It's been a busy busy summer.

For a few years now hubby and I have been thinking about buying a cottage and perhaps a place that we may retire to. We looked at a few and almost put an offer on one. But it's funny how fate, luck, kismet or the heavens work things out. For one reason or another these other places just didn't seem to work out. Then along came all the issues with hubby's ex empolyer and Labour Board. So with that all behind us we decided to start the search again.
I first found this place last October/November. Sometime before Christmas we decided to take a drive up to see it before we involved the realtor. For the most part it fit our "must have" list. About mid March we decided to call a realtor to go have a look. It pretty much met our expectations, the good and the not so good seemed (to us) to balance out.
One of the not so goods was at some point in this little house's history it had at least one fire in the walk up attic. I was extremely dissappointed, I thought the entire roof was going to have to be replaced. I was thinking we were going to have to walk away from this one too. But after we slept on it we decided to have a professional look at the place. So a few days later we went back with a contractor that I know and had him go through the place from top to bottom. He was awesome. He gave us a bunch of suggestions but more importantly he said the roof was in good shape, that the fire damage was superficial and had been dealt with properly at the time. He was more concerned with the 4" rafters. He actually made a comment at some point that he'd buy it just for the view...cool.
After some more investigation on the property we decide to put in an offer. So needless to say on June 2 we bought a little house that (for now) we plan to use as a cottage. The whole thing has been very exciting and it seemed to happen quite quickly. Unlike before it would seem that it was meant to be.
So now the work was to begin. Believe it or not we both wanted a place that we could fix up a bit nothing too major but something we could get our fingers into. This little place didn't disappoint. Having been vacant for several years after having been taken back by the bank, it was in need of alot of lovin.

This is my reason for being awol most of the summer. Well that and we don't have internet service at the cottage. Just about every day off we have been at the cottage working hard to get the outside ready for another Canadian winter. Sorry I haven't shared this news sooner with my cyber family.
It has been a very busy summer for us. Beside working on the cottage we have been trying to spend some quaility time with our 4yr old grandson, organize the car show, participating in our Town Days annnnd oh yeah, perparing for our #1 son's wedding. That was just this Saturday past and it was beautiful. However that is a story for another time I.ll just say she has finally made an honest man of my son.

And now a couple of pics...

 

Just from the little sliver of view, that is a great place you've bought. I can think of a couple items to do to make the house a bit better (such as a roof gable to expand the attic headroom--I'm 6'6" tall, so I look for it where I can get it), but just rehabbing the place is a great start.

 

How far is this beauty from civilization?

 

Though you said small that looks like a 3 bedroom farmhouse!

Congrats looks like a great project.

What are the plans ...full opening of the front porch for a varanda type deal?

 

Congrats fannie! I'd like to see more of the water front view when you get a chance, I bet it is nice. Cool "little??" cottage I must say and after seeing pics of what you personally did to the yard and garden of your house no doubt this place will look great. Me... I'd just have to make a new fence just like the old, just for the rustic look. BTW, hope you have plans to cut down the dead oak, you don't want branches or the whole thing for that matter coming down on the house.

Better yet, ad a veranda to the front of the enclosed porch.

................. Oh fannie, we are gona have fun spending your $$$$$$$$$$$ on this project. BTW..... Rona hardware is having a no taxes sale tomorrow the 26th for purchases of over $100. Deb and I are spending my pay check there tomorrow for house 'crap"

 

We had thought about adding a dormer but we needed to keep the cost down at this point. Our immediate concern was to remove the large, dead tree that was very close to the house. The house is located in the town of Parrsboro http://www.town.parrsboro.ns.ca/ about 1 1/2 hours from home.
GN300 it is an old 3 bedroom. Because it was a bank sale we didn't get any info about the house. We had to research it by ourselves. After the contractor looked at it, we thought the house was about 70yrs old. But over this past
weekend a neighbour brought over a historical book of the town with the history of the houses in town and we discovered our house is actually 126yrs old...amazing.
After having the tree removed we had the contractor come in and raise up the kitchen floor and put in new jack posts in the basement. They also sistered all the rafters in the attic and put on a new metal roof. I wanted to paint the house myself, to save money but I couldn't handle the height so he hired a couple of local men to help out. It was totally worth it.
Our goal was to complete all the up grades to the outside before the weather got to cold. So far we are on track. Hubby has been very busy. The front porch had been leaking for a very long time so the wood in the walls on either side of the doors was rotten. We decided to replace the two windows with bigger ones so we could see the view better from inside. With that done hubby moved around the corner to replace the dining room window for a larger one. Tomorrow I'm heading up to paint the foundation and that will complete the exterior painting. So if your interested I'll post a few more pictures.

 

That tree didn't stand a chance!

 

Fannie, this is just fantastic!!!! You're going to be so happy when it's done. Lots of great memories ahead.

 

Did you board up the door to keep us out?

 

Haha...why yes...

No for a short time the door had to be removed to repair/replace the wall. This pic just shows the difference between the two windows. Although it doesn't show well all the windows and doors had been replace for new vinyl probably within the last 4-5 years. The furnace was installed new in 2010, another plus.

A side story: the tree that had to come down was an elm tree which died a slow death from Dutch Elm Disease. The branches were very long and straight and the bark had all fallen off naturally. The limbs would have been the next to go, which would have caused some serious damage to our house and possibly the neighbours too.
Chris the contractor, happened to be at another job site where he met a retired arborist who was still removing trees on the side (excellent). On the day we closed on the property he (Brian) met us to have a look at the tree. Plans were made and a couple of weeks later he and his wife arrived and with professional grace had that tree down within a few hours.
It bother me that the tree would come down and all that wood was to be cut up for fire wood. So I got to thinking and recalled a man that I had encountered a few years ago. After a couple of phone calls an emailing pictures we stuck up a deal. I was to pick him up with all his gear in our pu, feed him and give him a few $'s to cover the gas in the saws. He spend two days at the house craving out 14 tree sculptors, 3 benches, 1 a coffee table and a planter. He also made a few free hand sculptors showing off the grains in the stumps/logs that now greet folks at the entrance of the driveway. It's pretty cool, I love it. I am really excited that the lumber wasn't just burned, it became art to live another day.













Well I better get off this thing and get some work down. I'll be back home tomorrow evening to enter the next installment.
Play nice guys,

 

the house is very nice and you seem to be making lots of progress. only thing that has me down in the dumps is that you thought about a dormer before a garage for the baby

 

It's too bad it had to succumb to Dutch Elm disease. I love big shade trees, if they're far enough from the house. But judging by the trunk sections he made, there's some beautiful rings and a few choice burls in it, so those will make some very gorgeous works.

 

FANNIE OF GREEN GABLES

It looks exactly like I envision a Nova Scotia waterfront house to look.