Neighborhood History

How old is your neighborhood? Our is pretty old. In fact, while signing our settlement papers last week, we were given an old plat of the neighborhood from 1891!! There is so much history here and that is why we just love it. And it's also while we are trying to preserve as much of our cottage, built in 1929, that we can. As beautiful, spacious, and luxurious as so many of the newly built homes and neighborhoods in St. Mary's County are, I wouldn't trade what we have here for anything. It's peaceful here, minus a few negligent neighbors, and that is what makes our long commutes worth it.

The weather has been wicked this weekend. Icy cold and winds that just won't stop. So we didn't get too much work done on the addition. Bubba and Pa, my grandfather, were able to finish off the side wall and a few other small items, and we also made our way down to Lowes to buy the new windows for the front of the house. All 6 of them!

We are lot 17. Also neat to see how the names or roads and creeks have changed. previously, Dick Hart's Creek. Now known as, Duke Hart's Creek.

Cottage Renovation: Seeing Rooms

Our builders and Bubba did some beautiful work last week on our house. They were able to take the biggest challenge, extending the roof, and make it work seamlessly! I just love the hip roof that was on the house when we bought it. And it isn't that old, so I was really hoping that we'd be able to just extend the roof, rather than take the entire thing off. They mulled it over for a while and they finally decided to keep the hip style, add a dormer to the side facing our driveway, and to create an overhang by the back door. And I just love it! It is staying true to the original style of the house, but updating it enough to make it functional.

Check it out:

Cottage Renovation: Walls and a Roof Line

Bubba took off work this week to lend a helping hand to the construction. He must have been quite the helper too because when I came home the house looked totally different! My grandfather only lives ten minutes away, so he decided to come down around lunch time to see if there was anything he could help with too. They were both still working when I pulled in the driveway and finished up just before dark. I'm so lucky to have such hardworking men in my life!

Anyway, here is the progress that was made today:

View from the back.

We have a new roof line!

Looking into the guest room and it's closet.

View from standing in the mudroom looking towards the front of the house.

Exciting, good stuff! I love it :)

Cottage Renovation: Floor Boards and Framing

The rain and nasty weather slowed us down a bit, but this past week our builder was able to make some good progress on the addition. Bubba and I, along with some help from our family, also pitched in and did our part. Our builder has been kind enough to work with us and allow us to do any of the labor that we're capable of, as well as picking out appliances, windows, doors, etc. that fit our budget.

Here are a few shots of how the addition is coming along:

My grandfather, Pa, Bubba, and his dad, Pee Wee, working on back-filling all of the dirt that was dug out in order to put the foundation in. The pile of dirt was HUGE and after two days of shoveling, tilling, raking, and more shoveling, we were finally able to move the extra dirt to other areas of the yard that needed to be filled in.

View from the back - the AC unit has finally been moved. The shorter area is where the mudroom will begin.

View from the driveway/side. Walls are getting framed up! Finally seeing it come together.

View from the front. I love our little hip-roof, but it is going to change once we're finished. It will be worth it for the views and the extra space we'll have inside the house.


Now for a few fun, sentimental pictures :)

Harper exploring the new digs! She seems very interested in everything that has been happening.

I went for a run this morning and was sitting in the sitting room trying to plan out the closet and where I'm going to put my freshly painted desk. I thought it might be a good idea to snap a picture, that way wen it's finished and I'm inside I'll take another one for the after effect!

Watching the progress has been pretty neat, and it's only going to get more exciting. Things are really going to start rolling this week - can't wait to share it with you!

Cottage Renovation: Footers

I came home from work one day last week and found this sitting in the driveway:

So I guess this is really happening! Our cottage renovation and small addition is ready to get started. In fact, they dug the footers and poured the concrete towards the end of the week before the rain came in.

Before:

Digging the footers:

Filled with cement (and a couple beagle paw prints...):

It may not look like much, but I'm definitely starting to envision to end product! Up next: the AC unit (towards the back) needs to be relocated to the back of the house and then Bubba will be working with our Mason to lay the block. Let's hope the rain holds off this week so we can get cracking!

In the House:
Currently we are working on downsizing and de-cluttering. Today we switched out our warm weather wardrobes for our cool weather clothing, removed two chest of drawers, and took all of the artwork and decor off the walls in the bedrooms and living room. We've also packed up all of our valuables and fragile items from the kitchen, such as our china and serving dishes and moved them to the living room where they will be safe and sound. There will be a lot of banging and hammering going on on the opposite side of the kitchen, so I thought, better safe than sorry, let's gently package this stuff up and put it in a safe place. Next, I will be cleaning the remaining items out of the guest room and giving it a final clean up. Lots of work to do - AND lots of "before" pictures I need to take!