Creating a New, Structurally Sound Powder Room

The Craftsman Cottage had a half bath off of the kitchen, in what appears to have originally been a porch. I don't really know when they converted it from a porch to a half bath - maybe 1980's???  But it was definitely ready for a serious upgrade. 

There was an exterior door, but it no longer opened because the porch was sagging so much (a good thing, because the stairs were long gone - except for one stringer next to the house)

Window with a view of the neighbor's driveway

It was structurally comprised, so the guys had to jack up the porch, pour new footings and build the supporting structure. 

You're not supposed to be able to put your hand under structural posts!

And yes, this was the home of the constipation closet!  Because who doesn't want a closet full of ancient laxatives? 

With the structural work completed, we better allocated the space to provide a large pantry and a powder room with all new plumbing, electrical and insulation.  

And then I did get to do the pretty stuff, with this gorgeous Morris & Co wallpaper. 

 And I really love the finished product - even if it was a huge project!

The pantry provides so much storage space! 

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The Craftsman Cottage Kitchen Got a Major Update

It’s been a crazy few weeks getting the house finished and on the market. We had an amazing Open House and are now under contract. Finally, I can spend some time posting ‘Before & After’ photos. And this house has some great ones!

I’m going to start with the kitchen which had some of the biggest changes. Like many old houses, this one had a dark, cramped kitchen. It was a place for the woman of the house to turn out meals, but it wasn't the family gathering place it is today.

Kitchen - the starting point

To change that, we started by removing the structural wall between the kitchen and dining room (a big milestone!!!).  That allowed us to expand the footprint – making this kitchen much bigger than the original. 

The structural wall between the kitchen and dining room was removed

What a difference!

We also eliminated the original furnace flue (we installed heat pumps) and opened up the doorway to the living room.   That allowed us to move the refrigerator to the side wall and create space for the island.

By gutting everything, installing new plumbing and electrical is much easier

All of that made this kitchen feel like it belongs in this century. But we also kept original woodwork and complimented it with a cherry island, which helps maintain the antique character of the home. 

And the results - well it's a huge change! 

I am in love with the calacatta marble, penny round tile that I used behind the stove and as an accent strip across the backsplash.  You can't go wrong with natural stone (although I wouldn't use it for a countertop.  My daughter has carrera marble counters and they take a lot of extra care that most of us wouldn't want to deal with).  I always use quartz for countertops, it's easy to maintain. 

Now you can see all the way to the bay window in the dining room!

Look at the difference in the basement! 

Was it a big job?  Absolutely!  Was it worth it?  Absolutely!  I'm so excited for the new homeowners to get to use this kitchen! 

Sources:

Cabinetry - Thomasville - painted Whippet and Cherry with Fox Stain

Countertop - Viatera Taj Duna

Flooring - Beech hardwood to match original

Pendants - Wayfair, Julyn Pendant

Backsplash - Calacutta Marble - The Builder Depot

Walls - Sherwin Williams White Flour 

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The Garage Gets a Facelift

This garage isn't a thing of beauty.  My guess is it was built in the 1940's, when cars looked a lot different and we had far fewer garden gadgets that needed to be stored.  It has a wooden floor, so I don't think I'd ever park a car in it.  But it provides great storage space that a new owner will want to utilize. We don't have a lot of budget to spend here, but want to make it a bit more attractive!

The sagging door makes me crazy!

The side view isn't any better - although it has a newish roof, so it's nice and dry inside.

The first part of the facelift - the guys swapped out a couple of the doors and windows - and it's already looking better!  It's also getting a coat of paint to match the house.  Oh, and we'll do a bit of landscaping to really make it prettier.

A friend had given me a few sections of antique lattice a few years ago.  I used two sections on a previous project, but saved one for the future.  This is a perfect spot for it!  It adds so much charm.  

The guys went to work on the sagging front doors.  Now they have new hinges and close more more easily.  Big upgrade! 

And last, but not least, the garage got a fresh coat of paint and a bit of landscaping.  Now it looks pretty sweet when you're sitting on the deck!

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Outdoor Living

When you have a big yard, it's nice to be able to enjoy it, particularly now that the weather is getting much nicer.  But there wasn't a good way to enjoy the backyard.  There wasn't a back door on the house and no designated patio or deck.  So we changed all that with a new sliding glass door and a deck.  We were pretty ambitious - we started it last fall, thinking we could get it finished before a Maine winter set it.  Boy were we wrong! 

The good news - we got the main deck finished before the snow. The bad news - the stair footings didn't get dug, they had to wait till spring.  So we went up and down this awkward staircase all winter.  Not quite what we had planned!

This house never had a back door - we used this temporary one while we waited for the slider.

The deck is getting finished now.  It will be such a great spot to sit and relax!  It's all composite decking and PVC trim, so it's built to last without any concerns about rot or maintenance.  I just love how it looks from the window. 

And look at the view from the deck!  The Fore River and the Portland Skyline have great daylight views.  But the nightlights may be even better! .  

The guys are finishing up the deck and I've started adding some landscaping.  It's such a dramatic upgrade! 

What makes it even better?  We have an amazing backyard.  Now I knew when we bought the house that it had a big backyard, but it was really hard to tell.  

The folks from Tammaro Landscaping came out and took dump trucks full of invasive shrubs, trees and vines from the property (see the whole story here).  And suddenly the yard seems HUGE!  What an incredible difference.

Look - there was a fence back there!! (fall 2025)

We had it planted with grass last fall and it's coming in beautifully this year.  What a diference!

I can't wait to get everything done and some deck furniture out there.  Maybe then it will be time to take a break and enjoy the view! 

So much pollen out there! 😂

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Lower Level Living Space

I haven't updated you on the basement in a while and there has been so much progress!   This is going to be such wonderful living space for the future owners.  

Basement Before - dominated by furnace and ductwork

We started with all the stuff you can't see in a finished room -  a French drain to keep the everything dry and spray foam insulation to keep it warm.(Click here for details)  Once that was done, it's time to start finishing the space.

Safety first - we tore out the old, scary staircase and installed a new code-compliant one.  This is a game changer, the original staircase was so steep that we had a couple of contractors fall down the stairs.  

Original staircase

I could only fit part of my foot on each stair tread. You had to walk duck footed to be safe!

It had to go and this is such a wonderful improvement!  Of course it will get finished with a code compliant handrail.

Next step was to finish the ceiling and walls. I wanted the walls to have some visual interest (vs. plain drywall), so we installed a wide beadboard paneling.  And interestingly, those vertical lines also make the space seem taller - which is always a good thing in an old basement.

Next, we had to finish the floor.  Like many old basements, it wasn't level, so the guys had to mix up dozens of bags of floor leveler to allow us to install LVT (luxury vinyl tile).

The floor leveler gets poured out and naturally creates a level floor

And the LVT?  This is one that I've used in multiple basements. In fact, I used it in one of our own homes that was the entry from the garage, where it was subject to all the grit and dirt that tends to come in on our shoes.  It held up beautifully, such a great choice for a basement! This time, I choose a light, faux maple style, which helps make the whole space feel light and bright.

Next, Rich installed the doors to the office (of course this room could be used for anything - toys, crafts, sewing, etc - but I've found that lots of buyers want a dedicated place to work from home).

The basement support beams are getting wrapped, so they will be ready when the painters arrive.

At the bottom of the stairs, we have a recessed area, that's framed up by the closet we had to build around the water meter.  Rich built a bookcase to fill that space, providing a bit of storage/display space as you enter the room.

Are we done?  Well not quite yet.  But we're getting close! 

 

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