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.
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| Millwork Details on the Fireplace |
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.
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| It's not a big space - but it transformed the 1st floor! |
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| Opening up the old walls brought so much more light into the downstairs |
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.
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We thought this was the original kitchen, but the multiple paint colors tell a different story
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All new electrical, plumbing and insulation!
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I love the marble mosaic backsplash!
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!
Like the kitchen, the bathroom got a 'to the studs' renovation, which allowed us to update all the electrical, plumbing and insulation. We also reoriented the fixtures with the tub moving to the end wall and the toilet next to the door. It opened up the whole space!
It also gave us the opportunity to add this fun shelving next to the original built in.
And the updates didn't stop upstairs. The basement had been finished - probably in the 50's or 60's with traditional pickwick knotty pine. It was glamorous at the time, but now it makes the room dark and cavelike. The floor was carpeted when we bought it and when the carpet was removed we discovered it 'undulated'. It required bag after bag of floor leveler to get it flat enough to install new LVT (luxury vinyl tile - my favorite product for a basement floor).
We painted the pickwick white and installed new ceiling tile - the transformation was amazing!
We also closed up the flue to the fireplace (it was vented through the boiler flue, a huge building code violation) and replaced it with an electric fireplace. Now you have the ambiance of a fire, but don't have any worries! And this room could work for so many different uses! TV room - playroom - home gym - so many options!
And the basement bathroom - well that was a HUGE project, but look at home much it's changed (including re-routing all the electrical into a new electrical panel).
Last, but not least, here are a few photos of the backyard. The yard is small, but it has so many lovely details and is so private - it's the perfect spot to have a glass of wine after a busy day.
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| We had to change out a couple of windows to make the bathroom and kitchen layouts work out |
And with those updates, the house is done! This has been such a fun project - we loved living there and also loved fixing it up. We wish the new owners many years of happiness in their new home!
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