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JUNIPER HILL COTTAGE
1924 Craftsman Bungalow

a coat of paint does wonders

7/30/2019

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This is the second chapter in our Bungalow journey -  continuing on from "We Accidentally Bought a Bungalow."

After acquiring this amazing historic bungalow in 2010, the first challenge was coming up with a manageable game plan.

​Sometimes it's just so hard to wait for your long-term vision to begin to take form.  And we knew we were going to be here on weekends and taking our time with the first chapter of our life in this historic cottage. 

​So, we decided that in order to enjoy our time here for the next 8 or 9 years (until we could be here full-time and properly renovate), we would only tackle a list of must-do projects.  

Unloading building supplies
This is what we do. Michael offloading supplies for the new deck.
Must-Do List

Now, you would think that that list would be an abbreviated short-ish list.  That was the idea for sure. 

But now that we look back it's truly amazing what we've accomplished.  

​Bit by bit, on a budget while still living and working in Phoenix.  Virtually 90% of it turned out to be DIY, and not just because we knew we could control the costs more that way.

Creativity
​

We had a vision of what it would take to make it livable for the short-term, but we also felt strongly that this was going to be an expression of our creativity and personalities. 

​And that's kinda hard to accomplish with contractors executing for you.  
Tools and supplies for fence
This is what we do. Crafting a home.
Flexibility
​

The process requires tweaks and consideration as you go along - allowing for better flavors of your original idea, or the unforeseen snafu. 
​​

It takes a while to get acquainted with a new house and property.  This can make it tricky to come up with the perfect layout and updates on day one.  Where does the shade fall in late summer?  What's the best flow for traffic through your home - given how you live and your style?  Where's the best soil and conditions for your kitchen garden?  

While it's tempting to just get to the end-point as quickly as possible, there's an advantage to taking it in measured steps - if you can stand it.  

~ post continues below ~


So Much Accomplished!

In this blog post, I wanted to highlight some of our accomplishments since we bought the Bungalow almost 9 years ago.   This is not an entirely comprehensive list to be sure, but it gives you a feel for where we are now - as we launch into our big renovation project.

Appendages be gone

Hint:  If you click on an image it will allow you to view a larger version of the image.
removing the back stairs and metal roof cover
Weird stairs and ugly cover.
Kids demoing various appendages
The twins jumped right in - demolition is fun!
Kids scraping off old adhesive under the rug.
Removing stinky carpet and gross adhesive.
Removing the gutters that weren't already down.
The gutters didn't need much help coming down.
Removing old interior stairs to the basement.
Lotsa old wall coverings and very old plaster
Discovering secrets of an old house.
Hidden doors inside the old stairwell -- ???

The first order of business was the removal of various appendages and junk.  In 86 years of life, the house had been through a lot, and much of it needed to go!  If I recall correctly, we lived with construction dumpsters in the driveway for about 2 or 3 years. 

Removed and departed:

  • stinky carpet and stained drapes
  • a strange closet in the basement - don't ask
  • twisted and rusted gutters
  • weird stairs and metal roof
  • more weird stairs apparently built for a munchkin
  • ugly railings - everywhere
  • concrete - more concrete - did we mention concrete? 


gutter landed in the original window
Oops. Sometimes things don't go as planned.


​the magic of paint

​And, as the title of this blog suggests, one of the most transformative but simple things was getting a fresh, bright coat of paint applied. 

We did the exterior right away.  Hired someone - we'll hire someone else next time.  

​And I worked on the interior myself over the summer of our 4th year in the house - VERY slowly.   The house had been painted what I can only describe as hospital green with blue trim.  And there were stains not only on the walls buy also on the ceilings -- ???  And not from leaks. 

Honestly, painting walls, ceilings, and trim is most definitely not my favorite project.  But it's easy enough to do if you take your time and have a few basic tools.  It got done - and in the end it was absolutely worth the time I spent in my painter-outfit that year.

Original colors of bungalow when we bought it
Before: Best described as drab grey with purple trim
After the exterior painting
After: warm yellow and mustard with a punch of red


​boring but not optional

I mentioned in the first chapter/blog post that we bought the house "as-is."  What that means is that although we had a chance to do all the necessary inspections, our only two options would be to either go through with the purchase of the house "as-is" or back out of the deal entirely at the end of the inspection period.  

We knew, just looking at the house, that it had been neglected for quite some time and not even occupied for a while.  We also learned that there was no thermostat (who took it, you wonder?) and therefore the inspector was unable to determine if the furnace worked at all. 

In the back of the property was a carriage house with a separate furnace and water heater.  The inspector indicated that along with the water heater in the main house, these units were all pretty old, but appeared to function "in general."  Oh, and by the way, our roof on both buildings won't last more than a couple years at best.

We decided to accept these possible issues and move forward with the purchase.  Remember:  it was a great location, with the right house, and it felt right.

Needless to say, it didn't take more than a couple weeks, before we had to:
  • install a functioning water heater in the main house
  • fix code issues with the venting on the furnace
  • replace the thermostat in carriage house when it stopped working
  • repair vents and motors on furnace in main house
  • repair boards on the furnace in the carriage house
  • repair more stuff on the furnace in main house - again
  • and again

You have no choice - what are you gonna do?  Here in northern Arizona, we are at 6,000 foot elevation and it gets very cold in the winter!
​

the landscape is my sanctuary

We have most definitely spent most of our effort, and resources on the landscape - almost entirely on our own, with the exception of the front yard hardscape and trees.

Hint:  hover your mouse over each image to see the caption.
​And, to see a larger image, click on it.


South yard and glimpse of backyard
View of the backyard and carriage house before
Before: back yard and carriage house in background.
Grading the south yard to prepare for landscaping
Doing some grading, lots of clearing of brush, concrete.
After the landscaping, a gate, fence, and stairs
After: gate, with fence, and stairs to new back driveway

​South Garden next to main house
South yard garden space before
Before: south garden
south garden after
After: south garden

​Kitchen Garden in north yard
Kitchen garden on north side
Custom built raised planters for the kitchen garden

​Front Yard
Front of house with view of north yard
Before: Front of house with view into north yard
Front yard before
Before: Front yard - concrete and weeds everywhere
Front yard after
After: front yard
Front yard after landscaping
After: Front yard with paving and native plantings

​Garden Gazebo in back yard
Backyard before gazebo
Before: backyard surrounded by old Alligator Junipers
garden gazebo in back yard after
After: garden gazebo with lots of seating & homemade juniper slab table

​Back Door 
Back door stairs
Before: Weird steep steps with floppy metal roof
Back deck after
After: Cozy new back deck with a view west
This back deck was actually the VERY first thing that we did - and it is still one of my favorite secret spots in the garden.
​

quick kitchen update

Before: Kitchen is dark, and awkward, and filthy
After: Kitchen is reminiscent of what was likely here originally
 
​Too much to show here on the kitchen - this is just one wall to give an idea.   (Maybe a future post just on the kitchen...?)

Some people might say it was crazy to do this much work for just a temporary kitchen.  But the kitchen is the center of our family space and I am in there cooking every single day - for the last 4 or 5 years.

I wasn't a very happy cook in the "before" kitchen which apparently hadn't been cleaned at all since the nasty re-muddle in the 60's or 70's.   None of the drawers worked, the counters were chipped and cruddy.  There was no light at all.

​Now it's just gorgeous, and we will be recycling literally everything we installed in the new kitchen - except for the cheap old range that we kept for the time being.

​Temporary.  But so worth it!

the whiskey porch 1.0

Front of house before the Whiskey Porch
Before: It used to be a porch
After the addition of a cozy little porch
After: The Whiskey Porch 1.0
Two adirondack chairs ready for happy hour
After: just big enough for two comfy adirondacks
Cozy porch under the eaves
After: cozy porch tucked in under the ancient Alligator Juniper
This tiny little porch that we tucked in under the really old Alligator Juniper tree, actually sits in front of the original porch, which was enclosed at some point.

This is the original Whiskey Porch.  Let's call it "version 1.0". 

We've treasured countless evenings here enjoying the distant views of Thumb Butte and Granite Mountain out to the west, along with stunning sunsets.  Since we are at the top of a pretty steep hill, we are essentially looking out over the old Courthouse Square to the peaks west of the downtown.

It's not huge, or impressive, or even all that permanent.  But's it's been a big part of our daily routines spring through fall for many years.

See you on the porch,
~Miriam  

We've got the most amazing plans for the Whiskey Porch 2.0, as we embark on our bungalow remodel .  I hope you'll hang around to see what we've got in store!
Read Next Chapter
Next chapter:  The Renovation Master Plan
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    Hello!  I'm Miriam and this is the story of our tiny historic cottage and it's complete renovation.

    Miriam Carlson-Maier

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