There’s a lot going on in the guest cottage that I haven’t shared (or at least not all in one place), and that might be something only remodelers will really care about (or those of you who love learning about the remodeling process). I think the design of the kitchen and what we’re calling the “speakeasy” is at stage “5” – where we have ideas, but we’re still playing with them, so nothing is finalized. The bathroom is almost completely cleaned out (haha), and then all the electrical, foundation, framing, plumbing, and HVAC are gone. This is a bit boring stuff, but many of you may be interested in how we’re doing it, so here’s the latest:
Foundation repair – done
A few months ago, our contractor, “Foundation First NW“The scope of work ended up being just to repair and make the foundation safe, but not completely rebuild it. The old prop room still has a slope (better but still noticeable), and some other areas are unstable, but we knew that all along. We decided not to spend $100k+ to make it amazing, and instead make it safe and better for a little over $20k. They built new foundations in the bathrooms and did some work adding support under the house. Spent days (using steel adjustable posts), digging out the crawl space, etc., and they did a great job.
electrical
We have about half the electrical work completed, and the fantastic news is that they were able to install so many surface mount junction boxes without using conduit to cover the wires in the rooms where we wanted to preserve the original wood paneling (living room, prop room, and future office on the upper floor). Originally, we were afraid we would have to see some wiring because we didn’t want to open up the walls, but it’s all hidden! I will give the details of my electrician after the work is completed. So far we are very happy with him and his team.
HVAC – Heat & AC
after being one quilt Mini-Split AC/Heat Unit Installed in our gym, we’re amazed at how good the product is (and we’re so excited that we can put our own wood paneling over it so it can really disappear into the design of this vintage home). So I partnered with them, and we identified the rooms that needed heat and AC (in fact, that’s most of them). Again, although this does require some light construction and electrical work, it is not a huge ducting system that would require us to tear down walls and ceilings, etc. And we like that we can heat or cool rooms only when needed. The exact location is being determined by Greensavers (A local company that specializes in installing these among all the other HVAC and insulation materials). I’m stunned.
The roof is being repaired
Listen, it’s not in good shape, but we’re hoping it won’t be replaced and just patched. They’re literally giving us a quote right now (and I can tell they’d like us to do it again). TBD on that front.
Framing is happening now
We’re not removing any walls or changing the layout, but many roofs need repair before we can wire, add insulation or install skylights. Also, we would have to add a door and a window to the bathroom, and get rid of two windows (they make no sense and would cost a lot of money to repair or replace). Currently phase 1 is going on. Phase 2 will be after all the electrical, plumbing and insulation, and they will panel over it all, then build the water closet and shower cubicle in the bathroom.
exterior repairs
This house is old and could probably be completely renovated, but then it would look like a new house, which is fine, but that’s not really the intention (or simply not necessary and would cost too much). The rain had caused a lot of damage due to water falling from the roof of the covered walkway at the corner of the house, and some of the pillars of the walkway were in any case completely rotted. So we decided to cut it down, remove the rotten parts, and make it so we could move the water away from the house when it rained (it still hits a few inches, but not as bad). I’m 9% sad that we lost some covered walkways, but not enough to invest in finding water damage (the roof line hit the house, there was no room for a drain, and everything was rotting). My crew also found siding that didn’t match Correct!But it’s definitely close (which is good enough for me). So they are tearing down all the boards that are too damaged and replacing them with finished boards. I’m sure someone with a keen eye would be able to recognize the difference in profile, but custom-milled siding is very expensive and not where we wanted to spend the money. Once it’s all painted white, I doubt anyone will notice.
wall cladding
I’m very excited to say that we found some reclaimed wood that matches our existing wood almost perfectly. It’s reclaimed cedar with a rough face, and while I originally wanted it to be a richer, more refined wood, once we got hold of this more rustic piece, it felt more appropriate for the home.
all fun stuff
Meanwhile, we’re shopping for tile, ordering a ton Sample Painting colors, and messing with the layout of the kitchen. Before I show you what I’m thinking, I want to get a little closer to the design process, so wait for now.
The burden is starting to ease a little, but I’m still having a lot of fun dreaming up each room. But it’s great to finally have some real construction going on here. Progress!
*by photos Caitlin Green
