In 2021, after five months of searching for an A-frame home near Yosemite that they could turn into a short-term rental, Aria Massoudifar and Sam Salehyan found a Zillow listing for one and that same day, put in an offer. Built in 1973 and last renovated in the ’80s, their newly purchased home in Pine Mountain Lake was dated with dark-gray shag carpets throughout the loft and downstairs living area, dark wood paneling covering the walls and ceilings, and vinyl flooring in a walled-off kitchen that had quartz countertops, also in gray, that matched the bathroom counters.

Aria Massoudifar and Sam Salehyan purchased this 1,360-square-foot A-frame cabin in Pine Mountain Lake to renovate and turn into a short-term rental." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Alta Projects" photoUserId="6759879642947305472"/>

But the cabin, steps away from the local golf course and the town’s marina, had classic A-frame style with 20-foot-tall windows, a rock-wall fireplace, open-beam knotty pine ceilings, and a lofted sleeping area. Aria and Sam were confident that they could turn it into the kind of place they’d like to stay while enjoying the Sierras.

“The Yosemite area is special to us because its natural beauty is so overwhelming and magnificent that it makes everyday stress seem small and irrelevant,” says Aria. “The problem is, when we stay here, we often have a hard time finding rental or hotel options that feel updated and modern.”

Hunter Green tile by Fireclay covers the downstairs shower." layout="" credit="Photo by Alta Projects" photoUserId=""/>

For the renovation of the two-bed, two-bath, they found their creative match in husband-and-wife duo Tito Pedraza and Tawni Bannister, cofounders of Los Angeles interior design studio and hospitality consultancy Alta Projects. “We didn’t have mood boards or favorite brands—we just wanted to create a space that made guests feel playful and connected to nature,” says Aria. Once we met Tito and Tawni, it was a no-brainer, because we had the same vision for the space.”

The group was inspired by Pine Mountain Lake’s history and its proximity to the park. Established in the 1960s, the town is a planned community centered around a private lake. Nearby Groveland provides a gateway into the gold rush era with the Iron Door Saloon, one of California oldest continuously operating bars, and a street lined with shops and restaurants that have been owned and operated for generations by local families.

Aria, Sam, and Alta Projects sought to give the impression that, like Groveland’s beloved landmarks, the home had been passed down. “We wanted to create the feeling of generational warmth in the home—that this place had been one family’s summer escape for decades,” says Pedraza. To create that effect, Bannister sourced all of the objects in the home from local estate sales, Goodwill, and Etsy—everything from a custom basalt stone sink, vintage oil paintings of seascapes, and handmade ceramic lamps, to a vintage French milking stool.

In addition to found objects, Alta Projects sourced more than 100 vinyl records to create the kind of dusty record collection you might find at a beloved family cabin. “We searched far and wide across record shops in Los Angeles for an eclectic mix of vintage records spanning from Delta blues, to heady jazz, to folk,” says Pedraza. Standouts include records by Joe Bataan, Howlin’ Wolf, Steve Miller, Stan Getz, and Bill Evans. For a more modern listening experience, a network of bluetooth speakers connect to the record player for sound throughout the house.

Refreshing the main living area presented the largest challenge. When Alta Projects pulled up the ’80s shag carpet, they found concrete instead of wood floors, which were promised in the listing. This added time to the project, but gave Alta an opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade. “We ended up sourcing knotty pine planks locally to cut costs and tie the floor in with the ceiling which was still in original knotty pine.” The new floors were given a dark finish, while the walls, stone fireplace, and ceiling are in a contrasting white that matches the kitchen cabinets.

Besides decor and furnishings, “the kitchen was the highlight of the renovation,” Pedraza says, making note of the new white oak cabinet fronts by Tate Knowles of Red Line Woodworking in Maine. Drawing inspiration from a French chalet, Alta finished them in Backdrop’s Morning Ritual, a creamy white color that contrasts with the new knotty wood floors and walnut countertops. For the backsplash, the owners saved by sourcing natural brick tile from Fireclay’s Factory Seconds, a program where buyers can scoop up overproduced, miscolored, or discontinued products at a discounted rate. To finish off the chalet-inspired look, Alta added an island with a quartz top, a porcelain drop-in sink, and a handmade brass faucet sourced from Etsy.

The kitchen combines a brass kitchen faucet from Etsy seller Brasspure, vintage ceramics, and a kitchen island from Room & Board. Custom kitchen cabinet fronts were fabricated by Red Line Woodworking in Maine, topped with walnut countertops from Hardwood Lumber Company and painted with Morning Ritual from Backdrop." layout="" credit="Photo by Alta Projects" photoUserId="6759879642947305472"/>

$5,000 Demolition	$7,000 Appliances	$3,500 Countertops
$13,500 Tile (with labor)	$7,200 Wood Flooring Material	$15,000 Wood Flooring Installation & Paint
$10,000 Interior Paint	$7,800 Exterior Paint (with labor)	$10,000 Kitchen Millwork & Installation
$5,500 Drywall & Finishing	$3,500 Carpet & Installation	$2,000 Bathroom Wood Cladding
$10,000 Shed Remodel	$6,000 Plumbing	$3,500 Electrical
$12,000 Framing	$2,000 Stone Fireplace Refinishing	$1,500 Shower Door & Installation
Grand Total: $125,000

“We wanted to create the feeling of generational warmth in the home—that this place had been one family’s summer escape for decades.”
—Tito Pedraza, designer

Tucked above the open-concept main floor is a cozy loft. “To maintain that summer camp nostalgia we replaced the shag carpets with a wool popcorn style from Berber so you get that soft and bouncy feeling beneath your feet,” says Pedraza. A queen-sized bed is positioned on a low platform for a bunk-bed feel, and there’s a Samsung Freestyle smart projector to watch movies or shows. “The loft was the perfect place to introduce more playfulness. We want guests to have that summer break feeling you get when you’re up past your bedtime, eating popcorn and watching a movie,” Pedraza says.

Outside, Alta refinished both the front deck and rear patio. For the deck, Pedraza and Bannister added decorative lighting, a large outdoor sofa, lounge chairs by Hay, and a large retractable umbrella. A large dining table and a charcoal grill makes outdoor dining an easy alternative in the summer months. The patio at the rear is complete with Ferm Living Desert lounge chairs, Fat Boy Bolleke globe lamps, and a concrete gas firepit.

Adjacent to the patio is a 10-by-10 storage shed Alta converted into a multifunctional “workshop” with plenty of power outlets and dimmable lighting. At first, it wasn’t clear what they were going to do with “what was then a chip plywood board shed,” says Pedraza. But to the owners, it made sense to have an additional space that could be used as an office for remote work or arts and crafts sessions for kids.

Ferm Living Desert lounge chairs, Fat Boy Bolleke globe lamps, and a concrete gas fire pit." layout="" credit="Photo by Alta Projects" photoUserId="6759879642947305472"/>

“We thought of the idea of two couples staying at the house as future guests, and how nice it would be for each person to have the room to get a bit of work done without feeling like everyone is on top of each other,” Pedraza says of the A-frame, which is now available for rent on Airbnb. “One person at the desk upstairs, another at the dining table, the sofa, and the workshop out back. Options. We’re all about options.”

More Budget Breakdown:

For $404K, a First-Time Renovator Revives a Joshua Tree Midcentury

A Couple Build a Cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains for $150K—Without Borrowing a Cent

Project Credits:

Interior Design: Alta Projects / @alta__projects

Builder/General Contractor: Homes Are Us

Cabinet Design/Installation: Red Line Woodworking / @redlinewoodworking