Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Storybook Cottage: Porch Before and After


The house is finished and I can finally start sharing some Before & After photos.  So let's start at the entryway!   When we started, it was a 3 season porch right off of the driveway.


This was the primary entrance to the house and had a row of windows all around it - and an electrical meter against the wall (certainly not something that's allowed by today's code!!).

Now that we're finished -  it's the main entrance with year round use.

This explained why the floors were so bouncy! 
But changing all that was a bit of challenge.  As we got started, we discovered that the joists and footings were in bad shape.  We had to re-dig a couple of footings (not an easy task in January!!) and reframe the floor joists.  And since the sidewalls were essentially a row of old porch windows, we had to reframe them to provide enough strength for the new doors and windows that would get installed.


We wanted to make the space warm and cozy for our Maine winters, so we installed foam insulation in the ceiling and floors, to maximize the insulation value.

And we used this new living space to change how you enter the house.



Porch - Before
Porch Becomes Living Space - After
Now there is a big foyer/mudroom that will give the new owners a place to shed their coats and boots before entering the rest of the house.



The mudroom features lots of hooks and a built-in with shelves/baskets for gloves and hats.  Can you tell we live in Maine???  Certainly it's great for sunscreen and flip-flops in the summertime!!
Porch - Before
Porch - now foyer and office - After
To the right, there are french doors that open into a home office.  This room features two walls of windows that provide a bright spot to work.  And with a view of the giant lilac tree, it looks and smells heavenly!
This antique plate rack was a gift from a dear friend.  It graced her family's cottage for years - doesn't it look perfect in its new home??

Off of the foyer, there's an entrance to the main living area and also the master suite - but we'll save those updates for next time!  Stay tuned!
Office looking towards living area - before 
Office looking towards living area - after



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5 comments:

  1. we are planning an addition to our cottage. What ceiling height did you end up with look low in one place

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  2. The lowest part of the sloped ceiling was by the front door. We were able to use a typical 6' 8" door, but just barely!!!

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  3. I really think this was a great use of the old porch space, and looks so attractive inside and out.

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  4. Wow! You really have vision. Another gorgeous redo.

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