Our Perfectly Imperfect Cottage, Renovation Inspiration and Patio Dreams

As we work on turning our home into our dream cottage- one of our "renovation inspiration" photos:

Traditional Exterior by Minneapolis Architects & Designers Domain Architecture and Design

http://www.domainarch.com/


Our neighborhood started as a little enclave of summer cottages for city travelers to enjoy the lake.




Images from the Minnesota Historical Society.
http://www.mnhs.org/

 Many of the homes have been torn down and replaced with newer McMansions that take up the full footprint of the lot. We were looking for a home with some charm and even though our realtor called our house a "liveable teardown" , we were smitten. We are really grateful for our realtor's persistence, he showed us the home several times before we saw the potential.

 Here is a link to a video of the history of our area:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb9m2gk9MBg


Originally, because of so many issues, we wanted to tear down the house and build a concrete and glass home. But as time passes the house is winning, it's going to be 100 years old in 1915 so we can't be the ones to tear it down.








The story of designer Thom Filicia's summer home renovation is very inspirational. He has such a classic yet rustic feel in his home.
It looks comfortable and relaxed now, but still beautiful.

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/blogs/daily/2013/02/thom-filicia-american-beauty-book-renovating-decorating-slideshow



Past homeowners had added on in the seventies, and not in a groovy way. (I've written previously how we updated our seventies bathroom) http://bit.ly/17Zctd7.

Here are the issues:

-Bad siding/ doesn't match the stucco
-Weird paint combo of yellow house and blue
-Ugly shutters are made of plastic and are the wrong scale



 
I'm starting to love the look of shakes and think that might be a cool siding option:

Traditional Entry by Atlanta Architects & Designers Clark & Zook Architects, LLC

This home with white trim, shakes and stucco looks similar to what I am planning.

Traditional Exterior by Vancouver General Contractors Best Builders ltd

We will definitely be painting a gray and white combination. I've already been testing several grays.
The leading choice is Benjamin Moore's Coventry Gray:

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/coventrygray


The trim will be Benjamin Moore's Cloud White:



A finishing touch will be to add some board and batten shutters to replace the vinyl ones:

Spaces by Chicago Building Supplies James Hardie Building Products

 The other plan is to add a patio and replace the concrete block with natural stone walls:
(Fond Du Lac stone walls with Bluestone)

Image from Colonial Stone

Also, I want to add some hydrangea or snowball, and lilac bushes.
Bluestone + Hydrangea:

Eclectic Landscape by Tarrytown Landscape Architects & Designers Westover Landscape Design, Inc.

Traditional Landscape by Dc Metro Landscape Architects & Designers KG DESIGNS

Of course, the patio would not be complete without some mix of modern and old school furniture.

I plan on mixing in Rusa - Chaise Sectional - Right Facing - Design Within Reach




with some vintage Adirondack chairs.

Traditional Landscape by Beverly Architects & Designers Siemasko + Verbridge

If you are out there looking for your dream home, I hope it happens for you. It may not look like what you want at first, but with vision and hard work anything is possible.
I hope to have some photos later this summer of the transformation of the exterior...