Restoring character from the past

Amazing outcomes result from a solid foundation of real estate knowledge combined with talented individuals with an uncompromising drive to succeed. Neighborlee Homes' core values of compassion, respect and integrity form the basis of our relationships with team members, contractors, realtors, clients, and investors. At Neighborlee Homes LLC, it’s our goal to sustain success - for ourselves, our families and our community, In other words, our aim is to inspire, motivate and create lasting change in everyone and everything we encounter.  

Neighborlee Homes is excited to be an integral part of the area’s renaissance and we aspire to continue contributing to the economic rejuvenation of Northeast Pennsylvania and its neighborhoods. Our goal is to help both home sellers and buyers in our community find an answer to their real estate needs while providing profitable opportunities for investors within local communities. Neighborlee Homes focuses on creating a positive impact on the area’s economy by providing steady employment to the craftsman, purchasing local building materials, supporting city tax bases, offering an efficient option for home sellers, providing home buyers a well-crafted move-in ready home and contributing to the safety of entire neighborhoods by transforming dilapidated eyesores homes that are both beloved by families and neighbors. 

My "click bait" pictures are a prime example of the love I show for my work! For those reading who might not be familiar with this term, I've used a great photo to grab your attention while scrolling through articles. That photo- The Stone Cottage at Lily Lake is my favorite project to date.

My name is Eric Shudak, CEO and co-founder of Neighborlee Homes LLC and I'm writing this article to introduce a new travel destination for the Poconos. A destination that offers natural beauty, tranquility, and most importantly restored craftsmanship with modern features. The click bait used are actual photos of the 7th project my team has finished - it worked, and you are still reading, and for that - THANK YOU! Keep reading to find out how you can experience the Stone Cottage at Lily Lake yourself!

The Stone Cottage at Lily Lake was built in 1933 by Lester Brown, a local business man who had connections in the lumber, ice, and candy industry. This story is difficult to be confirm, but its rumored Mr. Brown perfected the Fifth Avenue candy bar recipe in this kitchen and sold it to William H. Luden in 1935. Luden, of Luden Cough drops, then sold the recipe to Hershey in 1936. The previous owner would always hand that candy bar out at Halloween as a act of remembrance of the story. Either way, I'm still honored to be the one behind the restoration of this original kitchen! The stove, a 1955 Kelvinator, is not original but still a nice addition to the era's custom-built cabinetry. Sometimes luck plays an integral role when restoring these types of homes - we found this gem at a local auction house and knew instantly it had to be part of the Stone Cottage Kitchen and that restored breakfast nook!

Who else is crazy enough to tackle a run down, buried, out-dated stone cottage nestled in the hillside at Lily Lake in Northeast Pennsylvania? Imagine the scenery on Day 1, it was very exciting with overgrown vines, weeds, dust bunnies and tons of work! A bit overwhelming but the scenery, location and character of this unique house was undeniable. The views of the lake confirmed my inner voice saying, don't worry, this place will be magical - people will love this beautiful piece of property and create many fond memories here. Just check out this video slide show of the first couple days into the renovation - you'll see what I'm talking about:

Once we started the demolition, we knew that the cottage was not only in need of a major overall but had some structural concerns that needed our attention immediately. If anyone is interested in what powder post beetles, termites, black ants, wood rot and water infiltration can do over the years, check out some of the above photos carefully. I have plenty of stories about these topics especially after restoring numerous other properties in this area! However, Neighborlee Homes' had a secret weapon - Home Mods Inc's Specialty Squad. They engineered the repair work and brought in the elite teams to combat these issues and fix them for good!

The water runoff from the roof and the grading of the yard beat up the back side of this cottage for years! After what I like to call "pow-wows of the minds", our engineering and structural team, alongside the contractors and workers, came up with the best game plan given the elements. We created a French drain system that safely diverted water away from the back of the cottage to the front yard. This kept the water away from the basement wall, the aging septic, and all gutters tied into this underground pipe that was part of the new drain system. The additional sump pump was then installed and piped into the new drainage system. Problem solved! There's so much more to this repair story, but I'll keep it short!

One thing is for sure, they don't make houses like they used to! The amount of craftsmanship that went into this gem is unreal, you really must be present during all stages of the remodeling process to get the full sense of work and detail that went into creating a house like this. Its hard for me to explain sometimes, that is why I take lots of photos! Back then, it seemed they liked to over-engineer certain structural components, not always focusing on cutting costs to make it as cheap as possible. I believe this house can be used as a nuclear bomb shelter with its castle-like construction, but I'll keep praying its never tested under those circumstances.

The "old timers" using hand tools and straight manpower to accomplish the construction methods would appreciate the extra care and work we did to preserve the history constructed into this property. This house has Chestnut doors and trim throughout. Chestnut was a popular wood in Pennsylvania when this cottage was constructed, but today is very rare and pricey. Just like the Carrara Glass tile used to construct the 3/4 shower. We were able to locate a 12"x 16" piece of tile that almost matched perfectly to salvage the threshold into the shower, and at a price of $100/SqFt, we got lucky to match it. Today, the shower is priceless-it cannot be replicated!

It's awe-inspiring to think how much effort went into cutting wood trim with a hand saw, toe-nailing 16-D nails by hand into rough cut planks to construct walls or just the shear effort mixing and spreading plaster over lathe to complete the room.

We’re proud to offer this 1933 summer vacation housing experience to the public through Airbnb. Anyone with the Airbnb's security clearances and background checks can rent this place out for a peaceful, relaxing quiet vacation

To book your stay, or to see more final pictures, click below to see our posting on Airbnb!

The Stone Cottage at Lily Lake

Restoring older homes will always be our passion at Neighborlee Homes LLC. If you share our passion, please follow us on Facebook! Our company needs investors willing to share and become part of our goal which is restoring neighborhoods one house at a time! We know and love it when a renovation plan comes together! Investors are an integral role in our company's game plan, please contact Eric Shudak for more details.

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Thank you all for your time! I hope you enjoyed the read!