Inside the Stillwater Lakehouse Addition: A Full Home Renovation Case Study
Main-Level Renovation + Four Season Porch | Stillwater, Minnesota
Overview
For this Stillwater family, the view was never the problem. Their lake-facing home offered breathtaking natural beauty, a location they loved, and a layout that had once worked well. But as their family grew and their needs evolved, it became clear that the space wasn’t keeping up.
Rather than start over somewhere else, they chose to stay—and reimagine what home could look like with the help of Custom One Renovation.
The result is The Stillwater Lakehouse Addition—a full main-level renovation and architectural expansion that feels both intentional and enduring. It’s a project that honors the original character of the home while introducing smarter flow, modern comforts, and natural light in all the right places.
Project Objectives
From the beginning, this renovation was about preserving what matters—the view—while improving how the home functioned for everyday life. The homeowners were clear about their goals:
- Add meaningful, usable space
- Increase access to natural light and lake views
- Improve main-level flow between the kitchen, dining, and living areas
- Create a flexible space for entertaining and relaxing
- Modernize finishes with a soft, timeless palette
- Maintain traditional architectural integrity
- Upgrade energy efficiency and comfort
With these goals in mind, our design-build team created a renovation plan that touched nearly every part of the main floor.
Scope of Renovation
Four-Season Porch Addition
At the center of this renovation—and at the heart of the home’s reimagined layout—is a brand-new four-season porch addition that embraces lake life in every season. With panoramic views of the Stillwater shoreline, this space was designed not just as a visual anchor, but as an intentional, livable extension of the main level.
From the outside, the porch addition blends seamlessly with the home’s existing architecture. Gabled rooflines and symmetrical window placement preserve curb appeal while enhancing the rear elevation with fresh character. Inside, vaulted ceilings and expansive white Pella® Lifestyle Series windows flood the space with natural light, framing the landscape like art.
The wood paneled ceiling adds texture overhead, while creamy walls and organic finishes keep the mood light and serene. The layout invites connection—perfect for morning coffee, an afternoon book, or evening wine with guests. It’s a space that shifts with the rhythm of the day, effortlessly merging form and function.
A key part of the design was ensuring flow between the new porch, the kitchen, and the dining area. By removing barriers and aligning sightlines, the space now supports everyday living and easy entertaining. The four-season porch brings the outdoors in while offering the comfort of a year-round retreat.
More than just square footage, this four-season porch adds lifestyle value. It reflects the homeowners’ decision to stay rooted in the place they love—elevating not only their home, but the way they experience it each and every day.
Before | Dining Area + Future 4-Season Porch
After | Dining Area + 4-Season Porch
Kitchen Reconfiguration
The kitchen was one of the most transformative elements of this Stillwater lake home renovation—and for good reason. Previously segmented and closed off, the original layout limited both functionality and flow, creating challenges for everyday routines and hosting gatherings. The homeowners knew they didn’t just want a cosmetic update—they wanted a space that worked harder and lived larger.
To achieve that, the Custom One Renovation team fully reconfigured the kitchen’s footprint. Strategic wall removal opened up the space to the new four-season porch and adjacent dining area, creating a seamless connection between the home’s most-used spaces. What was once a series of compartmentalized rooms became an open, airy layout built for movement, conversation, and connection.
At the core of the design: timeless finishes with a nod to classic comfort. Custom cabinetry in a soft white hue offers ample storage without overpowering the room. Quartz countertops add durability with refined appeal, while sleek hardware and elevated plumbing fixtures bring a layer of polish. A generous island anchors the space, offering room for food prep, casual dining, and effortless entertaining.
Thoughtful lighting and material selections—subtle tilework, curated fixtures, and cohesive finishes—carry the home’s transitional style throughout, tying into the adjacent rooms while allowing the kitchen to shine on its own. The result is a hardworking yet beautiful space that supports everything from slow Sunday mornings to lively dinner parties with friends.
By prioritizing both form and function, this kitchen renovation not only meets the family’s day-to-day needs, but enhances how they experience their home—proving that design, when done right, is deeply personal and profoundly practical.
Before | Kitchen
After | Kitchen
Mudroom/Laundry Upgrade
In a busy household, utility spaces like laundry rooms are often overlooked—but they’re where real life happens. In this Stillwater home, the laundry area doubles as the primary mudroom, serving as a transitional zone between the garage and the main level. While the layout worked, the space lacked countertop surface, enclosed storage, and visual cohesion with the rest of the home.
The renovation focused on elevating this high-traffic space without altering its footprint. New lower cabinetry was installed to provide concealed storage and a durable surface for folding and organization. The existing upper cabinets were refreshed with updated hardware to match the new millwork below, creating a consistent look in both color and style. A matte black faucet, deep utility sink, and light cabinetry brought in both function and finish—tied together with a warm wood floor and a soft, neutral palette that echoes the adjacent kitchen.
The result is a streamlined and intentional space—one that now feels as considered and complete as any other room in the home.
Before | Laundry Room
After | Laundry Room
Foyer Refresh
One of the most impactful changes to this Stillwater home’s layout came in the foyer. Previously, the entry opened directly into the kitchen, creating awkward circulation and little definition between spaces. By relocating the opening to connect with the great room instead, the renovation reoriented the home’s flow—offering a clearer, more intentional connection from the front door through the main level.
The former kitchen opening is now replaced by a credenza, grounding the foyer and allowing it to function as a proper entry. To enhance continuity with the rest of the home, the stairway was also refreshed with painted risers and posts—bringing cohesion and a crisp contrast to the surrounding warm tones.
After | Foyer
Before | Kitchen & Living Room
In-Progress | Sealing off the previous kitchen entryway
Main-Level Bath
While the layout remained the same, this lower-level full bath underwent a complete transformation—one that highlights the power of updated finishes and purposeful design. The original bathroom featured dated materials, dark green walls, and a heavy sliding shower door that made the space feel small and closed off.
The renovation brought in a lighter, more refined palette and an elevated sense of balance. Custom cabinetry in a deep blue-green hue anchors the vanity wall, paired with natural wood tower storage for warmth and contrast. Polished brass fixtures, a clean quartz countertop, and matte black accents add contemporary sophistication.
A new frameless glass shower enclosure and soft, vertically stacked wall tile replaced the original tub surround, creating a sleek and open feel. Subtle hexagon floor tile grounds the space and ties the palette together. Every finish was thoughtfully chosen to complement the rest of the home—proof that even utilitarian rooms can feel layered and intentional.
Before | Vanity
After | Vanity
Before | Shower
After | Shower
Upgraded Windows
Every window in the home was replaced with premium Pella® Lifestyle Series white wood windows—improving energy efficiency, reducing sound, and maximizing light. This whole-home window upgrade also brought visual consistency across every space, from the kitchen and foyer to the new addition.
A Home Reinvented, Not Replaced
The Stillwater Lakehouse Addition is more than just a renovation—it’s a reflection of what’s possible when you design with intention, respect what’s already there, and invest in the life you want to keep living.
By rethinking key spaces, reworking flow, and bringing in natural light at every opportunity, this project demonstrates the power of staying rooted—and making the most of what’s right outside your door. From the seamless porch addition and reconfigured kitchen to the refreshed everyday spaces, each update was made with long-term livability and craftsmanship in mind.
For the homeowners, this wasn’t just about adding square footage—it was about adding ease, beauty, and meaning to the place they already called home.
CONSIDERING A RENOVATION OF YOUR OWN?
Whether you’re planning a layout shift, a porch addition, or simply exploring what’s next, we’d love to help you reimagine what home can be. You can view the full project gallery to see more of the details, finishes, and spaces that brought this renovation to life.
