How to Renovate an Old Concrete Lake House

Add a covered front porch. Consider a long, narrow porch that spans the entire front of your lake house. This outdoor space offers hours of enjoyment - rain or shine. Use aluminum siding for the roof or, if you choose the cedar shingle siding, carry the look to the porch roof.

Tackle the kitchen of your home with inexpensive, reused items that give your space a green decor. Add an old credenza or butcher block table to act as a vintage island for food prep and entertaining. Replace an old metal sink with a porcelain apron sink. Cover the concrete walls above the counters with subway tiles or a tin back-splash.

Hang Sheetrock over cold, concrete walls. Paint the Sheetrock in colors that complement the rest of your decor.

Leave the concrete walls intact in your bathrooms. Rather than hide the concrete, embrace its bathroom-friendly properties. Unlike wood, concrete holds up well under most moist conditions. Paint the walls with water resistant paint that complements your bathroom theme.

Apply a faux finish to the concrete as an inexpensive, yet fashionable wall treatment in the living areas. Mix Sheetrock mud with paint that is several shades darker than your desired color. Apply the mud to the walls with a trowel, using half circle motions with your wrist. Allow it to dry for at least 48 hours.

Dress up the various rooms with molding. Use vinyl molding in the bathrooms. The vinyl will accentuate the concrete walls without incurring damage from moisture. Stained wood molding adds warmth to the walls in your other rooms, regardless of the overall finish you choose to implement.