Antique Front Door Gets a Glow Up

The front door on this Craftsman home has a Victorian look to it.  But I'm pretty sure it's original, so I wanted to keep it.  But it was a bit tired and needed some attention.

First and foremost, we needed the lockset to work.  Mike at Old House Parts helped tune up the mortise lock and was even able to find a key that works for the front door!   

I cleaned up the shellac on the interior to give it the same lustre as the rest of the molding.

The house had original metal weatherstripping - the traditional kind that locks to provide a weathertight seal. And while one side was still in good shape, the other side and threshold were bent up and beyond repair.  Paul from Bagala Window Works came out and installed all new bronze weatherstripping.  Such a great detail.

And the final look?  Well now it's not just functional, it looks good too!

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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. 

Because it was a porch, 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 in an unheated room? 😂

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.  

The ceiling, floor and walls all got insulation

Finally, I got to do the pretty stuff, with this gorgeous Morris & Co wallpaper. 

 I really love the finished product - even if it was a huge pain to install!

In keeping with our usual obsession for detail, we installed these gorgeous pocket door pulls.

And now that it's done, I'm thrilled with the changes.  Not only does it look nicer, but it's structurally sound with all new systems.  That's a huge change!

The pantry provides so much storage space! 

Sources:

Sink - Signature Hardware Cierra

Faucet - Kohler

Toilet - Toto Entrada

Wallpaper - Morris & Co, Wallflower

Lighting - Pottery Barn Essential Sconce

Pocket Door Pull - House of Antique Hardware

Mirror - Wayfair Elora

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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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