# Greetings and my cottage project/remodel - first big project w before/after pics



## siggyfreud (Jun 21, 2011)

Hey all,

Just joined the forum and wanted to share with you some photos/info of my first big project. I'm 27, and a year ago the house next door to my mother became available. It's a small 700 sq.ft cottage. My grandma, who lives close by, was unhappy with her living situation and really wanted to have her own place again (she was in assisted living, minus the need for assistance). 

The house was relatively cheap, but probably hadn't been updated in 30-40 years. I had done a little house work here and there, and am generally very handy, but most of my experience is with building engines and working on both new and old cars.

However, I am a project manager by profession, so I decided to invest in upgrading the home so that she could have a comfortable, nice place to live, and it would be some place I could rent after she no longer lives there.

This work was done on weekends only (Sat/Sun) over about 2.5 months. From demo to cleanup it was about 20 days of working.

Among the things accomplished are:

-New heating and cooling (house only had an old wood stove)
-New paint throughout
-Laminate wood flooring (included removing a fake 3" raised floor)
-New drywall, as the wall was built on top of the floor, so when I removed the fake floor I had to remove a 6" strip from the base on 3 sides. New drywall in other damaged areas too.
-Level the floor under the fake floor, as it had a 3" slope over ~3 feet. No cracks though. 
-Built a new countertop from the wood up, as the original particle board was wet and falling apart. I used 3/4" exterior grade plywood, cement board, and then tile. I used the backsplash to also board in the front of the counter.
-New tile floor in the bathroom. The photo makes the grout lines appear larger than they are. I was still cleaning it off when I took the photo.
New carpet in the hallway and bedroom (I didn't do this, had a pro do it).
-New baseboard trim throughout.
-Added a disposal, new sink plumbing, new sink, and electrical for the disposal.
-New lighting throughout, as well as did proper wiring for the microwave. It had wires run, but not into an outlet box.
-New appliances, including a smaller fridge in a cubby to free up living space. Freeing up space was key, as it's quite small. 

All in all it was very fun and a great learning experience. I'm hooked on the process, and have since ordered tons of books on various trades and continue to teach myself how to do stuff. 

In any case, I look forward to learning more from you all on this site as our projects continue. Any suggestions, comments, or questions are sincerely welcomed and appreciated.

Here are some photos:


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## siggyfreud (Jun 21, 2011)

A few more photos:


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## EMD360 (Jun 15, 2012)

Nice looking updates. Keep up the reading, you will do more for sure.


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