Cozy Cottage

Good things have been happening at the little cottages in Michigan...

Slowly but surely, our friends' cottage next door is being transformed.

You can read about the cottages here...

I've been helping them plan the renovations and it's going to be wonderful.

Here's the cottage in September, before any renovations had begun.

And here's what it looked like in November!

The deck and siding and roof had all been removed.

And the inside had been gutted too, 

to allow for upgraded electric and plumbing and changes in the layout.

It's been a long, cold, snowy winter and progress has been hard. 

But it is happening and here's the proof!

New roof, skylights, siding, columns, some new windows 

and a beautiful new cedar deck 

that has been raised to the same level as all of the other cottages.

You can see the corner of our deck on the right. 

Imagine how wonderful this will look this summer 

when it's been landscaped!

There was never anything planted by the old deck, on the left in the photo, above.  

You can see the rocks placed around the edges to discourage critters.

That was it. 

It's going to be gorgeous when the new owners get it planted.

I think they like flowers (almost) as much as I do!

And look at the back of the cottage now!  

A charming new deck has replaced the old plastic shed that greeted us before.

And see that side door above?  

The stairs to it were 18" apart from ours!

Eighteen inches!!!!

You can see how it was set up before in the photo below.

Now the door has been relocated to the new back deck 

and the old stairs are gone.

(that's a temporary door above, until the new doors are installed)

The pathway is a little wider and safer, too.

You can see that three new windows were added on the side where the old door was.

Now there is trim, too, around all of the windows and doors.  

It's a subtle change, but it adds dimension and charm.

And you can catch a peek at the new outside shower in the photo above, too!

(We love our outside shower.  You can read about it here.)

The new shower is nestled into the side of the cottage

in a place where, sadly, we used to store our extra green chairs.

Not sure where they will be going, but I'll think of something!

It just fits. 

Smaller, higher windows were added for privacy.

And a built in gas grill will fill this corner of the new deck.

Here's a photo of our shower, to give you the general idea.

They are going to love it! 

Again, here's the before picture of the front of the cottage, in November...

And now, still in progress, but so much nicer!

I foresee many lovely evenings together on this deck!

The back of the cottage, before...

And now...

Can't you just see a little bench on the deck 

and pots of flowers spilling down the stairs?

And a flower box on the window on the right?

And hydrangeas below?

Just Grand.

The inside of the cottage is in progress, too.

New kitchen cabinets arrive in March 

and the bathrooms are also being redone.

Then, on to the decorating and landscaping.

I found this canvas sign recently at Hobby Lobby 

and hung it in our cottage...

We had plans to go this weekend to check on the progress 

and to get a little beach fix, 

but the Mother Nature had other ideas.

A fierce lake effect snowstorm closed the roads and kept us home.

For now, we can only dream about days like this...

I can't wait!

Hurry spring!

Linking to:
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Through Life
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage