Monday, March 25, 2013

Little Red Update

This was me upon arrival at the cottage two weeks ago.  I was a sreaming gull swooping in on an unsuspecting contractor and his crew.  I was frustrated, angry and screeching at anyone who came within ear shot.

wIncoming_gull

The cottage was a mess.  I am aware that it is currently a construction zone and that dirt and debris come with the territory.  What I was upset about was an apparent lack of concern for protecting what was there that would be saved i.e. the wood flooring installed 15 months ago and the bathroom that was finished last summer.  Add to that the disappointment of what I had invisioned versus the end product and you could say I was bummed.

More than a little.

After returning to Florida on Sunday evening upset and disappointed, I received an email on Wednesday announcing that the kitchen cabinets had arrived earlier than expected.  A little tinkering with the contractor's schedule and some smart travel research on The Kid's part had me hopping a plane on Saturday morning and making my way back north.

What a difference a week makes. What I found when I arrived was a much tidier Little Red.  Most of the trash and debris had been removed from the premises. The wood floors had been cleaned and recovered (there was concern that the entire floor might have to be replaced) and the bathroom emptied of its junk.  My spirits were lifted.

The second trip was a quickie with my entire visit minus one night spent at the cottage.  Apologies to family for sneaking in and out but there just wasn't time for anything else.

Little Red is now sporting 70% of her new red coat.  A break in current weather conditions will be necessary to complete the job.

wfront_fromsouth

The exterior will require some "creative" landscaping in order to minimize some of the design flaws.  Flaws on the exterior only, inside the placement of doors and windows makes perfect sense and works well for good traffic flow.  On the exterior we have large spaces with no windows and one area where several windows are clustered together.  It's all about compromise people.

Ext._southside

This is the view as you step inside the new entry, much lighter and brighter.

wlivroom_south

And the view from the kitchen looking north.

wlivroom_west

I was extremely excited to see the crew who arrived to install the cabinets.  They are my favorite team of workers and I had not expected to see them again.

wkitchen_2

wkitchen_1

Down the hall is our brand new second bedroom.  Well actually it is the original bedroom reconfigured.  It remains small but serves the purpose.  No more sleeping on the porch for overnight guests.  That is unless they want to!

wguest

The new master is a nice size and looks out on the lake.

wmaster_2

The dresser in the photo (covered in sheet rock dust), is our new bathroom vanity.  I'll let you know how that works for us.

wmaster_1

The doorway in the upper left-hand corner leads to a utility room.  It's a little unconventional having the laundry room off of the master bedroom but we think it will work well.

wmbath

Above is the new master bath.

And below is the lake side view of the cottage taken on my first trip north.  The siding on this side is now completely installed.

wlakeside

And there you have it.

The contractor and I worked on some of my concerns during my last visit.  A couple of brain storming sessions with The Kid on speaker phone and the design team standing by for consult did the trick.

The next time I see her she will be finished.

At least that's what they tell me.

I'm not holding my breath.

4 comments:

Grammy said...

First off, I was getting ready to yell at you for coming and not telling!!! but I guess you are forgiven!! Because I love you and your lucky for that sis in law!! But WOW!! I love it!! It is great!! You guys must be so excited! The kitchen looks so big now! I love the sliding glass doors out back (or front, I never know which is which). No more messing with that old door that was hard to open, especially for the little ones!! I can't wait to come visit you there!! And I still want the front porch!!

Audrey said...

OMG it's wonderful! So light, bright and spacious. Can't wait to visit!!! Glad you made the couple of trips there - contractors' assumptions/decision making at times - hmmmmmmmm.

Judy H. said...

Looking good! Hope today's snow is the last so you can get into Little Red on time.

Marla Logan said...

It's looing great Susan! I know you can't wait, and I can't wait to see more pictures!