Carolina Cottage Demo

Carolina Cottage Demo Week 10,000

The Carolina Cottage demo is coming to an end! If we’re being honest here I am pretty sure something else somewhere along the way will need to be demolished! I appreciate that ya’ll helped name this little house somethin’ cute, but right now we have some other names for her {aka Crack Cottage and Agony Abode!} I see your potential ol’ girl, but it’s going to take a little more than sweet TLC to get ya there.

Ok, so it hasn’t really been 10,000 weeks, but sort of feels like. This week I had to bring in the big guns and start drinking. Drinking C4 pre-workout that is. I used to drink this stuff when I was into weight lifting (now I just lift bricks and heavy beams evidently.) Usually I can get by with my trusty Nespresso, but truly gutting this house required something just a little bit stronger.

Kitchen Down

This week we completely gutted the kitchen (!). This was a first for me. I have renovated kitchens before (see the post on our “Little House“), but a gut job, no way. My plan from the start was to just remove all the old cabinetry and shelving to convert it to a mudroom . When we started in on the kitchen we quickly realized there was a ton of rot in the exterior wall so the whole thing had to go. I’m actually excited about this development (even though it was a beast to do), because I was able to add on a flex space. The home’s layout will be better and whoever ends up renting will have a flexible space they can use for an office, extra space for wardrobe, a pantry, etc. Thats the great thing about a flex room, it can be whatever you need it to be.

You all know how I love Facebook Marketplace (I mean, that’s how I found this house after all). I actually found an entire kitchen cabinetry set on Marketplace that we will complete this kitchen with (amazing, right?!) Remember, this is going to be a rental and not our forever home, so I don’t want to go broke here. This is a true Janky to Swanky project if there ever was one!

Hidden Treasures

As we’ve been pulling back walls, we’ve uncovered some cool newspaper clippings, ads for Duke’s Mayo (the best) and pretty wallpaper. It’s all so old and some layered on top of each other, it makes it so hard to pull full pieces off, but we have snippets at least. While finding all these hints at the past, I can’t help but wonder about the people who’ve lived in this home over the past 80+ years. It’s amazing how our homes can really tell our stories, long after we are gone.

This little home we are renovating is actually one of three residences that were used by a Doctor and his family a long time ago. The Doctor worked at the nearby Insane Asylum which used to be in view of these three homes before they tore the facility down. Interesting, right?

The Couple Who Demos Together, Stays Together.

Once we are past this demo and I can possibly sleep or walk again, I plan to put the best newspaper and wallpaper clippings in a shadow box to honor the home and remind us of the work we’ve done. Speaking of work, ya’ll remember how I bought this house without telling Mark right? 😉 And yet, here he is, working his tail off alongside me.

Yes, we had been looking to turn a house into a rental, but he wasn’t planning on this much effort. {I mean nobody was if we’re being honest.} This has been a family affair, but really that’s it. Me, Mark, his uncle, my dad and my mother-in-law have done nearly all of it ourselves. We’re tired, but dang proud of ourselves too.

There’s something about working alongside this man as we build this home and our life together that just gets me. It’s so hard and so rewarding. We get to dream together, support each other and laugh a whole lot. It’s been reminding me of that little promise Mark made to me when we were just babies ourself.

I wouldn’t trade this for anything and I am so glad our kids get a front row seat watching us. Just have to pinch myself sometimes. Now, our kids clearly don’t think much of this little place, but you just wait and see!

Which part of the Caroline Cottage are you most looking forward to seeing complete?