lot more expensive than we expected, but that’s because we wanted to make sure that it was right," said Jennifer. The family now spends all of their winter and spring breaks at the A-frame home, making sure not to miss fall foliage and snow tubing seasons.
The family of five spend all of their winter and spring breaks at the cabin, enjoying activities like hiking and snow tubing. Though the year-long renovation cost triple their budget, the family is happy with finished results.