When we moved into the Charming Cottage, we thought we'd be there for 9 months while we renovated our own home. 17 months later, we finally moved out!! Sometimes things just don't work out as planned.
While we lived there, we focused improvements on the exterior - a new roof and new siding. But once we moved out, that's when the real renovation work began.
What did we change? We opened up the doorway from the living room and kitchen about 12 inches. And we opened up the wall between the foyer/hallway and living room. That made a huge change to the living space.
And we completely refaced the fireplace with a more appropriate, traditional mantle.
The back of the house changed even more. We opened up the wall between the dining room and kitchen a bit, which made everything seem so much more spacious! We were careful to maintain the original dining room hutch, which maintains the charming ambiance of the room.
What was the biggest change? The mudroom bump-out. It was only 7' x 2.5', but it was a game changer for the house. The original entry (nicknamed the Death Trap) was a tiny 3' x 3' space. Now there is room for coats and boots and the south facing door brings in sunlight throughout the first floor.
The kitchen was a to-the-studs renovation to allow us to replace all the plumbing, electrical and insulation. With all the guts of the house updated, we installed all new cabinetry and fixtures.
We thought this was the original kitchen, but the multiple paint colors tell a different story |
All new electrical, plumbing and insulation! |
Upstairs saw some changes as well. We added so much lighting and all new electrical to provide outlets on every wall (such a big change, the bedrooms only had one outlet!!).
Did you notice the doorknobs? They are original to the house and with a bit of clean up, they're fabulous! They are brass plated, with what appears to be Bakelite on the knob. So unusual!
We had to change out a couple of windows to make the bathroom and kitchen layouts work out |
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