We have moved into our new and improved Two Sisters Cottage, just a little over nine months after closing on the deal. It's been a trip, for sure, a huge learning experience and a dream fulfilled. Yes, parts of it were nightmarish, but I'm so glad we did it.
I'm still unpacking and will be for quite some time. I have been taking photos, and will share them as soon as possible.
Thanks for all your kind comments and support; I really appreciate it!
Happy trails,
bobbi c.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Regrets?
I hope I don't live to regret telling Husband it's OK to put a lot of the old metal stuff from the cottage out on the curb for the recyclers to pick up. Piles of venetian blinds from 1960 are mixed with old stove pipe, old gutters, old galvanized plumbing pipe that came out from under the house, aluminum trim from bathroom walls, around the tub and kitchen sink, etc. We've already recycled much of it, but it still accumulated in the little cottage out back. Now that we're planning on moving in on Monday, we need a place to stash our six cats while the movers bring in the furniture. So the metal stash had to go!
One especially hard thing to give away is the original sink from the kitchen--an odd sized 12 x 30" cast iron monster that weighs a ton--and is rusted plumb through. I fancied making a small garden pond out of it, or using it in the greenhouse. Nah, that would never happen. For one thing, it's just too heavy--then there's the rust. Still, I feel a bit sad about not keeping it. It's a part of the history of this house.
The old cast iron sink as it was when we bought the house
I have to remind myself that never did we plan on doing a period restoration. Still, the sink is one of the things I noticed when I first set foot in the house, and the only thing I remembered weeks later when we came by to take a second look. I even asked Rudy "Now, which house was it that had the old sink?" I think it stirred some deeply buried memory of my great-grandmother's old house in Handley, Texas. I only visited there once, but still remember her 1930's era kitchen and a sink very similar to this one.
Metal is a hot commodity these days, and I know some wandering recycler will consider himself (or herself) lucky to drive by and see the "Free" sign sitting by the pile. There are many people now around here who feed their families from the money they get through recycling. I have to remember that when I get wistful about an old rusty sink that weighs a ton.
Happy trails!
bobbi c.
One especially hard thing to give away is the original sink from the kitchen--an odd sized 12 x 30" cast iron monster that weighs a ton--and is rusted plumb through. I fancied making a small garden pond out of it, or using it in the greenhouse. Nah, that would never happen. For one thing, it's just too heavy--then there's the rust. Still, I feel a bit sad about not keeping it. It's a part of the history of this house.
I have to remind myself that never did we plan on doing a period restoration. Still, the sink is one of the things I noticed when I first set foot in the house, and the only thing I remembered weeks later when we came by to take a second look. I even asked Rudy "Now, which house was it that had the old sink?" I think it stirred some deeply buried memory of my great-grandmother's old house in Handley, Texas. I only visited there once, but still remember her 1930's era kitchen and a sink very similar to this one.
Metal is a hot commodity these days, and I know some wandering recycler will consider himself (or herself) lucky to drive by and see the "Free" sign sitting by the pile. There are many people now around here who feed their families from the money they get through recycling. I have to remember that when I get wistful about an old rusty sink that weighs a ton.
Happy trails!
bobbi c.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Front Door Fiasco & Kitchen Island Update
Dear friends,
One feature of our antique house is that it has two front doors. There are varying explanations for why so many of the older frame houses had these. Some experts say that one of them is a "Pastor's Door" -- the front door where you welcomed the pastor or preacher from your church. Presumably, you kept that room clean. The other door was for the farmer or homeowner to come into when they had muddy boots or shoes. That room, ahem, wasn't special enough for company. Personally, when I have muddy boots, I come in the back door, but that's just me. LOL.
Either way, since we are turning one of the front rooms into our bedroom, suffice it to say that I didn't want a front entry door right smack dab in there. For one thing, it's drafty, and noisy. So Husband and I pondered, and he came up with a solution. Block the door permanently. Since we aren't doing anything to the exterior of the house now, fixing that will have to wait.
First, he removed the doorknob. Yes, it's a gorgeous antique door. We have a matching one in the other front room, which is the combo entry and my little writing nook (the blue room).
Before -- Door with knob removed.
Then, he added a sheet of insulating foam, with a little indentation cut out on the other side for the escutcheon around the doorknob:
Fitting the foam in place, with notches cut for hinges.
Yes, I know it's ugly now. The master plan is to caulk all edges and cracks, then add beadboard paneling (maybe to the ceiling) and in front of that, we're putting an electric fireplace/media center with a new flat screen TV hung over it. The TV will be covered with some sort of framed in cabinet, hanging artwork or tapestry. We're sort of designing this as we go. OR, we'll use our existing TV armoire with will just barely cover the trim around the door. Either way, I'll post more photos as the project progresses.
LATER, THAT SAME DAY -- We have the finished door, ready for some big hulking piece of furniture to sit in front of it:
We also have curtain rods up--a small thing, but necessary. Shown are temporary Dollar Store curtains.
Oh, on the outside of the new covered front door, on the front porch, I have a screen door with a decorative metal trellis thingy hung over it. In front of that, a potted oleander bush sits. The back of the foam board is metallic, and shines in the sun just like glass might. The plan for that is to add painted stationery louvered shutters, much like houses in New Orleans have. I think it goes with the black metal wrought iron on our porch. This will also help to block the wind and noise from the front street.
Another project we were going to build was a small kitchen island, for storage, and as a place to chop vegetables. The thing about galley kitchens like ours is that sometimes they're a bit too wide to be efficient. I say "were" going to build, because we walked into BigLots! yesterday and found a perfect little red cart, just the right size. Discounted because it was a floor model, it has room in the bottom for the mixer (which we use frequently for homemade bread), and a little shallow drawer that's perfect for knives. AND a towel bar at the end, which we desperately needed in there.
Since I'm going with a fruit theme in the kitchen, this adds a nice bright spot of cherry red. Yes, I prefer homemade cabinets and furniture, but since Rudy's list is a mile long, we figured this would be just functional enough for now, and it looks good, too. Later on, this could be rolled anywhere in the house and used -- in the utility room, in the greenhouse/garage, etc. I always think of future uses when I buy things like this, since I almost never get rid of furniture.
I also like the stainless steel top, which matches the front of the refrigerator, the range hood and the trim around the range.
As for outside the house, check out new garden photos at The Earthly Gardener, my garden blog.
More later!
Happy trails,
bobbi c.
One feature of our antique house is that it has two front doors. There are varying explanations for why so many of the older frame houses had these. Some experts say that one of them is a "Pastor's Door" -- the front door where you welcomed the pastor or preacher from your church. Presumably, you kept that room clean. The other door was for the farmer or homeowner to come into when they had muddy boots or shoes. That room, ahem, wasn't special enough for company. Personally, when I have muddy boots, I come in the back door, but that's just me. LOL.
Either way, since we are turning one of the front rooms into our bedroom, suffice it to say that I didn't want a front entry door right smack dab in there. For one thing, it's drafty, and noisy. So Husband and I pondered, and he came up with a solution. Block the door permanently. Since we aren't doing anything to the exterior of the house now, fixing that will have to wait.
First, he removed the doorknob. Yes, it's a gorgeous antique door. We have a matching one in the other front room, which is the combo entry and my little writing nook (the blue room).
Then, he added a sheet of insulating foam, with a little indentation cut out on the other side for the escutcheon around the doorknob:
Yes, I know it's ugly now. The master plan is to caulk all edges and cracks, then add beadboard paneling (maybe to the ceiling) and in front of that, we're putting an electric fireplace/media center with a new flat screen TV hung over it. The TV will be covered with some sort of framed in cabinet, hanging artwork or tapestry. We're sort of designing this as we go. OR, we'll use our existing TV armoire with will just barely cover the trim around the door. Either way, I'll post more photos as the project progresses.
LATER, THAT SAME DAY -- We have the finished door, ready for some big hulking piece of furniture to sit in front of it:
We also have curtain rods up--a small thing, but necessary. Shown are temporary Dollar Store curtains.
Oh, on the outside of the new covered front door, on the front porch, I have a screen door with a decorative metal trellis thingy hung over it. In front of that, a potted oleander bush sits. The back of the foam board is metallic, and shines in the sun just like glass might. The plan for that is to add painted stationery louvered shutters, much like houses in New Orleans have. I think it goes with the black metal wrought iron on our porch. This will also help to block the wind and noise from the front street.
Another project we were going to build was a small kitchen island, for storage, and as a place to chop vegetables. The thing about galley kitchens like ours is that sometimes they're a bit too wide to be efficient. I say "were" going to build, because we walked into BigLots! yesterday and found a perfect little red cart, just the right size. Discounted because it was a floor model, it has room in the bottom for the mixer (which we use frequently for homemade bread), and a little shallow drawer that's perfect for knives. AND a towel bar at the end, which we desperately needed in there.
Since I'm going with a fruit theme in the kitchen, this adds a nice bright spot of cherry red. Yes, I prefer homemade cabinets and furniture, but since Rudy's list is a mile long, we figured this would be just functional enough for now, and it looks good, too. Later on, this could be rolled anywhere in the house and used -- in the utility room, in the greenhouse/garage, etc. I always think of future uses when I buy things like this, since I almost never get rid of furniture.
I also like the stainless steel top, which matches the front of the refrigerator, the range hood and the trim around the range.
As for outside the house, check out new garden photos at The Earthly Gardener, my garden blog.
More later!
Happy trails,
bobbi c.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
We thought it was a good idea...
....to save the antique french doors that were original to our 1930 cottage. Originally, they lead from the very large dining room to the front room, which was used as the living room. We got the bright idea to turn the large dining room into our living room, open up the wall between the two, move the french doors to that wall.
Easy, right? Not so much.
After months of cutting holes in walls, reframing them, patching, wallboarding, texturing, floating, sanding, painting, etc. we were finally able to get the doors back in today. After Rudy found the hinge pins, that is. :-)
The thing is, those doors were custom made for the original opening. Nothing in that house is plumb, square or true, and neither was that door opening. When we bought the house, the doors would shut, but barely. And of course, houses like that one shift when there's rain, or a bit of wind, or a bit of sun. LOL
Anyway, we have a bit of "tweaking" to do, which probably will mean that the hinges will have to be removed, shimmed, moved again, holes filled, doors repainted, etc. Hopefully, then the doors will shut. We shall see.
Happy trails!
bobbi c.
Easy, right? Not so much.
After months of cutting holes in walls, reframing them, patching, wallboarding, texturing, floating, sanding, painting, etc. we were finally able to get the doors back in today. After Rudy found the hinge pins, that is. :-)
The thing is, those doors were custom made for the original opening. Nothing in that house is plumb, square or true, and neither was that door opening. When we bought the house, the doors would shut, but barely. And of course, houses like that one shift when there's rain, or a bit of wind, or a bit of sun. LOL
Anyway, we have a bit of "tweaking" to do, which probably will mean that the hinges will have to be removed, shimmed, moved again, holes filled, doors repainted, etc. Hopefully, then the doors will shut. We shall see.
Happy trails!
bobbi c.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Doors doors doors!
One of the issues with having lots of cats is how to keep them in one part of the house while you're working in another. I know many Realtors thought I was nuts when walking through potential homes because one of the things I made sure to check was the location and number of doors. Like many old houses, our new/old house has LOTS of doors, and since we added a closet, expanded the pantry and added a hallway, we had lots of doors to deal with. Rudy had a lot of fun figuring out which doors to move where, and surprisingly enough, it worked out well. We even have one door left over.
One of the main milestones in our remodeling project in this 1930 cottage was to add a walk-in shower with glass doors. After months of dealing with the plumbing, removing the old tub (which is still sitting in the back yard), adding backerboard and tile, we were finally ready for the local glass company (Floyd's Glass in Taylor) to come install doors. They had them in pronto and were finished in about an hour (as well as repairing a piece of broken window glass). Well, let me just say that I'm tickled pink!
This photo shows the shower doors as you walk into the bathroom. The glass is called "Rain" and looks just like rain streaking down a window. Hmmm, did I subconsciously choose that because of the drought we're in? I see a theme here. LOL
This is the left-hand side of the doors.
And the middle and right-hand side bottom. I was skeptical how the white shower pan would look, but it actually looks pretty good. Now, after we add the baseboards back in and paint and install the chair railing trim (which will cover the line between the green and tan paint) the bathroom will be finished.
Another door we had to add back on was the linen closet door in the bathroom. Most of the doors had to be removed when we put in the floor tile. Also, now that the house has an AC, we had to cut a few inches off each door for air flow -- something that is critical and that not a lot of people seem to do.
Here's the utility room door from the inside.
And the same door from inside the dining room. You can see the pantry door to the right. Ironically enough, my father built a corner cabinet out of pine the year I was born and my mother decorated it with those fruity decals that were so popular then. If I measured correctly, it will fit right there in that back corner -- the ONLY corner in the whole house that's not filled with a window. Over the past 55+ years, that cabinet has always been in one dining room or another and I cannot wait to move it over here!
And to the left you can see the back door. Lots of doors, I told ya!
And since I can't help myself, I had to hang something up on that blank wall. Here's a handmade spring floral wreath I made last year for the front door. Purty, ain't it?
So, we still need to install the door frame and door for the AC closet, and the BIG door project, which is to replace the antique french doors that came out of the former living room (we switched rooms around). We're moving them one room over so that they'll be the opening between the kitchen and the living room.
Once that's done, the house will be cat-proof and we won't have any other excuses not to move in! Well, other than the fact that we haven't packed much of anything. :-D
Happy trails!
bobbi c.
One of the main milestones in our remodeling project in this 1930 cottage was to add a walk-in shower with glass doors. After months of dealing with the plumbing, removing the old tub (which is still sitting in the back yard), adding backerboard and tile, we were finally ready for the local glass company (Floyd's Glass in Taylor) to come install doors. They had them in pronto and were finished in about an hour (as well as repairing a piece of broken window glass). Well, let me just say that I'm tickled pink!
This photo shows the shower doors as you walk into the bathroom. The glass is called "Rain" and looks just like rain streaking down a window. Hmmm, did I subconsciously choose that because of the drought we're in? I see a theme here. LOL
This is the left-hand side of the doors.
And the middle and right-hand side bottom. I was skeptical how the white shower pan would look, but it actually looks pretty good. Now, after we add the baseboards back in and paint and install the chair railing trim (which will cover the line between the green and tan paint) the bathroom will be finished.
Another door we had to add back on was the linen closet door in the bathroom. Most of the doors had to be removed when we put in the floor tile. Also, now that the house has an AC, we had to cut a few inches off each door for air flow -- something that is critical and that not a lot of people seem to do.
Here's the utility room door from the inside.
And the same door from inside the dining room. You can see the pantry door to the right. Ironically enough, my father built a corner cabinet out of pine the year I was born and my mother decorated it with those fruity decals that were so popular then. If I measured correctly, it will fit right there in that back corner -- the ONLY corner in the whole house that's not filled with a window. Over the past 55+ years, that cabinet has always been in one dining room or another and I cannot wait to move it over here!
And to the left you can see the back door. Lots of doors, I told ya!
And since I can't help myself, I had to hang something up on that blank wall. Here's a handmade spring floral wreath I made last year for the front door. Purty, ain't it?
So, we still need to install the door frame and door for the AC closet, and the BIG door project, which is to replace the antique french doors that came out of the former living room (we switched rooms around). We're moving them one room over so that they'll be the opening between the kitchen and the living room.
Once that's done, the house will be cat-proof and we won't have any other excuses not to move in! Well, other than the fact that we haven't packed much of anything. :-D
Happy trails!
bobbi c.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Big big progress!
I've been a bit lax about posting photos. First of all, I had a major fall in the garage here and although I'm OK, I've been taking it easy with the climbing the ladder, painting and scraping thing. Rule One -- If a stray bird gets into a very crowded workshop garage, just leave it there! Stupid bird made me fall. But I digress.
Husband's been very busy working on the shower. Since the original planks were in the walls, and were very wavy, we had to put in a layer of backerboard over wooden cleats to level them. Over that went the field tile, then the mosaics, then more field tile, and then the trim. Note to Self -- Next time, do all the field tile THEN put in the mosaic bits.
Here's the new posh Jacuzzi toilet which I hope will cut down on the time it takes to clean. No more cleaning of that "wormy thingy at the bottom." Rudy is SO good to me! LOL. My friend Gloria wonders if pioneer women were as excited when they got a new three-seater in the outhouse. Probably! :-)
Here's the medicine cabinet that has a nifty hidden electrical outlet in the bottom behind the doors (customized by us) so we have a place to hide away the electric toothbrush, R's shaver, etc. The plan is to paint the frame of the mirror brown. The sink is a high-end Kohler that I found on clearance at Lowe's. Score!!
And here's the shower with the finished tile (not grouted yet) -- left-hand side:
And right-hand side:
The friendly fellow from locally-owned Floyd's Glass came out today to measure for the shower doors. Those should be installed in about a week. Yay!
And, I'd like to introduce my pet squirrel, which I have fondly named "Basil" -- as in the British pronunciation (baa-zill). He's quite the character, and has been trained to only eat from his little dish. AHAHAHAHAHA! Liar liar pants on fire. Oh well, maybe with a little coaxing, I can keep him out of the birdfeeder. As if.
More later!
Happy trails from Texas!
bobbi c.
Husband's been very busy working on the shower. Since the original planks were in the walls, and were very wavy, we had to put in a layer of backerboard over wooden cleats to level them. Over that went the field tile, then the mosaics, then more field tile, and then the trim. Note to Self -- Next time, do all the field tile THEN put in the mosaic bits.
Here's the new posh Jacuzzi toilet which I hope will cut down on the time it takes to clean. No more cleaning of that "wormy thingy at the bottom." Rudy is SO good to me! LOL. My friend Gloria wonders if pioneer women were as excited when they got a new three-seater in the outhouse. Probably! :-)
Here's the medicine cabinet that has a nifty hidden electrical outlet in the bottom behind the doors (customized by us) so we have a place to hide away the electric toothbrush, R's shaver, etc. The plan is to paint the frame of the mirror brown. The sink is a high-end Kohler that I found on clearance at Lowe's. Score!!
And here's the shower with the finished tile (not grouted yet) -- left-hand side:
And right-hand side:
The friendly fellow from locally-owned Floyd's Glass came out today to measure for the shower doors. Those should be installed in about a week. Yay!
And, I'd like to introduce my pet squirrel, which I have fondly named "Basil" -- as in the British pronunciation (baa-zill). He's quite the character, and has been trained to only eat from his little dish. AHAHAHAHAHA! Liar liar pants on fire. Oh well, maybe with a little coaxing, I can keep him out of the birdfeeder.
More later!
Happy trails from Texas!
bobbi c.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
A little setback and a little progress
All in all, I guess the setbacks even out the progress. Or something like that. All I know is that when I found out we had a huge gas leak and our heating system had to be shut down completely, I thought we had hit a major crisis in the remodeling of the cottage. But one call to our Favorite Plumber in the Whole World, Wayne Ging from Wayne's Plumbing in Coupland, Texas, got us fixed up pronto. By Tuesday afternoon, we had a permit, he and his employee Rick had dug the very deep ditch that went all the way across the yard, made the repairs, called the inspector (who called the gas company) and got us going again. Those guys don't mess around, I tell ya! And thanks to Wayne's wife, Cara, who keeps the office running and Wayne where he's supposed to be. :-)
That's Wayne on the left, and Rick on the right. Rick wants me to tell everyone that he's single. :-)
After some fiddling with the thermostat to get the unit fired up again, within a couple of hours we had wonderful heat in the house.
Can I just say that we love our plumbers? :-)
After all that drama, it was sort of anti-climactic to continue work on the bathroom, but Rudy did make a lot of progress today. Clap your eyes on these!
I must say I've always wanted a Jacuzzi, but this one is slightly small to bathe in. LOL. The Jacuzzi Prestige toilet has a unique feature--there's no worm-like curlicue at the bottom to collect dust! Could it be that I'll enjoy cleaning my bathroom? ARE YOU KIDDIN' ME?
We're taking a few days to rest, ponder, maybe pack a few boxes (eek) and eat some pretty good cookin'. And if we're lucky, Santa might just come for a visit. Wonder what he'll bring? A new ceiling fan, perhaps? LOL!
Happy trails,
bobbi c.
That's Wayne on the left, and Rick on the right. Rick wants me to tell everyone that he's single. :-)
After some fiddling with the thermostat to get the unit fired up again, within a couple of hours we had wonderful heat in the house.
Can I just say that we love our plumbers? :-)
After all that drama, it was sort of anti-climactic to continue work on the bathroom, but Rudy did make a lot of progress today. Clap your eyes on these!
I must say I've always wanted a Jacuzzi, but this one is slightly small to bathe in. LOL. The Jacuzzi Prestige toilet has a unique feature--there's no worm-like curlicue at the bottom to collect dust! Could it be that I'll enjoy cleaning my bathroom? ARE YOU KIDDIN' ME?
We're taking a few days to rest, ponder, maybe pack a few boxes (eek) and eat some pretty good cookin'. And if we're lucky, Santa might just come for a visit. Wonder what he'll bring? A new ceiling fan, perhaps? LOL!
Happy trails,
bobbi c.
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