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JUNIPER HILL COTTAGE
1924 Craftsman Bungalow

Video: Bottoms up, gettin' it done

6/27/2020

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It all starts with the foundation. 

​This is true for anything we create.  A stable and solid foundation allows fantastic things to grow and flourish.  And that's exactly where this projects gets underway - laying a foundation:  footings, stem walls, and slab.

But to be honest, it sure feels like this is a surprisingly large footing for such a small addition.  It's a massive amount of effort, concrete and investment for only about 152 square feet (the kitchen addition). 

We're hoping this is so well built that it'll last another 100 years easy.

Huge concrete truck pulls up to deliver its load for the foundationBig truck arrives to begin building the foundation.


​We put together a short video to show a little bit of the process. 

The simultaneous destruction on the street in front of our property makes it extra special (the street is getting a much needed make-over by the city too).   

Check it out.

Bonus:  Ibis-the-yellow-lab, as always, has a cameo shot!
~ click Read More to continue ~

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hand shovels and cast iron

6/18/2020

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The beginning of every castle is the foundation upon which it is built.  And, in fact, castles used to be build essentially by hand, so this story fits right in (even though our abode is a tiny cottage).

The first few weeks have been focused on digging, moving earth, and discovering.
​
The excavation crew in front of Juniper Hill Cottage ready to get started
Pat, Leo, and Jose made it happen, one shovel at a time!

As prior chapters have described, while we are essentially keeping the square footage of our little cottage the same (even while putting in an addition) that by no means entails any less work than going big.

Quite the opposite in our case.

We are tucking a tiny 150 square foot kitchen addition onto the ​north side of our property where we have just 

BARELY enough space between the current house exterior and the 7 foot setback to the property line on the north.

​
And on the east side of that is a large deck, that we built when we first bought the cottage, and it's going to stay.  The deck goes right up to the setback line.

On the west side of the addition is a gorgeous fence and trellis that we built many years ago, and it's now covered with mature Halls Honeysuckle.  The scent of those blossoms will be wafting into our new kitchen soon(ish)!

​So, there you have it.  There is no choice but to hand dig the foundation (and also for the Whiskey Porch extension going up out front - more on that in a separate post).  

And here's the story of how a 2-day excavation became a four week slog...

~ post continues below, click on "Read More" ~
​

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Video: The Calm before the storm

9/22/2019

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As exciting as it is to focus on the end goal, we wanted to take a minute to share and appreciate where we are starting from on this huge renovation project.

The contractor is ready to roll, and so are we.  We've removed all the small trees that lived along the north side of the property where the tiny addition is going for the new kitchen, and even moved two huge raised planters from the space to another part of the garden - to get out of the way.

Here's a short video to give you a feel for what we are starting with and an idea of where we are going.  

And, if you missed it you might want to catch our Intro Video here.

next up

Finding a Contractor in the Wild West.  Who would have guessed that this is almost as a big a project as the actual construction?  


​stay in touch

To find out about new installments, and new content, please join our mailing list.  You'll only hear from us about once a month.

And if you are dreaming about a downsize to a smaller home or renovating your current home or garden, we are here to provide the support you need to make it happen.  Learn more about our resources and services, and feel free to get in touch with me just to chat about your ideas.

Thanks for stopping by!  Contentment and possiblity,
~Miriam
​

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    Author

    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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  • Resources
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