Name That Cottage!

I am a mama x 4 and each time my husband and I were expecting we spent a lot of time considering various names and trying to select just the right ones for our precious babies.

I've been doing the same sort of thing with our beach cottage--trying to pick a name that is  special and will reflect the personality I hope it will have. These are some of the names I considered...

Smooth Sailing

Beach Bliss

Tickled Pink

Barefoot Bungalow

Isle Dream

Lollygaggin'

Sea-esta

Each of these had its merits but didn't make the cut. There was one other name that I kept coming back to that finally won out. It uses the word "sassy" which used to be a bad thing when I was growing up--meaning rude and disrespectful. 

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But in modern times sassy can also mean lively, bold, and full of spirit... 

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...all that with a touch of quirky.

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That's the kind of sassy I am aiming for.

And the winner of the "Name That Cottage contest" is....The Sassy Seagull !!!

Favorite Things!

 Look at this face...

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This is our granddaughter Piper who is celebrating her third birthday today!  And yes, she is quite the character who keeps us all on our toes and frequently in stitches with her 

lively personality.

Saturday we celebrated her at a "Piper's Favorite Things" birthday party. Her mama did a photo shoot featuring Piper and some her most favorite things and created a beautiful invitation...

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Couldn't resist sharing this little lady on her special day. Piper, you're one of my favorite things, sweet girl! Happy Birthday!

Junk In The Trunk

I was shopping on Craig's List recently for a lingerie chest to use in one of the beach cottage master bedrooms. There is only one spot in that room for drawer space and it is not very wide. I came across several options but one really caught my attention....

It was the right size, color and price! What's not to like? So I decided to go for it--literally! My husband and I needed to go to Athens, GA to pick it up at a store called Junk in the Trunk.

While we were in the store we took a look around at all their other treasures. These were a few of our favorites...

And last but not least this chest of drawers which we purchased for the bunk room...

I love the scalloped design along the back of the top...

Somehow we managed to squeeze both of these items in the back of our minivan and bring them home. That, my friends, was a successful shopping trip!

Turning The Corner!

We're turning the corner y'all! For months we've been doing demolition and discovery of all the problems at the beach cottage and now we are in the business of putting things back together with all the mechanical aspects of the job.

I know. It's not so exciting for some to read about the plumbing, wiring, etc. but it is exciting to me because I know that this little beach cottage is going to be functional as well as beautiful! And I'm using this time to begin shopping for the good stuff such as lighting, flooring, paint colors, etc.

This week I made a trip to Floor and Decor in Savannah to pick out tile for the laundry room! The plumber needs to install the water heater and water pan in a laundry room closet and he can't finish until the floor is installed. Here's what "spoke" to me...

I liked this porcelain tile marble lookalike called "Grand Calcutta" in 12x12 inch size. It had a matte finish.

There was also a nice ceramic tile in a polished marble look called "Crystal White". At one third the cost of the porcelain tile it was very tempting....

And there was a solid white porcelain tile called Moondance White in 13x13 inch size that was very nice....

After speaking to a customer service person I learned that the porcelain would be a better choice for a room that would have heavy appliances in it because it is more durable and over time less likely to crack with all the weight on it.

I decided to go with the Grand Calcutta tile because I like the way marble looks and although this tile is faux marble I think it will give me the desired effect 

on the budget I have to work with.

As I was working my way through the store I noticed this display with real Carrera marble and I liked the grout they used--Mapei 77 Frost Keracolor sanded grout.

I am using the same color in unsanded grout. It has a smoother texture I think will make it easier to clean. Here's a photo of the sample against the Grand Calcutta tile...

The tile is supposed to be laid this weekend but they will not grout it right away. I can't wait to see it! After all these weeks of tearing down, it feels good to finally be putting things back together again!

Surprise!!!

Surprise!!! If you ever watch remodeling shows on HGTV (I love them!), I'm sure you've come to expect surprises as each project progresses. Usually unhappy surprises.

Once we leveled the floor in the former porch--now dining room, it impacted other parts of the structure--not a surprise. But as the boards for the ceiling and the walls were removed--Surprise! Termite damage in the exterior walls.

We decided it would be best to tear down and rebuild the exterior walls of the porch...

Now we are assured that the floor will be level and the structure will be secure. Another good thing-- we were able to raise the roof a bit so our ceiling will be higher on the inside.

And look at the rafter tails--we're leaving them exposed. A number of the old Tybee cottages have this detail and I think it adds a lot to the look of this old cottage.

I like what I see so far. 

I am trying to decide whether or not to replace the screen to the tiny front porch entrance. I think I like it open with just some pickets and a handrail. What do you think?

Time To Work--We're Going In!

Things are finally happening at the little Tybee Beach cottage! We had to do some foundation work at the front of the house and while we were at it, we decided to level the sloping floor. The front room was originally a front porch that was enclosed by a previous owner. That's why it was angled--to allow drainage for the porch. There wasn't much crawl space so we went under the house through the interior floor. 

I was excited to find a wood floor underneath the linoleum!

Also there were two exterior doors leading into the living room...

Awkward. And since I want to use the enclosed porch as a dining space, I decided to remove the door leading to the porch from the living room and open up the wall a bit so the two rooms relate to one another better.

Like this...

We're going to get new windows to replace the ones in the porch/dining room. The old ones survived Hurricane Matthew but they are not the type made to withstand high winds, so they have to go.

I can just imagine a table and chairs with a cool chandelier hanging down...

Can you see it?

"Before" At The Beach Part Two!

Last week I posted the "before" pictures of the common areas at our little beach cottage.

Now I want to show you each of the three bedrooms and the two bathrooms--how they look before any work is done.

There will be two master bedrooms--each with an adjoining bathroom.  There is one other very small bedroom that we plan to turn into a bunk room.

Front Master Bedroom

The front bedroom is off the living room (living room is through door on left) and is fairly large for a vintage Tybee cottage.

You can see what the paneling used to look like before the previous owner painted. Wonder how they missed that spot? 

The door in next photo leads to the bathroom.

Bathroom adjoining the Front Bedroom

Don't you love the claw foot tub?!?

The bathroom is long and skinny. Part of it was closed off by the previous owner to make a closet for the bedroom next door.

Bunk Room

This room is off the kitchen in the middle of the house. The door leads out to the kitchen.

Here is the closet that goes into the front bath.

It will be a challenge to make the most of this cozy space so that its occupants have a relaxing space with some storage for their belongings.



Back Master Bedroom

This bedroom is more compact but it has wonderful windows!

Tybee cottages are known to be a little funky.  There is a water heater and a makeshift closet on this wall. The door leads to the backyard.

Back Bathroom

This long, skinny bathroom does not currently connect to the next-door back master bedroom. We are hoping to find a way to connect them. Talk about funky--check this out! 

I guess they built the room around the appliances because there is no way the washer and dryer fit through the door! And check this out--only about 18 inches between the sink and the dryer. Not much room to stand...

Looking back in the other direction...

So that is a "Before" tour of the bedrooms and bathrooms at our little beach cottage. We've doing a lot of thinking and planning and now it is time to roll up our sleeves and get started!

I hope you'll join us on the journey!