Delightful Writers' Cottage

It's time to see someone else's cottage.

I stumbled across this one in New York State designed by Crisp Architects.
All photos by Bob Karosis

It's fabulous, isn't it? More photos here.

White on White Outbuilding

Here is another example of white on white that is beautiful. I wonder what's inside? My second cup of coffee is kicking in and I'm beginning to feel more alive and ready to continue with outside projects on a mild cloudy day with rain this afternoon. I've been chipping away at the thin skim coat of pigmented stucco that was covering my foundation in the front. Lots of it had already been damaged by the weed whacker and it was bothering me. The rest of the house is fine because it sticks out of the ground a lot more than my front. I think the masons were running out of product by the time they made their way there and put it on too thinly. Anyway, the original foundation is great except for some old whitewash/paint stains in white here and there. The rest looks like a giant slab of cut stone. My cottage was built in the late 1930s so it's probably just old concrete over block. I am going to doctor it up with some masonry paint or something I can find on the shelves in the basement. Most of the old skim coat came off pretty easily and there were spiders living behind it so its days were numbered before the rest fell off piece by piece. I filled up two grocery bags full of debris. Why do I do this to myself? Not sure. Guess I am a glutton for punishment, always eager to take on a hard task. image from Pinterest

The Red Leaves Have Arrived

We now have some red color in the woods here at the cottage. Hope you had a nice weekend. I certainly did. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Too tired to talk right now.

Two Beautiful Owls

These two night owls might be able to stay up all night but I cannot. I am getting ready to call it a day and watch a movie. I had another busy day outside and got more things on the laundry list done. It was a good day and I hope yours was too. See you tomorrow. Good night. image

Duet with A Cat

I wish I could have been there to see this in person. Don't you absolutely love this vintage photo? I've been working outside all day ever since I got up tweeking things before I mow next week. We had rain during the night but the sun is out this afternoon. Hooray. Have a great weekend.
image source

Meet Lizzie, The Daredevil Chicken

There is no work shortage for chickens these days. Click here if you can't see the video below.

This chicken named Lizzie is the official spokes-hen for a certain camera phone. She is absolutely a.maz.ing. You really won't believe your eyes! Who knew chickens had so much to contribute to technology?

Cat Nap

The gutter guy is nice and I let him scratch my head before going inside for a nap on the old rope bed. This construction/painting project is really interfering with my daytime routine. Love, Tabitha

Cat Chair for Tabitha

Tabitha found a new spot for grooming herself this morning. I was sitting on the opposing chair removing my boots and she hopped up on hers. This photo gives you a closer look at one of my light fixtures bringing in more color. Does that rust spot on the bluestone disturb me? Yes, it does but I'm way too busy to obsess over it the way I did about my paint color. I have to wash all of my outside windows starting today and through the weekend. The gutter guy is coming later this morning to run a long strip of bent copper under my roof shingles so my half round gutters won't overflow from behind and rot my cottage again. He is adding one more downspout to a long run in the back that becomes Niagara Falls during a downpour beside the sliding glass door to my mother's old bedroom and sitting room. Water is definitely the enemy of any house, right? I hope this is the solution I'm hoping for. See you later.

My Cottage Painting Project is Finished

Well, I had the window surround on the door and the muntins painted white. I think it makes a big difference. It's finally finished and I am very pleased. Don't forget, I have another little wing behind the picket fence on the left. I am going to run a hot bath with 2 cups of epsom salts added and soak my weary bones. I've been going full speed since before 8 this morning and it's 6:25 pm right now. This house painting/repair projected took 10 full working days and I couldn't be more pleased. The weather was fabulous with no humidity and not a drop of rain. I just heard the weatherman on the news say it hasn't rained here for 11 days. I cannot believe my good luck but I think I deserve it! My barn isn't this red but all of the other colors in this iPhone photo are true. 

Front Door Painted Yesterday

I decided to go with a neutral palate for my front door and shutters. This color scheme is throughout the interior of my cottage as well. White walls and Bennington Grey woodwork. I have worn a path going in and out to look at my front door to see if I like my choice and I do. The Shaker-style shutters were painted yesterday and they will be going up today. I was honestly tempted to leave them off but decided to put them up again after more agony and a sleepless night. They were custom made for my cottage with raised panels and they were expensive. They are still in great condition so up they go. Maybe I'll leave them off next go round since I was growing accustomed to the stark Shaker look. The company that made my shutters has a before and after gallery where you can see different houses with and without shutters by running your mouse over the images here. Once again, my fingers are in my ears and I can't hear you. When I want the stark look, I can just go around back where there are no shutters and the doors remain white. More pictures will be posted later. My outside paint/repair project is winding down. I have already started my winter list of inside jobs for these marvelous men to help me with over the winter. I'll be so sad to see them go. That's the thing about construction and I had almost forgotten how much I love it. There is real withdrawal when it's over. 

Wonderful Dining Nook

This is fabulous. I've never seen one with  table built around a single pedestal. "Mabel, Mabel, if you're able, keep your elbows off the table". Remember that rhyme from childhood? I guess the stability comes from the tabletop being attached to the wall at the end. Maybe Mabel can lean on her elbows after all. image source

Fall and Summer at The Same Time

Happy first day of October! The trees say fall but the thermometer later today will say summer because it's supposed to get up to 84° and it will feel more like August. I took this photo yesterday while walking the wonder dog in the lower forty.

Webster and The Muffin Pan

I made corn muffins for the workers today and they stuck to the pan. Webster was thrilled because he got the job of cleaning the pan before I put it in the sink to soak. 

Great Cabin

I think I have posted this photo once before. I just ran across it on my computer and noticed for the first time that it has a concealed sliding barn door with windows! The deck is built around a tall tree too! It looks very cozy inside, doesn't it? Wish we could see more. 

Groovy Chickens

Click here if you can's see the video below. It is amazing.

Watch it full screen if you can. Are all chickens this limber? I love ads like this!

Before/After Back of My Cottage with New White Paint

It looks less scary now, doesn't it? The white is only primer in the first photo. Trim around the two doors on the balcony is being replaced with Azek. The long board under the doors running the length of the decking up there has been replaced with Azek too. Luckily that area was well protected with flashing behind so nothing in the sheathing was damaged. I have to be more diligent in the future about not letting deep snow go unattended next to the house. I will have to get out on the balcony with my snow shovel a lot sooner instead of just waiting for it to melt. It won't be a problem now, but I still want to do everything I can to take better care of things around here.

I have some real estate appointments this afternoon. See you later.

I need a longer weekend.

Wouldn't it be nice to have an extra day between Saturday and Sunday? I felt like a zombie and didn't have a productive day at all. I went to the annual Fireman's auction and junk sale. I didn't buy much. Just two cookbooks ($1.00 each), an English muffin splitter (50 cents), 5 leather iPad sleeves ($1.00 each, real leather), and an orange plastic gutter cleaning scoop/shovel. I already have one of those gutter thingies and I use it for sprinkling grass seed in the fall. For 50 cents, I now have a backup. The iPad sleeves were in with the sporting goods and nobody knew what they were. I gave one to a friend while I was there. It's always a fun day.

View from my New Window

Pile of damaged wood from my cottage on front lawn. This photo was taken from the ground, not from the attic.

View from my new third floor gable window looking straight ahead into the woods. I pumped up the saturation a bit so you could see the fall color. The window trim is not purple (grin).

View of the window from inside the room.

View from the new window looking left towards the road. The new window has opened up a whole new world in the attic.

Webster and I are having contractor withdrawal this morning. He keeps looking out the window waiting for their trucks and he's worried because they are late. He will be so happy on Monday when they return and so will I. Have a great weekend. Sorry for the horrible pics. 

More Repairs at My Cottage

New custom pickets to replace damaged ones.

My old cable vent, badly deteriorated. It was recycled from an old barn when I remodeled my cottage 2002-2004.

I am thrilled with my new sliding window with screen. It's really a double hung window put in sideways. It's open in this picture. The black side is the screen and the reflective glass is on the right side. I love looking out from the third floor. I have the weekend off to recover from a whirlwind week. Whew. 

Photographer on Horseback

This man rides past my cottage daily talking on his iPhone (on speaker). His hands are rarely on the reins because the horse knows the way. Today he stopped to photograph my cottage and send the photo in a text message. The horse waits patiently. This entrance to my driveway is opposite the front door.

Before / After - North Side of Cottage

BEFORE

This photo was taken before power washing showing the "real" condition of my pitiful cottage after the shutters were removed. The attic vent near the peak was rotted out, the mildew was out of control, my siding had weathered very differently due to Cabot stain failure, etc. You can see the mildew on the front too.

AFTER

I took this photo yesterday. The attic vent was replaced with a very small window that had to be installed sideways because of the structural beam on the other side. It's covered with plastic in this photo. Now I will be able to look outside when I'm working in the small room on the other side. I have it set up for wrapping packages, using my paper cutter, and other crafty things. The finished attic space on the other side of the eyebrow windows is much larger with a full dormer looking out the back. My PC is up there and this space has central air. The smaller room does not. Now I can set up a fan in the window in the summer. The shingles are only primed in this photo. The men are making replacement pickets for the ones that are damaged by rot. NOW are you impressed? I have to pinch myself every time I go outside and see the miracles being performed by my skilled craftsmen. More later so stayed tuned!

Cottage Front - White on White

The front of my cottage now has a coat of white primer. The men did it while I was out on a real estate appointment. I agonized over whether or not to go white on white and now I'm sure I made the right choice. I couldn't be happier! The fascia over the front door had to be replaced with Azek as did the fascia in front of the chimney. Good night everyone. My six thirty bullhorn wake up call will be blaring from my iPhone way too soon.

Cottage Repairs Before Painting

The white beadboard under the roofline had to be completely replaced with Azek. It is on a north-facing wall that almost never gets any sun. The product has wide boards on one side and narrow boards on the other side. This application required two horizontal long pieces. It is exactly what I had before only this will never rot. The trim around the window you see in this photo was fine but the window to the left didn't fare so well. All of the wood around that window had to be replaced with Azek except for the decorative crown on top. The old wood trim had rotted into the sheathing because of overflowing gutter water.

This photo illustrates why I am so happy I hired a firm that is capable of doing carpentry repairs prior to their paint job. Several corner boards need replacing and I was so impressed when my guys painted the edges of the shingles beforehand. I know my house was wrapped in Tyvek before the siding was put up when it was remodeled. This application on the corner looks new so the men must have added that too. They are so thorough. Sorry to have bored you but I find all of this to be so interesting. I love construction. I really should become a general contractor. See you later.