Some continue to ask the same questions about this project. Maybe this project came out of nowhere. Guest cottage? So it seems like everything, why, why, and how (and how much) we need to deal with it. So today I will do my best to answer macro questions with answers for now. Of course, I know that it may change and change over time.
What are you going to use this house for? why????
The best answer is that we are not sure, so we want to be a large flex space that we can live in if needed (and therefore we call it a guest cottage). The second floor could be my office. The canning room is a music room for kids bands (i.e. drum sets), a game/lompus room for kids, and yes, a guest bedroom. Ten years later, we may be fully renting a facility that may change all the rooms. If a family member or a loved one needs to move, we want it to be fully functional, but we don’t intend to treat it with the same level of amenities as we were living in as it is actually a “extra home” of that property as we were living in. For example, there is a functional kitchen, but small and very efficient (not a huge fridge, not a beloved pebble ice machine, LOL). There is one full bathroom and 1/2 bath on the second floor (toilet + sink). If that’s for us, we’ll probably do two full baths and powder. It’s not a “bare bone” in itself, but it’s the most cost-effective and makes sense, as we don’t think about how we live there, or how a family of four need to flow through it every day. Kids want it to be a teenage hangout, but I usually laugh, but we always round up kids here altogether. Elliott wants the gymnastics room, Charlie wants the game room (we know they both dream), and Brian wants speedy. But what about me? I don’t have a dedicated office either so the second floor could work well for my Portland crew to meet, so they don’t need to be in my home (although it’s fine at first, it’s not ideal to be inside my boss’s house all the time). In fact, they rarely “work” here. We always shoot here and if we’re not on team Zoom we’ll meet in person, but since it’s in my home and I have kids/dogs, I always do it at home if I need to work with computer prep content. In a way, this works because it’s so hybrid (I think it’s ideal), but there are days when I think working together in more office settings will increase the creativity of the group. So we don’t know, so we make it work, but we can’t design a room that is specifically built in. Or, I don’t know what it will be used for, so I don’t change the layout.
Have you changed the layout?
no. I don’t want to move the wall. All I’m trying to understand is the interior room (“living room”) overlooking the chimney of the other (old prop) room. I’m curious if we open it, close it, or accept its oddity. We want to add a full bath to the ground floor (especially if older people need to stay with us – those stairs are dangerous), but we want to do it under the stairs where there are some of the existing kitchen cabinets (TBD).
Do you have a budget?
I’ve done enough projects to know that this can cost quite a bit. All-new foundations, all new electricity, plumbing, HVAC, sewer tie-in, engineering, roofs, windows, asbestos, mold and pests. She’s not in good condition. The answer is, no, there’s no budget for that. This makes it difficult to book a partnership that makes sense for this recovery and slowly over time. We spend on the elements of the design that we are very excited about (i.e., hiring artists for stained glass window boards, or doing custom English-inspired metal doors behind the sliding doors that many people mentioned in the comments (i.e., perhaps the elements we are very excited about) (base) or design. Essentially, this is not a super budget story, because due to the nature of the scope of work, it sums up. But I wired for the zonse Not ripping old wooden floors and putting in new cute herringbone floors. We are very specific about how to spend money and try to use everything that is truly, really, really, worth saving at home. We don’t add “good for HAVES”; it’s just “have to have” (don’t quote me about it). Like everything in life, we strive to balance. It’s full of trade-offs.
What do you try to DIY and hire?
This is the first project that hasn’t hired a general contractor (for now) to save money. I really, really, really want to learn the whole process. We are not in a hurry as we don’t need to live here. So I’ll definitely hire my brother when it makes sense (or just asking for his advice and help all the time). So I’ll manage this myself, get multiple quotes for everything, try to hire a submarine myself (good luck to me!) and so on. I won’t do this completely. I haven’t reached out to all the “repair coaches” who sent me the email (sorry – I was secretly out of town!!).
This is what we are not doing ourselves:
- New foundation, ha ha.
- electricity
- Piping
- Sewer work (again, ha ha)
- HVAC
- Asbestos removal
- New roof
- Siding repair
- Rebuild the window (but I might have a guy for this)
- Removal of creatures
- cabinet
- engineering
So, all the obvious things, is that so? I’m sure there’s more to it. A more relevant list is probably below.
This is what we’re trying to DIY in-house:
- demo
- Repairing the wall (including removing 1 million staples???)
- Lead paint reduction (probably in paint, TBD based on expert opinion)
- Laminated flooring demonstration (may be hired if this has asbestos)
- Flooring repairs
- Tiles (I even want to try to make tiles by hand)
- Some finishing electric (install the lighting fixture after the J box is in)
- paint
What style do you aim for?
I don’t know! Definitely vintage, cozy, vibey and it’s heavily inspired by what happened before (it’s so fascinating). I’ve always been drawn to Scandinavian and Victorians (together), but no, this house is probably not a small version of our home. But that’s not a wild departure either. I love living in our home. Everything flows so well, doesn’t feel busy, it’s easy to maintain and feel fresh/clean. However, I want this guesthouse to be truly charming and colorful. It’s still comfortable and livable, but for example, there are quite a few panels on every surface, including the ceiling, so you can’t add wallpaper anywhere. I might be tired of hearing you guys say “simple but special” so I might need to rebrand it a bit, but that’s what I love to live inside. More colours, whimsical, unexpected patterns in fabrics, and more fun?? And don’t want to fall into the trends of cottage cores and grandma cores. Yes, Scandinavians are not “In” for now. And I always love contemporary art 🙂 What it isn’t is hyper postmodern and yes, you can expect some Room Service Furniture When expanding the line there.
What is your timeline?
Listen, I like moving fast because it’s fun and I love this part of my job so much, but we have to spread this to pay for it. And listen! I’m so excited that I don’t have to hurry up for the first time. Renovations usually involve someone living there to go back to their room and live there. Usually it destroys our lives very much, but this is not the case. If the kids have it by mid junior high, I think I’ll stay in my mind, but knowing me, it’s before that. If you get a bee on the hood…
Looking for a partner?
Not yet, but I’m approaching all new jobs, new projects on a case-by-case basis. And I need to know a rough timeline before pitching them and guaranteeing deliverables. For now, I fantasize about partners that are suitable for this particular project (a list of what we need and what we want), and then I pitch them (this is a long process and sometimes takes months). I want to do more practical work here, so maybe there are bigger home renovation brands that can market long-term partnerships to become our go-to source. Maybe there are online platforms that need more video content that can be created internally. I’m looking for more macro partners, not tiles or lighting. At this point, you know what it takes to stay healthy as a business, while also draining resources through content creation/renovation. I feel really good in this vintage home and am design-excited (or really, really makes sense).
What’s next?
Well, the foundation fix is the first time (and will probably take a few months). I received the first quote and there were a lot, but we knew it (I will openly talk about some finances if necessary). We are looking for more quotes now to really make sure we are hiring the right crew. Blog posts, meanwhile, are about the first stages of the design process and solving all the difficulties. The article is based on the issues you will actually solve or as a design challenge worthy of bringing you. I’m so open to all your ideas, feedback and questions. We probably treat social and YouTube differently, but my hope is to continue our guest cottage cadence on Thursday. Even if it’s just an update using the latest electric quotes and some design inspiration I’m obsessed with.
I really want to hear your ideas about what you want to see. This is my hope:
- To learn and therefore teach this whole process.
- It’s not a “budget” restore (I don’t know if it actually exists), but I’m trying to save money on everything boring. It won’t be a luxurious home. Decoratively, it leans on vintage, clever ideas.
- Learn more about The History and leaning towards it (suspended by the Oregon Historical Society!).
We also have done a lot of decorative makeovers knowing that this project will be in the repair phase for some time, so if this is not yours, don’t worry. It’s all about balance. Thank you for reading 🙂
*photograph Caitlyn Green
Source: Emily Henderson – stylebyemilyhenderson.com
