If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors
to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.

~ Henry David Thoreau





Sunday, March 28, 2010

The cottage porch

This is my third entry in Metamorphosis Monday, hosted by the very talented Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.  (Thanks Susan for allowing me the opportunity to organize some of the before and after photos I have stored on my computer!) 


This is the lakeside porch addition as it was when we purchased the cottage.(sorry about the picture quality).  A 6' x 15' room with horrible windows but a marvelous lake view, and wonderful stone steps crafted of Medina Sandstone.
(photo prior to taking possesion)



After removing furniture left behind by previous owners, we applied several coats of white paint.


Lovely floor...hmmmmmm.....




And ordered new windows and doors.



Tore out that ugly floor, and added a small lakeside deck with access from the porch and living room.






And used our freshened up room as our dining area.  Very cozy!  If we seated guests, we would pull the table out, seat them and slide the table back.  It worked for us.....for awhile.




But, after the cottage became our home...(another story)... a small addition started formulating in my mind.  We could only expand the room by 3', in order to maintain the allowed setback from the lake.  Everyone thought I was crazy to go through all of that to gain 3 feet ??!!!


In the dead of winter, with 40mph winds whipping off the lake (just 75' away), another room was built.




And then the original outer wall was removed.  We were able to reuse the windows and only had to order 3 new ones.














The porcelain tile which we had installed was no longer available.




We had no choice, but to tear it out!




Even though we had a proper foundation constructed with the addition, the floor remained cold, so we installed a NuHeat electric floor blanket under our new vinyl plank "Konecto" floor.




Just look how much room we have now.  Our new table is wonderful....both leaves fold to the center when it is just the two of us, and open up to accomodate eight with comfort.




A view of the addition from the outside ( we added a lower deck last spring ).




And a new sign inspired by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch (just a couple of weeks ago)
  Thank you Susan!








I think ITLLDO.....for awhile!

Thanks for stopping by.  Please tell me what you think.

9 comments:

Sharlotte said...

Cynthia,
WOW! What a huge transformation! I just love what you've decided to do for the extra 3 feet! I think it makes such a difference and I'm sure you're truly enjoying the extra space as well. I love, love, love, the red and white. It's so fresh and welcoming. I'll bet you spend hours relaxing in this wonderful space! Congratulations on finishing this...it looks terrific! Thanks for sharing.
Sharlotte

Haverford House said...

What a great redo! I love your new floors. I bet you can't wait for summer to enjoy! ~Marcy

Debbie (Meadowcrest Cottage) said...

You lucky girl!! It is beautiful. What a view you have. I wish I was on the water. I would never leave.

Allison Shops said...

3 feet made a BIG difference! I bet you're saying it was worth the trouble too. Love your view!

Hope you'll drop by AtticMag to give JaneT some advice on making a bench from a vintage bed. #81 on Met Monday.

Allison

Melanie@TheOldWhiteCottage said...

What a beautiful room! I'll bet that deck is a dream in the summer.

Nancy's Daily Dish said...

That 3 feet made all the difference in the world! It almost looked like a wide hallway before. And your, table setting is adorable. I love the bright colors. This has been such fun to see...I've completely enjoyed it!

I bet noone thinks you're crazy for adding that 3' now!

Thanks for visiting my blog and entering the giveaway!

Good luck!

Joanne Kennedy said...

You turned that into a room of beauty! I like the wood floor. What a lovely view you have! I would love to live there.

Hugs,
Joanne

Unknown said...

That is a beautiful and versatile space. The 3 feet was very much worth it! Too bad about the tile, but I love the new floor. Gorgeous, and thanks for sharing. I can always dream!

Sonia said...

Oh that sunroom is gorgeous and so spacious now that you added 3 feet...I'm contemplating adding a sunroom to my house..I love your everything about yours! The floor is beautiful as well and the wicker and red geraniums..just divine!!!

Thanks for your lovely post and your sweet visit..I'm originally from Florida.


Miss Bloomers