While we can’t wait to be in the main house—and would love to see that vision come together ASAP—we’re making the cottage the priority. For a lot of reasons, but mainly because renting hasn’t been “fun” since we were 22 and moved into a brand-new apartment in downtown Dallas. We want to give the main house the attention it deserves, but we have no desire to live in a construction zone. So, renters we are. Thankfully, our contractor also happens to be our landlord, and he’s a dream to rent from. BUT—it’s still hard to feel at home when it’s not really yours. At least for me.
It will be a year (from the time we started) before we’re officially residents of the Tudor on Sixth, so right now our focus is the cottage. The plan is to live on-site there while finishing the main house. Long-term, the goal is to turn the cottage into our dream Airbnb, so we’re not skimping on the finishes. I want it to feel like a home away from home—a fun, quirky step back in time—for our guests when that day comes.
The cottage was originally (from what we can tell) part garage, part living quarters for domestic help. Nuggett Hill lore and doorbells in the walls and floors that ring to the cottage say so anyway. Later, the living quarters were converted into a laundry room with a full bath. It had a very… “distinct” smell that reminded me of the Carthage City Pool when I was little. I’ve yet to decide if that’s a good or bad thing. You can almost smell it from the photos…
Either way, it smells like sawdust and drywall now, and we’re not mad about it.
Challenges so far: Not a huge one, but for months we were perplexed about where the hole in our fireplace was. The bottom of the structure (inside, covered by paneling) faced one way, while the top (visible from outside) faced another. And with two flues, we assumed it was a double-sided fireplace. Which—how cool would that have been? But upon demo, we found not two, not one, but zero holes. None.
We finally brought in a mason to drill a small opening in our apparently non-functional fireplace to see what, if anything, was inside (dead bodies? pirate treasure?).
And here is where I attempted to video the cutting of the final hole and was immediately dusted out of the building.
It’s not like we had no holes, though. There was a giant one in the back of the garage portion. Lucky us—Challenge #2. At some point, someone cut out a very large hole, added a bump-out with a bricked bottom, wood walls, and a screwed-shut metal lid. Another mystery. It provided endless conversations, wild guesses about its purpose, and, of course, lots of water leaks. My personal guess was buried treasure or a body disposal site (but maybe I’ve just watched too many episodes of Buried in the Backyard). Regardless, it’s been sealed up and is now just a boring brick wall.
Actual treasures found: The cottage has a full attic, and one afternoon after a long day of yard work, we decided to see what was up there. Sadly, no gold. No pirates, Goonies, or Outer Banks teenagers. But we did find some gems from the original owners: two World War II cots (which we plan to repurpose in the cottage and main house—can’t promise comfort, but they’ll look cool), several large glass bottles, and many of Mrs. Martin’s music books. We also uncovered a beautiful green slatted screen (green is both my favorite color and the house’s favorite color—don’t ask) and an adorable wooden children’s potty. Not sure that’ll make it onto display, but the rest will definitely find a home in our décor.
Back to the plans: We’ll be converting the entire structure—garage and apartment—into just over 700 sq. ft. of living space, complete with a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bath, plus a decent-sized closet and laundry room. While the layout will be much different than its original use, I want the finishes to reflect the main house. We’ll reuse wood paneling, hardware, and light fixtures from the main house, and fill in with period-appropriate pieces where we can’t salvage originals.
Favorite recycled elements so far? The pink bathtub from our upstairs bathroom and the original cottage sink. Both are almost 100 years old, and I am IN LOVE. The tub is pristine, and the sink is getting a good scrubbing and refinish to look perfectly “new/old.”
Overall, we’re adding wood floors, timeless marble tile (that I am OBSESSED with), and a color scheme that echoes the house but in playful new ways. We even added an archway between the living room and kitchen to mirror the Tudor arches we’ll eventually bring into the main kitchen.
Right now, I’m stuck between several wallpapers for the bedroom. I want something timeless, beautiful, masculine and feminine at once, and—boring but necessary—durable. It’s been a challenge, but I’m close.
Where we are now? We’re probably at least a month away from moving into the cottage, but things are finally picking up. The biggest holdup has been the windows, which are running six weeks out from the order date. Once those arrive, progress should speed up.
What I’m most excited about? Seeing my dreamy marble floors with the green kitchen cabinets. In the next few days, I’ll share room-by-room finishes and some of the furnishings I’ve been collecting. We’ve got another Canton trip on the calendar and (fingers crossed) a Round Top run this fall—greatest place on Earth, prove me wrong.
I’m trying to document these trips on socials, but posting has been in a consistent battle with my ADHD and my desire to just live in the moment. I also gaslight myself into thinking no one cares about all this—but I’ve actually found a few weirdos like me who do, and I love those connections.
That said, I’ll probably always be behind, but always excited to share this journey—both here on the blog and on socials. Next up: teaching myself Planner 5D so I can finally show the “powers that be” the magic living in my head for this little cottage of ours.