Just Listed in the Poconos: Newly Renovated Contemporary in Sunrise Lake
If you owned a hillside lot with a clear view of a lake below it, wouldn’t you build a house upside-down as well?
To make sure that its main floor got the best view, the builder of this contemporary house at 101 Kingfisher Court, Milford, PA 18337 but its second floor between its main floor and its basement. And that means you get a great view of Sunrise Lake from here. | Pike Wayne Association of Realtors MLS images via Keller Williams Real Estate
Upside-down houses — houses with the main floor on the top — have become increasingly common at the Jersey Shore, largely for defensive reasons. Yes, their owners get nicer views from top-floor decks, but since most Shore houses have balconies or decks on every floor, there’s no clear reason why, say, the primary bedroom can’t go up top. But as many Shore towns are increasingly vulnerable to flooding, putting the kitchen as high up as possible minimizes the damage owners will need to repair should they find their ground floor partly under water.
You can find upside-down houses like this Sunrise Lake renovated contemporary house for sale in the Poconos as well. But people build them that way for a completely different reason: Many house lots in the Poconos sit on the sides or near the tops of hills or mountains. Putting the main floor on top, as here, gives it the best view.
And this is pretty close to the view you get from the deck of this house:
Sunrise Lake
Because the nearly three-quarter-acre lot this house sits on borders an intersection with the road on Sunrise Lake’s south shore, the house could be built in a place that offers an unobstructed view of the lake. It’s also high enough up to offer lake views over the house across Shore Drive.
Side elevation and deck
The deck wraps around two sides of the main floor, and the south-facing side is partly covered.
Living room
It encircles a handsome, recently renovated open-plan main floor. Its living room has a fireplace and three sets of sliding doors leading to the deck. A newly installed tongue-and-groove beamed ceiling covers spray-foam insulation between it and the roof. That means it’s easier for the fireplace, the electric baseboard heating and the mini-split air conditioning units to keep this house comfortable.
Dining room
Is this a dining room or part of an eat-in kitchen? Given its positioning on the floor, the answer could be yes to both.
Kitchen
The all-new kitchen behind the dining table has a galley layout with quartz-topped counters and up-to-date appliances that include a Miele refrigerator.
Side elevation with main entrance near the bottom of the stairs to the deck
Stairs lead down from the deck, past the main entrance to the ground. You enter this house through its second floor, where the bedrooms are located. Just inside the front door, stairs to the left lead up to the main floor, and a door to the right conceals stairs leading down to the basement. Here’s the foyer:
Foyer
The second floor has three bedrooms and one bathroom. The other bathroom is on the main floor, off the living room.
Main-floor bathroom
Second-floor bathroom
Both bathrooms are nicely outfitted and updated; the main-floor one has a shower while the second-floor one has a tub and shower.
Primary bedroom
The floor plans label this bedroom as the primary bedroom. Maybe that’s because it’s the only one with two windows.
Bedroom
But the bedroom to its right is bigger and has a door to the bathroom, making it en-suite. I’d argue that this should be the primary bedroom, since it also has a larger closet. As currently configured, it plays three roles: Home office, thanks to its desk; den and guest bedroom, both thanks to its slide-flat sleeper couch. The smallest bedroom on this floor is similarly outfitted, but its couch does not fold out.
Basement rec room
The full-floor basement rec room has sliding doors that lead out to the yard. Right now, it also can serve as a bedroom.
Basement rec room
A new pellet stove in one corner provides heat and serves as the focal point of a lounge area.
In addition to its eponymous lake, the Sunrise Lake community contains two more lakes, an outdoor swimming pool, a baseball field and basketball courts. Other recreational options nearby include the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the state game lands surrounding Shohola Marsh Reservoir. Also a short drive away: Dingmans Ferry, home to the last privately operated toll bridge on the Delaware River, and historic Milford, home of Gifford Pinchot, former Pennsylvania governor and father of the conservation movement.
Its top-to-bottom makeover makes this Sunrise Lake renovated contemporary house for sale as good as new. Its location makes it a good choice for those who want a comfortable Poconos house with a view.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 3
BATHS: 2
SQUARE FEET: 1,728
SALE PRICE: $335,000
OTHER STUFF: This house’s sale price was reduced by $14,000 when it was re-listed on August 17th after a pending sale failed to close.
101 Kingfisher Court, Milford, PA 18337 [Alex and Lisa McAteer and Carl Will | McAteer & Will Estates | Keller Williams Real Estate]
