A woman who bought an old lighthouse in Ohio for $71,000 has shown off its incredible transformation into her dream summer home – which involved her forking over a further $300,000 across a decade of renovations.

When Sheila Consaul, from Washington, D.C., purchased the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse, located on the shores of Lake Erie, in 2011, it was in ‘really bad shape.’

Determined to turn it into a stunning place for her to spend the warmer months, she got to work on fixing it up.

But little did she know, the transformation would take more than 10 years and cost her hundreds of thousands of dollars, especially since most of the building and what was inside of it had not been updated since it was first lit in 1925.

A woman who bought an old lighthouse in Ohio for $71,000 has shown off its incredible transformation into her dream summer home - which cost her $300,000 across 10 years

A woman who bought an old lighthouse in Ohio for $71,000 has shown off its incredible transformation into her dream summer home - which cost her $300,000 across 10 years

A woman who bought an old lighthouse in Ohio for $71,000 has shown off its incredible transformation into her dream summer home – which cost her $300,000 across 10 years

When Sheila Consaul, from Washington, D.C., purchased the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse, located on the shores of Lake Erie, in 2011, it was in 'really bad shape'

When Sheila Consaul, from Washington, D.C., purchased the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse, located on the shores of Lake Erie, in 2011, it was in 'really bad shape'

When Sheila Consaul, from Washington, D.C., purchased the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse, located on the shores of Lake Erie, in 2011, it was in ‘really bad shape’

Sheila got to work on fixing it up, but the transformation would take more than 10 years and cost her hundreds of thousands of dollars. The lighthouse is pictured before her renovations

Sheila got to work on fixing it up, but the transformation would take more than 10 years and cost her hundreds of thousands of dollars. The lighthouse is pictured before her renovations

Sheila got to work on fixing it up, but the transformation would take more than 10 years and cost her hundreds of thousands of dollars. The lighthouse is pictured before her renovations

It was difficult since most of the building and what was inside of it had not been updated since it was first lit in 1925. It's seen above before the renovation

It was difficult since most of the building and what was inside of it had not been updated since it was first lit in 1925. It's seen above before the renovation

It was difficult since most of the building and what was inside of it had not been updated since it was first lit in 1925. It’s seen above before the renovation

The lighthouse uses solar power to keep its beam going, but when Sheila obtained it, it had no electricity inside, no plumbing system, and no heater. Pictured above is after the renovation

The lighthouse uses solar power to keep its beam going, but when Sheila obtained it, it had no electricity inside, no plumbing system, and no heater. Pictured above is after the renovation

The lighthouse uses solar power to keep its beam going, but when Sheila obtained it, it had no electricity inside, no plumbing system, and no heater. Pictured above is after the renovation

‘The coastguards maintained the light the entire time, but they did not maintain the building very well. So when I got it, it was in really bad shape,’ she recently explained to Insider.

The lighthouse uses solar power to keep its beam going, but when Sheila obtained it, it had no electricity inside, no plumbing system, and no heater.

The lighthouse is pictured above in the 1900s

The lighthouse is pictured above in the 1900s

The lighthouse is pictured above in the 1900s

She has since had a generator and composting toilets installed, and she started collecting rainwater for showering.

‘I’m not allowed to take water from the lake, so I have to collect rainwater from the roof,’ she shared. ‘That’s where I get water for showers and dishwashing.’

Because the lighthouse sits on such a narrow piece of land so close to the water, it is not possible to access by road.

That means she has to park her car in the nearby state park parking lot and walk around a half-mile every time she arrives and leaves the property.

This has made bringing furniture and doing construction on the lighthouse extremely difficult – and immensely pricey.

She has had to have most of her stuff brought in via barges, which cost roughly $2,500 a day to rent. 

Sheila has turned the nearly-100-year-old 3,000-square-foot lighthouse into a spacious home, complete with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, living area, dining room, and kitchen

Sheila has turned the nearly-100-year-old 3,000-square-foot lighthouse into a spacious home, complete with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, living area, dining room, and kitchen

Sheila has turned the nearly-100-year-old 3,000-square-foot lighthouse into a spacious home, complete with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, living area, dining room, and kitchen

She has had a generator and composting toilets installed, and she started a collecting rainwater for showering. Despite her numerous changes, she has kept the original staircase

She has had a generator and composting toilets installed, and she started a collecting rainwater for showering. Despite her numerous changes, she has kept the original staircase

She has had a generator and composting toilets installed, and she started a collecting rainwater for showering. Despite her numerous changes, she has kept the original staircase

Because the lighthouse sits on such a narrow piece of land so close to the water, roads don't have access to it. That means she has to walk around a half-mile every time she leaves

Because the lighthouse sits on such a narrow piece of land so close to the water, roads don't have access to it. That means she has to walk around a half-mile every time she leaves

Because the lighthouse sits on such a narrow piece of land so close to the water, roads don’t have access to it. That means she has to walk around a half-mile every time she leaves

This has made bringing furniture and doing construction extremely difficult and pricey. She's had to have most of her stuff brought in via barges, which cost $2,500 a day to rent

This has made bringing furniture and doing construction extremely difficult and pricey. She's had to have most of her stuff brought in via barges, which cost $2,500 a day to rent

This has made bringing furniture and doing construction extremely difficult and pricey. She’s had to have most of her stuff brought in via barges, which cost $2,500 a day to rent

‘Everything you can imagine has to be hand carried out, back and forth. It’s a 40-minute walk each way,’ she continued.

‘When it came to the really big stuff, like appliances, granite countertops, water treatment equipment, that all had to come by barge.’

Despite its challenges, Sheila has now turned the nearly-100-year-old 3,000-square-foot lighthouse into a spacious home, complete with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, living area, dining room, kitchen, and utility room.

'It is amazingly calm and serene and pretty much in the middle of the lake with 360 degree views of the water,' she gushed

'It is amazingly calm and serene and pretty much in the middle of the lake with 360 degree views of the water,' she gushed

‘It is amazingly calm and serene and pretty much in the middle of the lake with 360 degree views of the water,’ she gushed

Along the way, she also found a couple of old treasures in the attic – like the ‘crate that shipped the original refrigerator into the lighthouse in the 1940s.’

She has also bonded with many of the local community members, who were ecstatic that she was upgrading the lighthouse and were eager to help on the project.

‘Many members of the community have helped along with the renovations by painting, removing trash, carrying items in, cleaning, and lots of other tasks,’ she explained.

Back in 2000, the US government passed the National Lighthouse Preservation Act, which allows members of the public to buy lighthouses.

Each year since then, about a dozen lighthouses are offered to non-profit organizations or charities to purchase, but if no one wants to buy them, they’re then put up for auction for anyone else to bid on. 

Sheila has bonded with many of the local community members, who were ecstatic that she was upgrading the lighthouse and were eager to help on the project

Sheila has bonded with many of the local community members, who were ecstatic that she was upgrading the lighthouse and were eager to help on the project

Sheila has bonded with many of the local community members, who were ecstatic that she was upgrading the lighthouse and were eager to help on the project

She told Insider: 'It's very much a symbol, an icon of the community... I'm just the steward of this lighthouse'

She told Insider: 'It's very much a symbol, an icon of the community... I'm just the steward of this lighthouse'

She told Insider: ‘It’s very much a symbol, an icon of the community… I’m just the steward of this lighthouse’

Sheila previously told BBC that it took her about three years to ‘finally secure’ the lighthouse, after being outbid numerous times.

‘It is amazingly calm and serene and pretty much in the middle of the lake with 360 degree views of the water. At night you can see stars everywhere,’ she gushed. 

As for why she wanted to buy one in the first place, she explained to CNBC that she saw it as a ‘great opportunity’ to ‘combine’ her wanting of a summer home and her ‘love of historic preservation.’ 

‘The renovation process has been long and arduous,’ she admitted. ‘This was a great challenge, a great opportunity, and I loved every minute of it.’

Sheila now holds an annual party on the anniversary of when it was first opened almost a century ago, where everyone in the neighborhood is invited to come inside and check it out – and the event has become so big that around 800 people came this year.

‘Most of the people in the community have just looked at it their whole lives and never seen the inside,’ she dished to Insider. 

‘This year, we had about 800 people come through one afternoon. It’s very much a symbol, an icon of the community… I’m just the steward of this lighthouse.’

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