Shabby Chic Mantle for the Cabin

There was an old farmhouse not far from our home that had to be demolished and we were lucky enough to get one of the mantles.

This mantle was in need of some attention. We took it to the cabin and I worked on it there. 

Ready for attention

Sorry about the shadows; it makes it easy to tell whether The Husband or I took the pictures. Guess who is not the photographer!

Lots of layers of peeling and chipping paint.

This was a job to clean up and restore. There was multiple layers of dirt and paint. All those layers of paint were also lead based so I needed to work outdoors and wear proper protective gear. The top paint layer was white and I wanted to remove that layer. Then there was a light yellow layer, a darker yellow and then a blue gray paint. Not to mention the many colors around the sides from each time a room was painted a new color.

This was the layer of white coming off using a paint stripper. Then I started sanding to achieve the shabby chic look I was after. 

So, I sanded and sanded.

and sanded some more!

After I had sanded to just the look I was looking for I gave it two coats of polyurethane.

The carpenter then installed this on the bathroom wall. I plan on putting the clawfoot tub in front of it. I was really pleased with how the mantle turned out. Thanks Rosetta!

The bathroom is starting to take shape and I can't wait for it to be finished. Next, we install the clawfoot tub.  

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Cabin Bathroom Part II

In my last bathroom post we had emptied the bathroom to the 

framing and had the whitewashed tongue and groove ceiling installed. 

Lots more changes are happening and it's really starting to come together. 

New walls were put up. Hooray for walls! A recessed medicine 

cabinet was installed in the wall. A set of upper cabinets were 

rescued from the kitchen and installed on the wall over the 

new commode. Then it was time to get busy priming.It's so 

much easier to paint if you don't have to worry about the trim work! 

I can't decide what my favorite part of the bathroom will be but I am in love with the new floor! We got 10" wide plank flooring for the bathroom. We stained it before it was put down and we will put floor finish on it when the rest of the work is complete. The floor appears rustic and looks like its always been there;, even without the final finish it is beautiful.

Then the new toilet went in. I'm sure going to miss that old "rock and roll" toilet. Yea, right! The tank is still not on in this picture for ease of painting. We got the primer coats on but the final paint still needed to be completed.

I'm so in love with it already and it's not finished! How about that floor? Isn't she a beauty?

Now it was time to get busy with the final wall paint. At this point we are still managing to stay ahead of the trim work installation. The bathroom will have an old claw foot bathtub and an antique mantle when it's complete. I decided to do a textured wall treatment to keep the vintage them going. This took a bit of extra time but was well worth the effort. I was very pleased with the end result. 

Below is an up close photo of the wall texture. I may also do this same wall treatment in another room of the cabin. Just ignore the shadow, my camera and I weren't agreeing that day but it looks like an old plaster wall.

The wall painting is complete. The cabinet doors were removed

for painting and still need to be finished but the room is now 

ready for the trim to be installed. 

What a difference! There is still more work to come but its made an amazing transformation already.

More updates to come. 

Mountain Belle

Bathroom Update Part I

The cabin bathroom was so ugly and scary when we purchased the cabin that I still shudder when I think about it. It has been a long process but we almost have it completed. The bathroom has involved so much work and has made such drastic changes it will take multiple posts to give all the details.

This is what we started with:

This is the bathroom in its original glory

The shower was so flimsy it was more of a liner then an actual shower. If you slipped in this shower the whole shower would probably come down around you.Sound like fun?

This counter was made from 2x4's and tile. There was a curtain across the lower half but I tossed it before I remembered to take the photo. 

Below is my personal favorite. I call it the "rock and roll" toilet. Seriously, if someone sat down on the toilet it would pitch forward and attempt to throw the unlucky individual onto the floor. It was a rare treat! I'm going to miss that rock and roll toilet. Not!!!

This bathroom needed lots of help. There was nothing we saved
in this bathroom except the studs in the wall.The photo below is
a rug that was on the floor when we bought the cabin. The
cabin had been deserted for so long that the mice took
most of the rug. Yuck! We actually put the rug to the side
and tossed around the idea of framing a piece of it to remind
us how far we had come in the remodeling. About half way
through the bathroom demolition we were so over that idea
that it no longer seemed funny. That the rug was tossed.
Bye bye rug!

I know y'all are all jealous about right now. I couldn't type
that with a straight face! Needless to stay we gutted the
bathroom all the way to the bare studs and started over.

After demolition it was already an improvement to me.
I was actually excited to see nothing but a framed wall
and insulation. While the walls are being torn apart
we opted to put the same white washed tongue and
groove pine on the ceiling that we were using for the
vaulted ceiling in the living area. The ceiling looks
great; my photo does not do it justice. A new overhead
light fixture was installed. I had to allow room for a shower
rod system I had made for the claw foot tub so no chandilier
for this bathroom but it still looks great.   

This room is starting to come together. Next we tackled
the walls and floors. More updates to come!
.

Mountain Belle

Cabin Windows and Doors

I know I'm behind on the cabin updates and I apologize. We
have been very busy with the cabin. Between our jobs and
working on the cabin whenever we can we have been going
non-stop. When I was home long enough to possibly post I was
behind here or just exhausted.Please accept my apologies. I'll
get you up to date on all our changes. I have lots of posts to write!  

The outside of the cabin has really come along way. The last
exterior photos I posted showed the paint colors we were using
but since then we have made even more changes.

Cabin after exterior color and before new windows 

The new windows and patio doors have been delivered and
installation is complete. It is really making a big difference have
the old windows replaced. Of course nothing is ever just a simple
job. We made some changes in the existing window and door
configuration so openings had to be resized.  The front of the
cabin had 2 patio doors. We decided to replace with 1 patio
door and 2 side accent windows. The double window on the
front was shortened to be above kitchen counter height inside.
The kitchen sink in the new kitchen will go under that set of windows.                                                                                                                                             

                        

 

 

 

                                

After the openings were resized they needed to be primed and
painted multiple times. The Husband got busy with his paint brush.

We also had several new window openings added. We had two
awning style windows added to the back of the house on our
bedroom wall.

awning windows added to bedroom    

We also added 2 awning windows in each gable end of the
cabin. These windows will be a great air flow benefit as they
can remain open during rain and the extra light they allow has
made a big difference.

We are having a flood light added above the awning window
which is what those wires are for. The acreen door is new but
the main door and the trim around it are still waiting to be replaced.
I'm still holding out for the right door; giving the old one a paint
job till then. I'll find it .... soon I hope!

From this:

To this:

Yes, that is snow you see!

More updates coming. We have been really busy!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

vintage clawfoot tub and antique farmhouse sink

I have a wish list for the cabin and two things on my list are a claw foot tub and a vintage farmhouse kitchen sink. Luck would have it that I found a sink and tub at the same time so I took off with the truck and went after my haul.

I have my heart set on installing a claw foot tub in the cabin bathroom.  I have been watching and shopping around. They either needed lots of restoration work or were way too pricey for a cabin. I stuck with my shopping till I found one.

I also really wanted a vintage farmhouse kitchen sink, the kind with the big sink and the built in drain boards on the side.  The sink was much harder to find than the tub but I finally found one of those too. It's 24" wide with 2 drain boards on each side. The entire sink is 54" long.  It's a big one and I love it! It needs some minor repair and it is going to be gorgeous.

These are going to look awesome when we are able to get them installed. I can't wait!

Now we just have to get them all the way to the top of the mountain. Any volunteers?

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Cabin Remodel Part 1

our not so attractive ceiling       

First on our remodel list was to remove the  standard 8' ceiling and raise it to make the space feel more open.  So we had the carpenter start taking the ceiling and insulation down on one section so we could take a peek.

Our original plan was to leave all the trusses exposed and paint them; sadly that look was not to be. The trusses had ugly wood plates since it was built before metal plates were used. The trusses themselves were all rough cut lumber. This meant they all had pieces of insulation stuck to them and they were going to have to ALL be de-fuzzed and groomed before we could paint them and all the rough cut wood was going to be a real pain to paint; pink fuzz not the look I was going for.

It was going to be an extremely time consuming project so the original plan was vetoed. If it hadn't been for all that pink fuzz I was going to sic Darth Vader and his power spray painter on those trusses. I think those cool exposed trusses need to be planned for at time of construction and not after the fact.

It all worked out because I had a Plan B! (actually Mr. Carpenter did …. shhhh). We decided to have the ceiling re-engineered and vault it. Good idea Mr. Carpenter; let's do it.

So, we began the long process of reworking the ceiling, supports and preparing for a tongue and groove vaulted pine ceiling. I have never learned to do things the simple way and decided that the pine needed a subtle white washing before being installed. I began experimenting with different colors and options till I found the one I liked. Subtle but pretty. Then….. the wood arrived. All the ceiling boards needed to be whitewashed and all the exterior trim pieces I had wanted needed to be primed and painted. Oh no!!! What was I thinking? I have to whitewash and paint all of those?

While the new supports and trusses are being taken care of I am up to my ears in boards to whitewash. 

The Husband took this photo because he thought my "backside" would give folks an idea of how big that stack of wood really is by using my backside for comparison. Very, VERY funny!

Somewhere in New England there is lovely old covered bridge with very wide boards. The Husband used this same measurement technique (my backside) to show how BIG the boards were. Ha Ha!       

Thank goodness Mrs. Carpenter came to my rescue. She helped me whitewash board after board after board. She is actually there more than I am so she has actually whitewashed more than I have. Thank you Mrs. Carpenter!!!!! I was proud of myself when I finally finished all the exterior corner trim pieces (that were on site) to go on the cabin. Then …. Mr. Carpenter informs me that more are coming; all the new window trim pieces. Sigh, this is going to take a while folks.

Tongue & Groove boards before whitewashing      

After whitewashing. I'm really liking it.      

While I am up to my elbows  in painting and whitewashing Mr. Carpenter is wanting me to make decisions . Where do I want lights, where do I want switches, how do I want to ceiling boards to run. The nerve of that man! If you have ever built or remodeled a home then you know what I'm talking about.  I was about ready to do my best Linda Blair imitation. He just stood there smiling waiting for me to process and decide.  All I could think was "where is the chocolate"?  During most of this The Husband is doing the power spray painting and his Darth Vader act. All we got out of him (when he would stop to talk) was "whatever she says" in his Darth Vader voice. I don't think Darth Vader ever said those words.

Trim painting and ceiling board whitewashing are rolling along and the new windows and doors arrived  have arrived.  Hooray!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Cabin Living Area

This is where I hope to put a cute wood cook stove, when I find it

Before remodeling      

The cabin work continues, we have made lots of progress but we still have LOTS to do.

I have been writing so far about all the exterior progress and all the work The Husband has been doing. I have been working too, really! My work has been focused on the cabin interior; I leave The Husband outside with the bears.

The cabin was purchased "as is" which means there was a lot of stuff left behind in addition to the repair work that needed to be done.  There was a lot of linens, mattresses, rugs, miscellaneous household items, basically just lots of stuff. Also, the cabin had been abandoned for a while and the mice had decided to move in. One day while cleaning a large closet I got a "feeling" that I was being watched. Sure enough, sitting up high on a shelf was a mouse watching me and he had a really big smug grin on his face. BIG YUCK!

this is a job for a BIG trash can    

Big BIG trashcan   

I sorted, ripped up carpet, bagged up the discards and cleaned everything I could; the discard pile rapidly grew.  After many pickup loads and a large utility trailer full, we finally have the bulk of everything removed from the cabin. Do you know a mattress and box springs is very heavy? The last time I tried to help The Husband carry a mattress and box spring he said I tried to kill him. This time there were only a couple steps involved so he remains alive and unharmed.  

Then I had to have a heart to heart talk with the mice; they didn't appreciate me cancelling their lease!

I did all that cabin cleaning so it could become a  construction zone covered in sawdust, tools, paint and wood… sigh. I feel better with all the "chocolate sprinkles" cleaned up though! Construction will be going on for a while and the mice are currently evicted. I know the mice are outside plotting their revenge against me but for now I'm winning so don't burst my bubble yet. 

Panic attack .... I mean strategic planning mode      

Now time for the real fun began; we brought in a carpenter to start the remodeling process. Hooray!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

The Mountain Cabin

When we first found the cabin we had to park at the end of the lane and walk up a winding path to the cabin. No one had been there for a while and the forest was trying to take it all back; it was too closed in for a vehicle without getting a paint job messed up.

After making our way down the long driveway we made it to the cabin.  Awwww….. poor thing! It was sitting there in the middle of the woods and barely visible. The forest was trying to take it back too. We were instantly smitten! The cabin was sitting there all hidden in the woods waiting for someone to love it again.

In spite of the years of neglect the structure was sound and we knew it had lots of potential. The view was spell binding off the front deck. The elevation on the deck of this cabin is 4412'. At this elevation the climate can be harsh and cabins need to be maintained promptly so they can weather the harsh winter. The cabin was needing some attention. 

So, we bought it and jumped right in. Because winter comes early at that elevation we started on the outside as quickly as we could before the first snowfall comes. The Husband power washed the house, storage building and all the decking. This took a couple trips to the cabin to complete but made a huge difference. 

Look at the difference the power washing made to the deck

  

Power washed cabin .... already looking better      

 Once we had this step completed it was time to paint. The Husband wasn't thrilled with my plan for the cabin paint job but he followed through with it. Thanks goodness for his power spray painter. Whew!

Two coats of primer went on first. 

Then 2 coats high gloss enamel. 

The Husband wasn't sure he needed to paint that last coat of paint. The carpenter suggested he could wait till spring and see how the one coat held up. The Husband liked that idea.  Then the carpenter said "if it needs another coat then you can paint it again but in the spring you will have to tape all the windows and doors because the news ones will have been installed". The Husband didn't like that thought; he muttered a bit but he did the second coat of paint. We started calling The Husband "Darth Vader" because he wore a respirator while painting and sounded just like Darth Vader.  The force was with him; two coats of primer and two coats of paint later Darth Vader was finally finished painting the main color on the cabin. It was well worth his effort; the siding is well protected and feels great.  

The little ugly duckling is changing everyday    

 After the painting was complete Darth Vader confessed his secret. He only painted the storage building one coat; "I want to see which paint job lasts longer".  Hmmmm ….. storage building protected by trees vs. cabin on side of mountain taking the brunt of the weather and wind? No fair! No wonder Darth Vader was a villain.

When the windows come in the cabin will really start to look great. I can't wait. Now I have to work out a front door color.  I wonder if Darth Vader has any suggestions? 

The carpenter has started replacing the trim boards, which I have already painted white. I can't wait to see them all up. He should start putting in new windows next week. Once the ugly brown windows are replaced with the new white vinyl ones it's going to look sharp. I can't wait!

There is lots more to come.

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle