One Project Closer

Lisa (aka Cottager’s Wife) and her husband (aka Cottager) picked up the keys to their new cottage (pictured to the right) less than half a year ago.  In her first post, Lisa admits that Cottager was much more interested in the property at first, but that she has since been equally smitten with its charm.  After reading her blog, I am a bit smitten myself.

I first encountered Lisa’s blog when she was working on painting the front rooms of her house.  I gave her my thoughts on how to select a paint color, and she took my advice (no one ever does that :-).  Combine that with the fact that she’s a fellow WordPress user, and you know why I had to ask her for an interview.  So, without further ado, on to the interview:

What’s your house blog name and web address?

Cottager’s Wife @ http://cottagerswife.wordpress.com

Is this your first house blog? (If not, what others have you had?)

Absolutely my first. I wasn’t even sure what a blog was, and in the process of finding out, I found myself creating one on the Wordpress site. When I had completed the template it looked so good that I felt obliged to generate some content.

Describe your house for us:

Our cottage is of unknown date, but a good guess would be the forties. It has been added on to a few times. It has a large, south facing deck with a partial view of the sea. There is one large room at the front of the house that encompasses the kitchen and living room. Behind are two cozy bedrooms and a large storage room that was probably the bathroom at one time. Today the bathroom is in an addition that includes the laundry. The house is on a steep, quarter-acre lot with lots of surprises, included three quaint outbuildings, a second large deck in the back yard that sits above the cottage roof level, and a small but charming garden full of narrow paths and well-established plants

What made you buy this house?

We had been actively looking for months for a weekend retreat and an investment. It was a really fine day in early November that we arranged to meet the agent at this cottage — so fine that we rode our bikes to the appointment. We stood on the deck and looked out across the channel to Keats Island and we pretty much knew we were going to buy it. It was almost as bright and sunny inside, thanks to a long row of south-facing windows. Since our house in the Vancouver suburbs is located in a narrow strip between two protected creeks and with towering cedars and firs all around, we were swept away by the feeling of light and space.

What’s the biggest, hardest, or craziest (pick one or more) project you’ve completed so far?

So far we’ve been working on lots of small projects and repairs while getting comfortable with the space, furnishing it and deciding what we want to do with it. I guess the craziest project to date was re-purposing a closet to make room for a queen-size bed in our tiny bedroom. With paint, some custom shelving and an illuminated false ceiling, it has become a pretty funky space. You can see a series of photos and a description of the project here:

http://cottagerswife.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/closet-to-alcove-reno-mostly-complete/

What project(s) are you working on now?

We are refinishing a 5 panel door for the store room, which has no door at all at present. We are also hauling vanloads of holly, Oregon grape, blackberry and hawthorne away, measuring for window screens we will be building in April and refinishing an old book case.

What’s the biggest project you haven’t started yet?

Well, we are still trying to decide on paint colour. Everyone who visits the cottage remarks on how nice the white is! The latest thought is to consider painting the window frames and doors in two shades of blue and leave the walls white. My two posts on paint colour get views every day, so I feel some additional pressure to move on this. If your readers want to weigh in, they can view pictures and discussion and leave a comment here:

http://cottagerswife.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/colour-input-wanted/

And here:

http://cottagerswife.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/paint-colour-update/

Another major project looming is the kitchen ceiling. It has a goopy textured ceiling that we are planning to cover over with painted pine tongue and groove. Now that better weather is expected, that project might wait until autumn, since there is a whole list of outdoor projects.

Is there a room or area in your house that you love the most? Why?

The front room and front deck together form a wonderful indoor/outdoor space. Even in poor weather I find myself constantly drawn outside to look at the sky and the sea. I can’t wait for some really nice, warm weather when we can hang out on the deck with friends and a bucket of cold beer or have bonfires on the nearby beach.

Would you buy your house again? (Why/why not)

We are still in the honeymoon phase so definitely yes! I think we got lucky in that we found a fairly unique property and at an affordable price. We really like the community and look on this as an opportunity to assess whether we might some day like to retire there.

While just two hours from our home, it feels like a real getaway. We don’t have internet or cable TV at the cottage, and the phone rarely rings. This has already enabled us to have some great family times there, and we haven‘t even begun to explore the hiking, biking and sailing opportunities in the area.

What made you decide to start a house blog? (Q: from Aimee’s Interview)

I sleep better believing that the swift advance of technology has not yet left me in the dust: I blog, therefore I am.

Actually, I just love to write, and I am inspired by my new property and by the ideas and enthusiasm shared by other house bloggers. My blog also allows far-away friends and relatives to follow our progress.

What question should I ask the next interviewee?

Maybe, at the beginning, an Introduce Yourself section where the interviewee can tell a bit about themselves - whatever they want to say but possibly including info such as age group, location, profession, family composition, other hobbies, where they were born, something unique about the individual that has nothing to do with houses or blogs.

Would you like to add anything else?

Thanks for this opportunity to talk about my house and blog. Aside from all the great ideas and advice that I get from blogs like yours, I am really enjoying the opportunity to connect with people with similar interests in far-away places. Cheers!

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Lisa, thanks again for letting us into your world!   Everyone else, follow some of the links to Lisa’s Cottage and check it out.

If you’re interested in doing the next houseblogger interview, just send us an e-mail @ oneprojectcloser@gmail.com.