Old Orchard Cottage Circa 1925

When we bought the cottage in 2007, the former owners handed down a photo album with pictures of the cottage dating back to the year it was built in 1925. There have only been three families who owned it in all that time, including ourselves. Looking through this photo album is like stepping in a time machine — so much is the same and yet so different.

Artwork in the Bathroom

It had been a little over a year since the big bathroom reveal, and I still had a blank wall. I'm a big fan of artwork in the bathroom. Well, I'm a fan of artwork everywhere, really. And for many years, the bathroom was the place where I'd hang some of my lesser favorites or framed posters, thinking any moisture damage wouldn't bother me so much. But I've spent so much time designing this bathroom that I couldn't put just anything in here. I was holding out for the right thing.

Roof Reveal: Cedar Shakes = Cottage Love

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There are a lot of new plastic or rubber shingles that have a cedar look, but we chose to go with old fashioned wood shakes. And Arthur and his crew installed them the old fashioned way, nailing them in one by one (with the modern application of course of the nail gun!)

We chose white cedar because it weathers gray - and gray will be a sweet look for a modest cottage like ours with white trim.

Cottage Renovation: Cedar Shake Roof vs Asphalt Roof

Our little cottage, with photo-shopped cedar roof -- hah! wish it were so easy!

It's been a while since I posted about our little cottage on the Northfork of Long Island, NY. But that doesn't mean nothing's been going on there. We do try to make at least one improvement each year, depending on the Renov8or budget. 

We knew last year that the roof was starting to go. When we engaged a carpenter to build us a shed out back, he pointed out the wear and tear to our roof and said that ought to be our next project. The asphalt shingles were peeling in places and it was starting to sag in spots over the porch. At that point we had to make a decision - shed or roof - we couldn't afford to do both. We already had the shed plans drawn up and in our imaginations the thing was already built, so we went with the shed. 

Old Orchard Cottage Kitchen Reveal

Cottage Kitchen After Photo

The kitchen at our beach cottage had last been remodeled sometime in the mid to late '80s, judging from the style of the cabinetry and the canister track lighting. I lived in a New York City apartment in the '90s that had those exact same beige slab doors with natural wood trim. It wasn't just the outdated look that bothered me about this kitchen. Where do I begin?

Bead Board Bathroom Loves Claw Foot Tub

Cottage After - With Bead Board

Our cottage was built in 1925, so it's pretty astounding that it had an indoor bathroom. One of the elders in our home association told me that our cottage was built as a display home and the indoor bath was a selling point.

Here's what it looked like when we bought the place.

Example of Renovation Estimate

Front Porch Awaiting Windows Installation

We got the first project estimates from Dan and we are well within our budget - it's a go!

Here is the breakdown.

Build Porch Built-In Benches with Storage Beneath: $1,540.00
Parition wall + door to create fourth bedroom out of old livingroom: $1,228.00
Oak flooring over old linoleum: $2,485.00
Bathroom beadboard over old mauve tiled walls: $1,850.00
Beadboard panel and retrim over wallpapered bedroom: $1,449.00
Porch: Replace screens with windows 8- 4 x 4 windows, trim inside and out: $4,212.00

Total: $12,764.00

Here is the plan.

Hiring a General Contractor - Dos and Don'ts

Cottage Porch Renovation - Before & After

Much has been written about hiring contractors, and I've read a lot of it. The horror stories about bad general contractors are enough to keep a girl from even embarking on a renovation project. I'm not here to tell you any scary stories. I've had only good experiences so far. How do I account for my good contractor karma?

I do exactly what the experts advise:

• Get recommendations
• View past projects
• Get everything in writing
• And pay in thirds (first third on contract signing, second halfway through the job, third upon completion)

Cottage Projects Timeline

Last night we wrote up a list of everything we'd like to do to the cottage. We can't afford to do everything all at once, so we broke it down into phases. The plan is to tackle a few projects each year, as we save up the money, starting with the things that we can do ourselves, such as paint.

Here's the plan.

We Make an Offer on a Beach Cottage

Our only hesitation about buying Old Orchard Cottage? We weren't sure if this bay on the Northfork would have the white sand and waves as the ocean beaches of the Southfork we had grown to love. 

We shared this qualm with Diane Dunbar, the real estate agent who had shown us the cottage last weekend, and asked if we might test out the beach one weekend to see how we liked it. She and her husband George live year round in their home and are active in the home association and she thought that would be just fine. So we went to check it out.