The remodeled entry facade has a more cottagey look.
Located on the north shore of Lake Wisconsin, near Merrimac, this vacation cottage was originally designed in a half-timber chalet style. The owners' goals were to change the exterior style, expand the kitchen, add a bedroom and 3-season room and replace the flat-roofed garage.
My clients' original idea was to add a bedroom suite above the garage, but I showed them how a new bedroom could be tucked under the kitchen addition instead, resulting in a smaller overall addition and eliminating the need to run plumbing and heating to the garage.
The "before" picture below shows the half-timber chalet style, reflected in applied trim boards and Swiss-style railing. A deck wrapped around all four sides of the cottage, but only the lake-facing side was ever used. The flat roof above the garage on the left side appeared to be designed as an outdoor seating area but had fallen into disrepair.
The "after" picture above shows the style transformation that occurred by eliminating most of the wraparound deck, replacing the original railings with cable railings and changing the original stucco on the upper level of the house to lap siding and shakes. The new exterior color scheme of french blue with accents of white and pale gray gives a more nautical feel to the house.
My clients' original idea was to add a bedroom suite above the garage, but I showed them how a new bedroom could be tucked under the kitchen addition instead, resulting in a smaller overall addition and eliminating the need to run plumbing and heating to the garage.
The "before" picture below shows the half-timber chalet style, reflected in applied trim boards and Swiss-style railing. A deck wrapped around all four sides of the cottage, but only the lake-facing side was ever used. The flat roof above the garage on the left side appeared to be designed as an outdoor seating area but had fallen into disrepair.
The "after" picture above shows the style transformation that occurred by eliminating most of the wraparound deck, replacing the original railings with cable railings and changing the original stucco on the upper level of the house to lap siding and shakes. The new exterior color scheme of french blue with accents of white and pale gray gives a more nautical feel to the house.
The original entry facade looked dated and worn.
The original kitchen was small and cut off from the living / dining room. The west addition more than doubles the size of the kitchen and creates a new dining area with tall windows wrapping around two sides. The new kitchen extension has 9' ceilings. The original exterior wall of the kitchen has been replaced with strategically located posts and beams, making the kitchen and dining extension very open to the living room.
The original kitchen was very small.
The updated original kitchen has been given more character with a beadboard ceiling and rustic beams; glass-front cabinets replace the original soffits.
The addition (left and middle of photo) more than doubles the size of the kitchen.
The dining area was initially part of the living room.
The new dining area is within the addition and has tall windows on two sides, giving it lots of sunshine and great views of the lake.
Here is a closer look at the original chalet style.
Engineered lap siding and shakes, crisp cable railings and a new color scheme gives a whole new look to the house.
Lowering the grade between the house and the garage placed the entry walkway at the same level as the back patio, eliminating the need to walk up a set of stairs to get from the back patio to the entry stair.
Before the grade change, flow between the front and back of the cottage was obstructed by an exterior stair (seen on the right side of the photo).
The new posts supporting the deck have a more formal style. The scallops between the posts conceal an under-deck drainage system.
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