UGH!!! Septic tank applications are the PITS! (You see what I did there?) We've been working on being approved for a septic tank since May. There is a lot of shallow rock on our home site, so it's hard to get down to the required depth. We looked at several different options, including an engineered system (which was going to cost upwards of $10,000). After embarrassing myself by telling the engineer that I'd rather dig a hole in the back yard than spend that much on a septic system, we finally came up with a solution. We are going to install a pump that will pump the sewage to a leech field several hundred yards away. I am submitting the paperwork tomorrow, so we should know if we have been approved soon! I feel like this darned septic tank mess has held up the building of the cottage for SO long. I'll update you soon.
A bit of good news- Alex said he was going to start clearing the land next weekend! Pictures to come!
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Wading Through Septic Tank Red Tape
Here are some pictures that have inspired the future design elements of the cottage. :)
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| Exterior Inspiration |
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| Exterior Inspiration- LOVE this brick color! |
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| Possible exterior colors? |
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| Kitchen counters and sink |
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Downstairs ceiling
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We tweaked and tinkered with our plans until we had them just right. Here it is! Our final cottage plan! It is 2 stories and 740 square feet. That's almost double what we originally wanted, but we think this house will be one we stay in for a LONG time. We even have a section where we can add a bedroom on (did you hear my mom and dad just take a collective sigh of relief?). I feel like we have the perfect plans for us! All of the important areas are there and are the right size. Yay!
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| The front! |
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| Downstairs (front porch is at the top, carport at the left) |
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| Upstairs |
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| Alex is working on converting these to ACTUAL plans... |
When the time came to select "Tiny" plans, I had a hard time finding exactly what I wanted. If the bedroom was the right size, the living room was too small. If the bathroom was perfect, the kitchen was awful. I finally realized that I wouldn't be able to find plans that would work for us, so I pulled out some graph paper and my handy green ruler and started drawing.
I took elements that I loved in all of the plans I had studied and tried to mesh them together. I had to think about what I was and wasn't willing to sacrifice. In the end, I drew several houses and none of them were just right.
I took elements that I loved in all of the plans I had studied and tried to mesh them together. I had to think about what I was and wasn't willing to sacrifice. In the end, I drew several houses and none of them were just right.
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| We worked with these plans for a while. They included a loft over the closet area on the left that would be our bedroom. |
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| This house was more square-ish. I stopped in the middle of these plans because I didn't like them. |
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| Another squarish house... |
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| These were the plans we were ready to go with. I even drew the front of the house! |
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| I didn't like the bathroom in the middle of everything. Privacy please! |
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| Also, Alex and I realized we were adding this loft, but we really didn't need it. On to new plans! |
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Project #1- DVD's and Board Games
Okay, Alex and I have a shameful fair amount of DVD's in our TV unit. There is NO WAY these will fit in the cottage, so I went searching for ideas about downsizing a DVD collection. I saw this amazing post over at Eat, Sleep, Decorate, and I headed to the store to buy the supplies! I spent about $30, and our DVD collection is now tiny-fied!
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| DVD's before |
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| Supplies! |
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| Finished! |
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| I cut the DVD covers to fit the new cases. |
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| These cabinets were FULL of games. The ones remaining are going to my parents' beach house. |
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| Finished product- small drawer of board games |
I am SO excited to get started on de-cluttering and getting rid of stuff. I feel like the massive amount of junk we've accrued weighs in the back of my mind all the time. It's cathartic to purge the items I never use or don't need.
I am prepared for it to get tricky, however, due to my sentimental side. I have saved several "mantras" to help me as I go through the process of cleaning out.
I am prepared for it to get tricky, however, due to my sentimental side. I have saved several "mantras" to help me as I go through the process of cleaning out.
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| Photo Creds: Lisa Congdon |
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| Photo Creds: Linda Holt Interiors |
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| Photo Creds: Buzzfeed |
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| Photo Creds: Hobbies on a Budget |
After we secured our cottage land, we listed our house for sale. It was definitely bittersweet! This house has been great to us for the past 3 years. Fifteen days and 21 showings later (it was intense!) we sold our house at list price! We were able to almost double our investment. We close in September, so hopefully everything will go according to plan. I feel like part of me is still waiting for the other shoe to drop...
I watched it for months... the house across the street- MY house. It was an old, ugly split level that needed some *cough* attention. It had a great yard and was on an amazing street. I was in love!
Reality check! Okay, so this house was WAY more than Alex and I could afford (like $100,000 more) AND it needed a lot of work. But I kept stalking watching it. I watched as family after family came to look at the house. I would tell Alex, "Someone is at our house today". Weird? Yes. I just had this feeling- this cosmic connection with the house that I couldn't explain.
Then, it happened. A friend of mine (shout out to Becca!) texted me to let me know the price had dropped. We went online and the price had dropped drastically- right into our price range! We tiptoed across the street and sneaked into the back yard to look in the windows. We may or may not have slid in through an open window in the back to check out the inside. It was stinky, messy, and outdated. My dream home! We put in an offer that night and closed the deal within a week. It took us about 3 months, lots of help from our families, and about $20,000 to turn the house into our home. The rest is history!
Then, it happened. A friend of mine (shout out to Becca!) texted me to let me know the price had dropped. We went online and the price had dropped drastically- right into our price range! We tiptoed across the street and sneaked into the back yard to look in the windows. We may or may not have slid in through an open window in the back to check out the inside. It was stinky, messy, and outdated. My dream home! We put in an offer that night and closed the deal within a week. It took us about 3 months, lots of help from our families, and about $20,000 to turn the house into our home. The rest is history!
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| Opening the door! |
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| SOLD! |
BEFORE PICTURES
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| Built ins in living room |
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| Fireplace next to built ins |
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| Looking into kitchen from Living Room |
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| Living Room |
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| Kitchen looking into Laundry Room |
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| Kitchen looking into Butler's Pantry |
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| Looking at Kitchen from Living Room |
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| Looking at Butler's Pantry from Dining Room |
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| Looking at Dining Room from Butler's Pantry |
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| Looking at Foyer from Living Room |
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| Guest Bath- the Propel bottle was included with the sell of the house. |
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| Master Bedroom |
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| Guest Bedroom #1 |
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| Stairs |
AFTER PICTURES!
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| Front |
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| Kitchen |
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| Butler's Pantry- Alex built all the shelves and the window seat |
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| Looking into Butler's Pantry from Dining Room- Alex also built the pantry on the left. The cabinets are from the original peninsula in the kitchen- remember that? |
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| Dining Room- view from Foyer |
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| Looking into Foyer from Living Room |
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| Reading Nook next to built-ins in Living Room |
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| Looking into Living Room from Foyer |
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| Looking at Living Room from Kitchen |
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| Upstairs |
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| Back Yard- fenced portion |
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| Back Yard- behind fence (creek) |
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| Laundry Room |
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| Study/Craft Room |
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| Guest Bedroom #1 |
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| Guest Bath |
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| Master Bedroom |
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| Master Bath |
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| Downstairs Den |
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| Downstairs Bedroom |
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| Pool |
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