This cute as a button country cottage had been languishing behind a veritable jungle of wild garden in one of the prime streets of Berry, a cute as a button country town on the coast two hours south of Sydney. With a couple of clever architectural manoeuvres, we were able to transform it from a forlorn and forgotten little house, to a light-filled, beautiful home.
We started by gutting the laundry and single bathroom and reconfiguring the floor plan of that side of the house to accomodate a smaller, more stream lined galley laundry next to the kitchen, and divided the remaining space to create a good sized main bathroom and an ensuite for the mater bedroom. We then completely refurbished the kitchen, taking out an old Agar like stove, and closing off the room from the laundry, to which it originally, bizarrely, opened!
The fireplace in the living room was a monstrosity - not only did it take up a considerable portion of the footprint of the room, but it clearly hadn’t ever drawn well and consequently, the mantlepiece was charred and we were amazed the house had never caught fire!
By removing the fireplace and the wall behind it which had formed an entry hall at the front door, we were able to push the living space back against the wall of the first bedroom. We then installed a gas fireplace in that wall so that the room and indeed the whole house, could be warmed by the smokeless logs that sit safely in their box posing no threat to anyone!!
The front door was removed and a new front door unit in the style of the old french doors was positioned on the other side of the house by the kitchen. The old french doors we removed to make that possible, we repositioned back where the front door had been - if that makes any sense!! In effect, we ended up with the three original sets of french doors (one repositioned) and a new unit front door unit, along with an original wide window to create a room that felt airy and light and large, where previously it had been cold, cramped, and closed. Interior lights were all replaced in favour of down lights and DC ceiling fans, and feature exterior lighting was installed, as was a reticulation system.
Tiled flooring is cold, cold, cold, which is why it is so popular in warmer climate. But on the south coast, this was a feature we needed to remedy with carpet. The result is a warmer and cosier feel that is lighter than the awful dark tiles and so much quieter to live in. All the woodwork in the cottage was unpainted and the timber had, over time, dried out and looked dark, dusty and dreary. The poor painters we engaged probably never want to SEE a french door or multi-paned window again, let alone paint one! It was a huge and fiddly job to paint the multiple coats required to bring the desired finish we see now.
Outside too, the timber had been left unpainted and the pavers on the veranda were unsealed - so out they went to make way for a new appreciation of concrete and more painting! The fence and garden were spruced up, with many failing shrubs and scraggly trees removed to let the sunlight in on a new garden and lawns.
So now this cute as a button cottage is as bright as a button, sitting pretty in its Berry lovely neighbourhood!
