It's been a whirlwind of activity here at the Cottage in the last few weeks. So much progress! Where to begin?
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| Ever wonder what kind of job requires video game skills? Operating the boom to bring drywall to the window! It's all done with a remote control unit and they effortlessly deliver hundreds of pounds right to the window. |
First of all, we have WALLS!!! That might seem like a simple thing, but getting drywall in place simply transforms the house and really makes it look like a home. It was a huge job with all the funky angles (gambrel ceilings and dormers are a challenge!) and the out-of-square 101 year old walls, but it's looking great.
So here's a peek. The living room really is huge! And with 7 windows, the room is constantly flooded with light.
The fireplace is safely hidden behind that plastic at the end of the room. We will be installing window seats on either side to provide storage and a cozy place to curl up with a good book.
At the other end of the house, the kitchen and dining room are adjoining the living room, but have enough privacy that guests won't see a sink full of dirty dishes as they enter the house. Look how much things have changed. We opened up the old wall from the front door and into the dining room - what a difference!
The Before and During photo taken from the dining room to the front of the house is even more dramatic. The wall on the left was filled in (who needs a keyhole opening??) to create a new home office and the kitchen is directly ahead. But now you can see the full length of the new addition!
And the old staircase is now the kitchen pantry. Isn't it cool how the steps will get incorporated into the new shelving? And it's pretty convenient for storing nails and tarps!
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| The stairwell is so tall!!! |
We don't have a staircase yet (the guys are custom building it, more about that in a later post), but the second floor is looking pretty great. But it will be so nice to get rid of that ladder!!! I never knew how much I appreciated steps until we spent months climbing ladders.
And don't you love all the windows in the stairwell?
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| The views from the stairwell are pretty sweet! |
The hallway at the top of the stairwell really shows just how cramped the old house was - the new addition has typical 8 foot ceilings, but see how low the old hallway is? Thankfully we added a skylight in the hallway and that brings in some nice daylight, which makes it feel much more spacious (white walls instead of old studs help too!). And while the ceilings are a bit low, this section of the house really shows off its 100 year old charm.
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| Skylights make such a difference!!! |
We also added storage closets (because you can never have too much storage) on either side of the skylight. A built-in storage unit with drawers and cupboards will be installed between the closets, underneath of the skylight.
The two original bedrooms (which are mirrors of one another) have changed so much! We removed the old closets and increased the height of the dormer, to provide space for fire/safety windows.
And look at the view through the new bedroom window! You look right across the shipping channel to Cushing Island! Wouldn't that be nice to wake up to every morning?
We also moved the door into the bedroom. Now you don't need to walk through the bathroom to get there - it's right off the hallways like a normal entrance! :-)
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| Old doorway to bathroom and bedroom |
To achieve the separate doorway, we needed to move everything - which exposed the original brick flue. Isn't it great?
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| The bathroom door moved to the left - increasing headroom! |
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| Don't you love the original brick flue and all the funky angles? |
We were able to create a private master suite, by locating it at the other end of the hallway, next to the stairwell.
The bedroom is big, with windows on three walls and more views out to Casco Bay. And we'll be installing 4 wardrobes to provide lots of closet space. The master bath is in and will be tiled in the next couple of weeks, so I'll wait to share those photos.
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| The 3rd floor deck is coming together! |
But my favorite space is the 3rd floor. The southeast windows provide winter views to the water, but will feel like a treehouse in the summer. And sitting on the deck at the end of the day will be a favorite pastime (with a cocktail in hand)!
The eastern windows look over Fort Preble and once we do some tree pruning, they'll have a year round view of Casco Bay and the islands.
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| There is meranti decking under that snow!! |
And there is more progress! The guys finished up the rear deck last week - sadly the joists were all rotted, so we ended up rebuilding most of it. But that will be good news for the new buyers, because now it is safe and sound. The new meranti decking and AZEK trim will really minimize maintenance!
They're also finishing up the front porch, which will provide some cover as you enter the house on rainy/snowy days. These are such great features for this house.
But that's not all! The siding team has gotten started and they are doing a fantastic job installing Hardie Board siding - which is a cementitious product that is guaranteed not to need painting for 15 years and really holds up to our salt water exposure. The trim will all be AZEK PVC, so again, no maintenance!! The new owners will want to spend time at the beach, not doing house chores.
So stay tuned, there's a lot more to come. But we've already made so much progress!
First of all, we have WALLS!!! That might seem like a simple thing, but getting drywall in place simply transforms the house and really makes it look like a home. It was a huge job with all the funky angles (gambrel ceilings and dormers are a challenge!) and the out-of-square 101 year old walls, but it's looking great.
The fireplace is safely hidden behind that plastic at the end of the room. We will be installing window seats on either side to provide storage and a cozy place to curl up with a good book.
And the old staircase is now the kitchen pantry. Isn't it cool how the steps will get incorporated into the new shelving? And it's pretty convenient for storing nails and tarps!
The hallway at the top of the stairwell really shows just how cramped the old house was - the new addition has typical 8 foot ceilings, but see how low the old hallway is? Thankfully we added a skylight in the hallway and that brings in some nice daylight, which makes it feel much more spacious (white walls instead of old studs help too!). And while the ceilings are a bit low, this section of the house really shows off its 100 year old charm.
We were able to create a private master suite, by locating it at the other end of the hallway, next to the stairwell.
