A Joyful Cottage

Every Room In The House Party - #10

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Hello Cottage Friends,

Happy October, and welcome to Every Room In The House, where we party all month long in a theme room.

I'll be announcing this month's party location in a bit. But first, let's talk about September's party. We partied all over the house and outside, and I want to share some of what was shared by the partiers.

Most Viewed Post from September

Anne of Design Dreams by Anne took us on a tour of her newly remodeled kitchen in Creating a Farmhouse Kitchen. She designed it and did all the work herself. I lovingly call Anne "The Queen of DIY".

Dining Room

I'm always anxious to see what Kris at Junk Chic Cottage brings to the party. Her charming French farmhouse Dining Room Reveal leaves me giddy.

Family Room

Color anyone? Jann at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson is a colorful friend in the best possible way. I admire her use of color and patterns, and the rich textures found in The Gathering Room.

Home Office

Laura at I'm Not A Trophy Wife brought her vision for a "girly" home office to life in A girly office for me: makeover-before and after. Beauty meets function in Laura's home office transformation.

Master Bedroom

I like before and afters, don't you? Aimee at Refresh-Renew treated us to a look at her master bedroom before she put her magical touch on it. The after is stunning, and you won't believe what she reveals about the floor in Master Bedroom reveal-(New Floors!)

Living Room

"Have you ever thought about separating a large sectional sofa?" That's the question Julie at Love My Simple Home asked in Separating A Sectional Sofa & Other Changes. She answered the question and showed us how one change led to another and resulted in a warm, inviting living room.

Laundry

Jes at Strangers and Pilgrims On Earth shared her pretty laundry room, a frugal homemade laundry detergent recipe, and provided some free printable laundry labels in The Laundry Room. Jess says, "Sorting clothes in a happy and floral space can be very peaceful." I'm all for that!

DIY Decor

Cottage style rules in this delightful end table makeover. Kim at Exquisitely Unremarkable shows us how it's done in Easy Skirted Table Tutorial. I admit Kim had me at "skirted".

Do you have any old table legs lying around? If so, Terry at Forever Decorating has an idea on how to use them. Make a lovely lamp, or two. Terry tells how in Legs to Lamps.

Vintage Love

One of the things I like about homes where vintage items play a large role is that no two homes are the same. Vintage collectibles truly set them apart. AnnMarie's kitchen at Musings of a Vintage Junkie is a perfect example. A Few Vintage Finds For My Kitchen Update showcases her wonderful collections.

A Touch of Velvet

Velvet pumpkins? Yes, please. Penny at Penny's Vintage Home created this stunning Velvet Pumpkins Fall Centerpiece featuring her own handmade velvet pumpkins. I love the romantic embellishments.

Studio Peek

Gina at Old World Patina creates enchanting cemetery angels and boxes. She showed us her latest angel wings project in Saturday's Studio Glimpse.

After all that indoor partying we stepped outside.

Marie at Interior Frugalista showed us the DIY Patio Water Wall Mr. Frugalista made for her. The Wow Factor is off the charts on this one.

The September Every Room In The House party was so much fun. A big thank you to all who brought something to share. You're all wonderful and I appreciate you so much.

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Thank you to all who visit
and leave comments.
I love reading them.

Ready to start October's party?

This month we're partying on

The Fall Porch

If you don't have a porch, show us your front door, deck or patio dressed up for fall.

The party will be open all month. Bring a friend!

Please remember to put a link in your post back to A Joyful Cottage. That's necessary to be featured.

An InLinkz Link-up

Living Large In Small Spaces - A {Tiny} Cottage In The Woods

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Second post in the series

"Living Large in Small Spaces"

A {Tiny} Cottage In The Woods

It's my pleasure to welcome Lin of A {Tiny} Cottage In The Woods to A Joyful Cottage.

I was introduced to Lin when she left a comment on one of my posts, and I've been reading her blog ever since. The creative, gracious life she and her husband live in their Colorado cottage epitomizes what it means to live large in a small space. I know you'll enjoy what Lin shares with us today.

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When Nancy invited me to write a guest post for her series, "Living Large in Small Spaces", I decided to not only share a little about the house and our building experience, but to also answer the question ~ what is it really like living in such a small home?

The Life We Imagined

In designing and building our 375-square-foot cottage, we had the opportunity to redefine The American Dream. Our dream was to live in a comfortable home without a mortgage. To live without credit cards or debt of any kind. We wanted to live surrounded by nature enjoying the days and seasons, and we wanted to live a healthier lifestyle, to be more self-sufficient, and to live life at a slower pace ~ enjoying each day to the fullest.

Building Our Dream

We both had worked in software development and didn't have any construction design/building experience, but when the opportunity presented itself, we decided to take a leap of faith and just go for it. Building a house is like learning how to do anything else ~ it's just one sequential step after another. The first step was to draw up the plans, get the necessary soils, foundation, and truss reports, and obtain a building permit. Then it was research, research, research, purchase and load the supplies for the current task into the pickup, build, pass the inspection, and repeat until done.

~ building the house ~

The entire house would fit into the same square footage as our former McMansion master bedroom/bath. We built with many green options including an off-the-grid solar/wind electrical system, and it all fits within a small footprint on the side of a mountain, keeping the land that surrounds us wild and untouched.

Our house is open like a loft with an enclosed 5'x8' bathroom. The open floor plan and cathedral ceilings are visually uplifting, and when people visit for the first time, they're always surprised at how large it seems when they step inside.

The sofa can face the wood stove in winter or the French doors that open to the view, providing a place to relax, talk, read or watch DVDs. Furniture is arranged to suit the two of us, but can quickly be moved to accommodate six for dinner, or a larger get-together outdoors on the patio.

~view from the kitchen window ~

The kitchen is L-shaped and has an RV oven, 12-volt yacht refrigerator, and deep bar sink. No worries with the smaller appliances. I cook most of our meals at home and have made Thanksgiving dinners with all the trimmings in this little kitchen. The farm table multi-tasks as a desk and art & crafts worktable, as well as a place to prepare food and enjoy meals together. Often my husband is at his computer at one end of the table, and I'm crafting or drawing at the other end.

~ our eat-in kitchen ~

We decided on wall sconces for lighting to free up floor space from lamps and cords, and installed separate switches for each one to conserve electricity. The house is wired for both 12v and 120v, and we use the little 12v automotive light bulbs in the sconces. Windows all around provide natural light and passive solar, and blur the line between outdoors and in.

Just before moving in, we built a simple queen-size platform bed that lifts up to reveal queen-size storage underneath.

~ photo of the platform bed reflected in a mirror ~

We've talked about building wall-to-wall cabinetry with a murphy bed along the south wall, but after living a simpler lifestyle, perhaps the more elegant (simple and beautiful) solution would be to purchase a prettier bed befitting a tiny cottage in the woods and keep the armoire. We're still thinking about this one.

~ clothes and art supply storage ~

There are no rules when it comes to furnishing a small home. It does not mean that you have to live with just the basic essentials or go with a minimalist look (unless that's what you want). It means having enough. Enough of what you need to be comfortable as well as having the kinds of things that make your house a home. I love French cottage/farmhouse style with a mix of handmade and gently used items and a little touch of whimsy for fun. We still have some finishing/decorating work to do, but to me, that's the fun part!

A Gentler Lifestyle

My husband and I drive to town once a week to run all of our errands together, and then usually spend the rest of the week quietly at home.

~ I love to draw, paint, and craft ~

People joke and ask how can we stand to be together all the time in such a tiny house, and that question always surprises me. We've been married for 33 years and enjoy each other's company, so there isn't a need for separate rooms/spaces ~ just a respect for what the other person is doing. After living here, I find myself looking back and wishing that we'd raised our children in a smaller home.

True for Thoreau in1854, and Still True in 2014

In Walden, Henry David Thoreau wrote ~

"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

We couldn't agree more. Living simply in a small home opens up the opportunity to live a larger life ~ to have the time and financial freedom to be with and do what matters most.

Thoreau stayed at Walden Pond for 2 years, 2 months, and 2 days. As of this writing (September 26, 2014), we've lived in our tiny cottage in the woods for 5 years, 9 months, and 6 days, and hope to stay here for the rest of our lives. This is home.

Thank you, Nancy, for inviting me to share our story. I look forward to reading about all the homes in this series, as well as following the progress of yours!

xoxo,
post signature

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Thank you for inspiring us, Lin.

You can see more of Lin's charming cottage and the lovely art she creates on her blog

A {Tiny} Cottage In The Woods

Featured at

Join me next Saturday for another post in the special series

Living Large in Small Spaces

See more home tours in the
Living Large In Small Spaces Series here.

Would you like to share your small space story
or have your home
featured in this special series?
Send me an email and let's collaborate.
(See the "Contact Me" page for email address.)

Amaze Me Monday The Art of Homemaking Tweak it Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesday Home and Garden Thursday

Share Your Cup Thursday Home Sweet Home Feathered Nest Friday

Living Large in Small Spaces - A Tour of Little House on the Hill

Saturday, September 20, 2014

First post in the series

"Living Large in Small Spaces"

Little House on the Hill

Last April, while cyber researching small homes, I stumbled upon a charming 540 sq ft cottage built by Tim and Leslie. I was so impressed with their accomplishment that I immediately contacted them and asked if I could share their home and story here at A Joyful Cottage. They graciously agreed.

Then life got busy for them and me, and our collaboration simmered on the back burner. Until today.

I'm thrilled to kick off the "Living Large in Small Spaces" series with Tim and Leslie's charming cottage.

It began with a vision

Three years from retirement Tim realized he and his wife would have to sell their home and downsize. "There is no way I could retire with the mortgage and utility bills I pay right now," he said at the time.

This little sketch, found on the internet, was the inspiration for Tim and Leslie's retirement cottage. In order to afford their dream, the couple planned to build the home themselves.

"Financing the construction of such a little house is not an easy thing," Tim says. "Banks don't want to lend money to somebody building their own house. They also don't want to lend very small amounts of money. I [had] enough money to build the house, or. . .buy the land. . .but not both."

The right stuff

Tim and Leslie found the "perfect piece of property" and worked out a deal with the seller whereby he would carry a contract on the land until they could finish building the house. At that time the couple would secure a conventional loan and pay off the property owner. Their total mortgage would be around $15,000, which they could pay off during the first year in their new home.

Armed with past experience in construction, a truck and tools, Tim set to work.

A dream come true

Building began in October 2011. Nine months later Tim and Leslie moved into their new cottage, which was almost paid for by that time. Tim was able to save most of his income for the next two years as a "nest egg."

Leslie staining the siding.

A sign on the porch sums up
the couple's philosophy of simple living.

Although Tim and Leslie had to work within a tight budget, they reached their goal of a "very nice, well built home."

Interior motives

I know you're anxious to see what's on the other side of this charming screen door, so let's go in.

Carriage style lamps light our way to a warm and welcoming cottage.

Two loveseats in the living room offer cozy seating and conversation.

Plank walls painted white and abundant natural light brighten the rooms.

Soft lighting and polished wood cast a warm glow in the evening.

Furniture acts as dividing "walls" for the space. Dark hardwood floors are a stunning contrast to the white walls.

Red accents punch up the neutral palette.

Tim found the little kitchen table at a local antique shop.

The small kitchen is big on charm. Tim and Leslie purchased in-stock unfinished oak cabinets from a home improvement store, painted them and added decorative trim and moulding to give them a custom look. A pantry next to the refrigerator provides lots of storage.

Tim designed and built the decorative range hood.

A wood stove keeps the home toasty warm in the winter and enhances the vintage cottage look.

The bathroom is a comfortable size.

It boasts a walk-in shower, space for stacked washer and dryer, and a large closet.

A wall cabinet opposite the closet completes the ample storage.

A quaint iron bed anchors the bedroom. Leslie painted the walls powder blue to match the blue in the new bedspread.

The nightstands double as beds for the couple's pugs.

Floyd and Gunther supervising construction.

Say "hi" to Floyd and Gunther.

Let's go back to the bedroom and see the his and hers closets. Tim added cottage details to the doors. Leslie scored the matching baskets used for storage of personal items.

A loft, accessed by a pull down ladder in the kitchen ceiling, accommodates visiting grandchildren.

Homesteading

By taking advantage of free Craigslist lumber, and seconds at local Amish saw mills priced at 20 cents a board foot, Tim built this combination tool shed and chicken coop for under $300.

Now Tim and Leslie have a business called Hickory Hollow Hatchery.

The daring young chick on the flying trapeze.

In Spring 2013 Tim built a shop and garage.

He explains why "Mail Pouch Tobacco" is painted on the side of the garage:

"From 1925 to 2000, there was a man by the name of Harley Warrick. . . Harley painted over 20,000 barns in Ohio and surrounding states with advertisement for Mail Pouch. He said 'the first 10,000 were a little rough, but then I got the hang of it.' I decided to do a tribute to Harley on our garage."