DONNNEEEEEE!!!!!                                      

The backyard cottage is officially completed, and I am very happy with how it has turned out.  What a journey it has been...almost four years of planning, etc. to make it happen.  I will just get to the good stuff...images of all the things!

Above:  When you first enter the space, you see the kitchen.
    

Above:  The counter tops are made of teak that I got at Second Use along with some used copper roofing that I scrubbed.  You can still see the stain of tar on the copper, but I think that gives it character and it isn't toxic.

Above:  The tile behind the sink is from Bedrock Industries over near Nicholson Ave.  The tile is made of used beer/wine bottles.

Above:  A view from the ladder showing the teak countertops along with shelves made from my cherry tree.

Above:  More cherry wood shelving.

Above:  The small woodstove to the left of kitchen.

Above: The sconces and mini split above and to the left of the woodstove.

Above:  A view from below the shelf above the bay window.  You can see the texture and shape of the old cherry tree wood.  I'm so glad I had it milled and used it in the project.

                           Above:  Remember that crusty old door I found walking around the neighborhood with a buddy?                                         

Above:  Well, here it is!  The stained-glass piece is not quite ready but getting there.  You can also see some more cherry wood shelves to the right. 

Above:  You can really see that texture in the cherry wood.  I'm so happy with the Woodsmiths and how they approached the project.

Above:  The bathroom.  I found the old prison lavatory sink on Ebay.  I kept the bathroom pretty industrial as it is such a utilitarian space in this house.

Above:  More of the cherry tree shelving for extra storage.  My tree wasn't wide enough, so the Woodsmiths had to purchase and add some cherry wood to get that width.

Above:  I was able to use some plexiglass I found at Second Use for the shower divider.

Above:  Tile from Tile for Less and faucet from Home Depot.

Above:  This tile has been a big hit and even though I hunted and hunted for tile stores in Seattle (many didn't make it through the pandemic) I ended up purchasing this on...Amazon.

Above:  So, I was inspired by my Nordic roots (my DNA says I have a bunch of Norwegian) when choosing the design of the structure and decided to take that inspiration inside.  Yes, that is a sea serpent head and tail looking down into the space (Jormungandr).  

Above:  The Woodsmiths, Dan and Mollie, had never done anything like this before and I am so proud of what they accomplished.  The serpent is entirely made of the cherry tree wood...love that!  Dan did the head, and Mollie did the tail and now Dan's son has requested a dragon of his own...he named the serpent, George.  

Above:  View from the loft space looking out toward the living room.

Above:  View of the loft facing the south wall.  The worm wood was found at Second Use along with the teak flooring.  Love that place!  On the exterior of that wall is the Screech Owl box.  Hoping it attracts and owl but probably squirrels or crows and I'm okay with that...nature if fun!

Above:  This is a special image as it shows wood from our old neighbor, Reverand Buckley.  When she died her family sold the house and a contractor purchased it.  Thankfully, he did not tear it down and lifted it creating a daylight basement unit.  During his remodel there was quite a bit of wood torn out of the old house and put in a pile for the dump.  I snagged a number of cladding boards as I know they are made of fir that is over 100 years old.  The Woodsmiths were absolutely okay working with this wood even though the other side is covered in a green lead paint!  They cleaned the exposed wood side with soap and water and left the leaded side alone.  They did seal both sides with a clear coat to keep the lead trapped and to protect the exposed side.  That dark rich color is the color of the fir, no stain.  I am really pleased to have a bit of the old neighborhood in the space, and I think about my old neighbor when I look at it.

That is it - I'm done!  It was a group effort.  My contractor saved me a bunch of money getting various bids and so I was able to create some dynamic aspects that I hope my future tenant finds enjoyable.  My architect nailed the design, and the rest of the team taught me a lot.  I'm proud to say the amount of waste building out the space was minimal and even though I almost lost my mind a couple of times I genuinely enjoyed the experience.  If I can do this anyone can!

Thank you for reading my blog!