UPDATE! UPDATE!
It's hard to believe I haven't posted since April. It has been busy times for the backyard cottage.
FLOORING
I decided to go with a concrete floor as opposed to wood, laminate or whatever. Wood is lovely and I do enjoy getting used wood from Second Use (my kitchen floors are made of old bowling alley flooring from Lalani Bowling Alley found at Earthwise), but wood can be damaged, renters are assholes, cork flooring is too soft, laminate doesn't rock my world, so concrete won out. Turns out there are multiple types of concrete for flooring (who knew) and my contractor almost spooked me out of it but...I just had the concrete slab ground down...simple as that! The concrete grinding team took a day to grind it down and then put down two coats of sealant since concrete is very porous and will absorb spilled coffee, wine or whatever. I just have to have it resealed about every 5 years - they told me, "The concrete will tell you when it's ready for more sealant." These guys were hardcore, and I bought them beer when they were finished.
ABOVE: The massive machine that is used to grind down and vacuum up the concrete floor. It has to be plugged into the washer/dryer outlet - it's that heavy duty.
ABOVE: This is what the concrete slab looks like when it is all ground and sealed. I would have loved to install heating coils in the concrete floor so it is nice and warm but that would have been an extra bitch so decided against it.
BATHROOM
Okay, admittedly not the greatest photo but this is the shower. My contractor found an awesome tile guy who was anal but not annoying about it. The space was just wooden studs, insulation, a shower drainpipe and vapor barrier covered in dirt. He installed the shower backer board, poured concrete around the drain, put in the shower pan...essentially did everything which not all tile installers do. He would show me his process as he went which was very cool. I didn't realize the intricacies of what goes into putting together a proper shower.
ABOVE: The wall tile I got from Tile for Less and the floor tile I found on Amazon. I went with 'raven' colored grout. I was surprised how difficult it was to find a tile store in Seattle. Most didn't make it through the pandemic. The shower divider is a piece of plexiglass I found at Second Use...wayyyy cheaper and safer than glass.
ABOVE: The washer/dryer/hot water heater and prison lavatory sink that took me 20 years to find.
ABOVE: This is the bathroom door. Remember those wooden doors I posted about oh so long ago? This is the one I chose for the bathroom. The stain glass insert is still to come.
KITCHEN
Sorry guys just now lost the kitchen images so you will have to wait on those.
LIVING ROOM
Whew...this little woodstove was quite a challenge. In all of my 'tiny house woodstove' research I learned that the majority of tiny woodstoves are actually gas/propane powered. I have no interest in running a gas line to the back (I am allowed to tap into my pre-existing gas line but not allowed to run a whole new gas line...at least not in Seattle) and was therefore looking for a wood powered stove. I looked at wood powered stoves that are on sailboats and, although interesting, are way too small. Did you know sailboats can have woodstoves?!! The other thing I had to consider was installation and maintenance. A stove may be cool to look at but not everyone can install everything. I wasn't comfortable purchasing a strange, cool looking stove from New Jersey but can't find anyone here to install it, especially with all of the codes, etc. in our city. If this was Alaska, my brothers could install a woodstove and call it done, but not here. Hell, if this was Snoqualmie, I could install that shit myself and be good. What I discovered is that there are three woodstove stores in our area, and they will only install stoves purchased at their shop. So, I wonder who is going to install those woodstoves you can buy at Costco...good luck! Rich's in Tukwila wanted $15,000 to install, Sutter in Fremont wanted $10,000 and Max Heat wanted $7,000 for the stove AND install. So, I went with Max...the other two can kiss my ass. I also learned from the City of Seattle that as long as the stove is in the initial design drawings I submitted for a construction permit, I don't need a separate inspection/permit for it.
ABOVE: This is the little woodstove that was such a pain to find and have installed. It is wrapped in soapstone and really lovely.
LOFT
I really wanted an accent wall in the loft to give it a little extra something. I found some wormwood at Second Use and asked the finish carpenters to mix it up with the leftover cedar siding and they really came through - I think it looks amazing!
ABOVE: The wormwood and leftover cedar siding looks great! They stained it using the same stain as the salvaged bathroom door: Sherwin Williams Heart Redwood. The flooring is teak that my contractor found at Second Use.
