Latest Update

Latest update...drywall up and primed...ceiling is 98% done and primed...question is, why does the white primer seem to make the room look smaller?

Ceiling Improvement to the Living Room

Ahhhh, no more hideous dropped-panel ceiling!!! As for the current raw wood rafters, they will be painted white to match the beadboard.

Progress Stalling

Progress is coming, but I underestimated the time and energy it'd take to get my place in tip top shape. I really thought I'd be painting by now. Anyhoodles, I haven't visited my camper cottage in 3 weeks so I'm definitely in the dark about what my renovation guy has done/undone. Developments to come!

More Progress!

Drywall and ceiling improvements!

Modern Cottage Inspiration

This is one of my favorite casual cottage living rooms--it combines clean-modern and cozy perfectly. Sigh.




Taken from:
Modern, Cottage Living Room - MyHomeIdeas.com

Colorful Inspiration

The colorful living room pictures, as featured in homedesignparadise.com, have a remarkably similar floor plan and layout to my weekend house--including the exposed ceiling (yet to come). Although this look is far more vibrant than the relaxed beach look I'm going for, the seafoam wall color is definitely a winner. What do you think? (Images taken from: http://homedesignparadise.com/interior-design/pretty-small-living-room-and-walls-by-madeline-caesar)

Week 2 of Demo

I'm lucky enough to have found the contractor who built the original addition, and he's as good and efficient as it gets. He, "Buzz", is a ball of energy and has come up with a lot of creative ideas, not to mention saving me some major bucks in the process. Already he has: fixed my gutter, removed all the vinyl suspended ceilings; removed all the beadboard that was overpowering the living room; cut a larger opening into the kitchen/dining area that has opened the front room significantly; removed vinyl wall panels elsewhere, hauled all that crap out, and figured out some of the quirky aspects of my cottage. Next: spackle/recover damaged sheetrock, set ceiling w/beadboard, remove all carpet, add base/ceiling moldings, install a new door, ceiling fans, and then I'll be able to paint. Yay!

Transforming a Fugly Cottage Living Room (Before)

As of March 4, 2011, the living room is best described as "budget country 1980s". The style abominations are never-ending--old brass ceiling fan, dingy carpet, cracked-out ceiling panels, unpainted pine beadboard, and the absence of light. With the exception of the wood burning stove, everything will have to be overhauled.

What I envision: airy, all-white walls, plank ceiling, and light wood floors that gleam and shine. A neighbor-contractor is starting work next week, and after that I'll be tasked with painting, removing the old carpet and having a new floor installed.

And then...decorating. Yay.


UPDATE 3.11.11: My contractor just sent me the following pics showing all the debris that came from removing the old ceiling panels and beadboard T&G panels from the living room. I was hoping to salvage the beadboard to be reused elsewhere in the house, but it was glued to the sheetrock walls behind it. What a mess!

Transforming an RV-Cottage near the Chesapeake Bay--The Beginning

Just 4 weeks after a ridiculously spontaneous decision, I became the owner of a little vinyl-sided weekend cottage. It sits on a campground bordering a tributary of upper Chesapeake Bay (Maryland).



At first glance it looks like a mobile home, but it's actually an RV-fused-cottage. The original 1975 Bonanza RV section (in the back) contains the current kitchen and bathroom; everything else is an addition built in the early 1990s.





Admittedly, the house is lacking "good bones" and character, but the location is superb--and the price was awesome.

And within a 10-minute walk, look what's nearby.



The goal: high style transformation on a tight budget. To be continued...