MY COTTAGE ON COOK---A Previous Rehab-House #6

Most of you that have followed my blog

for a while know that we have moved

many times.

Since MyHero and I got married we

have rehabbed 15 houses (I think)

I may have forgotten one or two~!;>)

Anyway, 

I thought it might be fun to post 

a few pictures of some of our rehabs because 

I started this blog for my family.

 I imagine each one of them thinks of 

a different house as

HOME!

In the beginning I didn't take many pictures.

I only had a Polaroid.

Remember those?

So, the first few houses have sporadic pictures

but I will try to dig some more 

out of my old books as I go.

So-

Here you have Move to House#SIX 

(Dec1989-July1994)

Cottage On Cook

This house had been on the market for 5 years.

It was an obsolete floor plan which we 

figured out how to fix by moving one wall-
which gave us a huge family room.
It had 4 bedrooms and 2-1/2 baths.

It reeked inside because they kenneled

dogs in the basement.

Yes! Real kennels!

In the basement!

It was a mess!

It was also a BARGAIN!

The most dramatic transformation

was on the outside.

I don't have any befores that I can find.

But we painted it from red stained 

(dark red) board and batten

to what you see here.

We replaced windows and put up a picket fence.

After we were done the front looked like this.

in December.

Summer snippets-Dining room window

Living room window (again)

Front entry and little window in the attic

There was a little light behind that window that went on automatically at dusk.

All the kids believed a family of elves 

lived up there.

I'm pretty sure they did!

MyHero went up to replace a lightbulb and

 was going to paint the window grid 

cream color but he 

got disoriented and could 

not find his way back to the ladder- 

I had to tap on the opening

to guide him back----shhhhhhh

I think the paint is probably still sitting there.

This was a cute house-good-sized- 

with about 2500 sq.ft

plus a full basement that we fixed up.

It had a nice yard that backed up 

to an undeveloped field

and I copied ideas I had seen 

in someone else's yard.

If nothing else I am a good copy cat!

So---what do you think?

Do you like these posts of old houses even if

some of the materials and colors, etc.
 might be "dated"?

Let me know -because I have a 

BUNCH OF THEM!

Otherwise, I am going to resort to showing you

pictures of MyHero doing things like

THIS!

Yes- He was jumping over a chair.

Yes- He was over 60.

Yes-He has issues!

And YOU ALL think I am

THE CRAZY ONE!

Cottages- The Winners and The Losers

So....girls...

I hope you had fun choosing a cottage yesterday.

The winners will each be getting the cottage of their choice sent to them.

Okay- I mighta lied about that.

Anyway...

It is interesting how many of you said the same

things about most of the cottages.

I loved that many of you wanted to pick a cottage

AND THEN

you wanted to move it.

I don't' remember offering you that option

but, hey, it is YOUR dream.

Some of you could not decide WHICH one you liked best so I gave you 

both your votes-or all three of them...

Suz

I will share the top three winners here.

The Number One Winner-

with twice the votes of any other was 

#1

I love that one, too.  It is cute and sweet

and makes me think of  a romantic hideaway.

I can see sitting on the front stoop 

with a cup of coffee, 

inhaling the scent of flowering plants,

and dreaming about a stroll down the street

to visit shops that are part of 

the little town I live in.

However, this is NOT my dream cottage.

Second choice was

#12-The true storybook cottage.

Can't you just picture all the sweet nooks and crannies around each corner 

of this dear little abode?

It looks like a place where magic 

awaits at every turn.

You know there must be fairies flitting from

rooftop to swinging gate.

Although I love this one, it is not my favorite.

#3 is a TIE between

#5

Ten of you loved this one..but most of you

wanted to move it away from the road.

I love the sweet simplicity of this....

the overgrown floppy gardens... 

It make me think of secret stories 

told in front of the fireplace.

I love this one, too, but it is not my first choice.

The tie for third place also includes

#8

And there, my friends, lies my heart.

It is set on an ocean inlet, with palm trees

that rustle in the wind.

The lapping of the waves would lull me to sleep

at night and the sun would break bright 

and warm me as I drank my first cup of coffee

sitting in the deck chair on the porch.

I would then walk the beach and 

converse with God

and my day would be blessed.

Several of you wanted to move the cottage you loved most

to the water. (Lynn)-lol

Some of you love the thought of living in

the peace and quiet of rural America.

I grew up like that and never saw

BIG WATER until I was in my 20s.

Once I did-it had me.

The sea calls my name to

Come Home.

Maybe someday~

Want to know what got NO votes?

Isn't it interesting?

No one wants to be too rustic, or too modern.

So, Ladies.

This was fun. 

Just wondering....

Do you think something like this might be fun to do

once in a while?

Something besides cottages next time-

Let me know.

Have a wonderful day,

I am back at my friend Ruth's house

today-we are tackling the basement.

If I don't come back tonight

please come and open the trunks

to try and find me!

Calling All Cottage Lovers

One day I had a few moments

to browse and I found myself

looking at cottages.

We live in a house on the lake.

It is a house, not a cottage.

Houses, to me, entail work,

lots of work.

Sometimes I dream of living a

SIMPLER LIFE.

A life lived in a cottage.

But---which KIND of cottage?

There are so many.

Let's see if YOU have a favorite.

These are all from the internet and I have

NO idea where they came from.

If these are your images I apologize for

using them and not giving you credit.

Anyway,  Tell me which one of these 12

 would be the cottage of YOUR dreams.

#1

A sweet little Victorian cottage.

#2

A small unpretentious cottage on the lake. 

#3

How about a tree house cottage?

#4

A grand cottage big enough to hold family and friends.

#5

A sweet little gingerbread cottage. by the side of the road.

 #6

A little cottage with an addition set in a rural area

 #7

Rural not for you?  How about a row house cottage?

#8

A cottage by the ocean

#9

A floating cottage ON the ocean

#10

A rustic retreat

#11

Maybe modern is your thing

#12

Last, but not least,

A true STORYBOOK cottage

So--

What's YOUR pleasure?

It will be fun to see how much we are alike...

or different...as the case may be.

I'll show the results tomorrow

along with my personal choice.

(Is there one with barred windows to 

keep MyHero in check?;>)