Remodel

When we purchased the cottage on December 10th , 2020, we knew it needed some updating. The 6 Elliotts leaned into it hard the first year and a half as COVID limited the normalcy of everyday life. This was a perfect retreat for the weekend warrior in us – not too far, not too close, adjacent to Bob and Pat’s place, and close to the hardware / lumber store. The remodel was a big family effort, but when we needed extra skills, expertise, and tools, we enlisted the help of Dave Jakubowski, Gavin Tack, and Eric Hasselberger in their appropriate trades. The demo / remodel was extensive. The fact that this was a cottage afforded us the opportunity to undertake a wholesale remodel at once. With Bob and Pat’s cabin to stay at next door, along with “my Dad’s great set of tools” this was possible.

The Great Room

  • Removed carpeting, padding, linoleum, and thousands of staples

  • Sanded and finished floors in bedroom, family room, and sunroom

  • Removed slate tile (half circle) in front of fireplace

  • Removed fireplace inserts

  • Sanded, stained, and polyurethaned logs

  • Installed new tongue and groove on ceiling

  • Installed new outlets in loft

  • Installed 5 new floor outlets in family room and 3 in sunroom

Before

After

Master Bedroom

  • Removed paneling and furring strips from wall

  • Removed built in dresser and cabinets

  • Removed carpet from closet wall

  • Removed built in closet

  • Sanded walls; stained and polyurethaned walls and ceilings

  • Installed dimmable lights in bedroom

  • Removed carpet, linoleum, and staples (lots and lots of staples)

  • Sanded and refinished floor

  • Installed 3 floor outlets

  • Re-chinked gaps

  • Painted chinking

  • Installed new handrailing around basement door

  • Installed new operable windows on the east and south walls

  • Painted south wall

  • Insulated attic

Before

After

Kitchen / Entry

  • Removed famous anchor carpeting

  • Removed ramp to kitchen

  • Removed all plumbing and electrical

  • Removed two layers of linoleum and staple

  • Removed cabinets, stove, microwave, and fridge

  • Installed vintage barn lumber on walls

  • New doors

  • Installed new slate tile floor with in-floor heat

  • Installed new recessed lighting, drywall, and insulation

  • Installed new kitchen cabinets, counters, sink

  • Installed new kitchen appliances – microwave, stove, dishwasher, and refrigerator

Before

After

Bath

  • Removed two layers of linoleum and staples

  • Removed toilet, sink, and shower

  • Removed all plumbing and electrical

  • Removed slider door

  • Installed vintage barn lumber on walls

  • New doors

  • Installed new doors, vanity, shower, cabinet

  • Installed new slate tile floor with in-floor heat

  • Installed new recessed lighting, drywall, and insulation

Before

After

Basement

  • Removed ceiling (expanded polystyrene), paneling off walls, fluorescent lights,

  • plumbing, electrical and baseboard heat

  • Removed brick wall to the left of fireplace

  • Painted ceiling, and fireplace

  • Installed new 2” x 4” studded wall around outside; insulated and plasticized

  • Installed wall to form a bedroom in northwest corner of basement

  • Installed walls to form a laundry room and bathroom in basement

  • Removed bathroom (cinder block wall), 4” x 4” tile, plumbing, and laundry sink

  • Installed new shower, toilet, and vanity

  • Installed new tile with in-floor electric heat

  • Installed new head-to head beds with trundles beneath

  • Installed new built-in armoire

  • Trimmed out support poles in basement

  • Installed new finishes on all walls – old barn lumber and ship lap siding

  • Installed new recessed lights throughout basement

Before

After

Infrastructure

  • Moved electrical panel from bedroom cupboard to basement utility room

  • Buried power line from road back to home

  • Installed auto transfer switch to transfer to generator power

  • Installed new 140’ well

  • Moved furnace into “utility” room by back room

  • Installed new baseboard heat radiators throughout

  • Installed WiFi

  • Removed light pole by lake

  • Removed 2 satellite dishes

  • Removed 6-8’ of asphalt pavement on landing

  • Sanded, caulked, primed, and painted exterior of home

  • Installed new metal roof, fascia, and copper gutters

  • Installed brickwork around grill

Landscaping

  • Installed fire pit by lake

  • Installed 20 lavender plants up stairway

  • Planted 10 spruce tree saplings and 1 large river birch

  • Planted sedum, hostas, hydrangeas, lilacs, lilies, wildflowers, and ornamental grasses

  • Removal of dead hemlock tree

Game Room

Before

During (in progress)


Demolition

Charlie & George exposing the natural log cabin

Tommy singe-handedly carrying a fridge

Deconstruction of the bathroom was a multi-day effort involving monkey wrenches, jack hammers, and crow bars

John disassembling the kitchen piping

A couple fun finds of the previous owner came out of the woodwork (literally) as demolition progressed

Marion Blickle's wedding ring, pearls, marriage certificate, newspaper, and a medal

Fred and Marion's marriage certificate

A string of pearls

Our new family favorite apron

A couple fun finds of the previous owner came out of the woodwork (literally) as demolition progressed

Construction and Key Projects

Great Room Chandelier

After compiling a collection of around 60 antlers, Jody used an existing chandelier as the skeleton around which antlers were carefully woven. It has become a centerpiece of the cottage great room.

Key Contributor: Jody Elliott

Great Room Kitchen Table

This table was made in 2022 by John and George Elliott. Recycling old barn wood for much of the table, the two

Key Contributors: John and George Elliott

Log Cabin Walls

Countless hours went into exposing, sanding, re-chinking, varnishing, and painting log walls of the cottage to restore their natural beauty.

Key Contributors: John, Jody, Charlie, George, Maggie, and Henry

Landscaping

Key Contributors: Jody, John, and Maggie Elliott as well as Mike and JoAnne Tressler

Cottage Beds

Constructed from scratch, the two main beds as well as the bunk/trundle beds were all constructed by John Elliott with a combination of recycled and new wood to create naturally-inspired frames which beautifully complement the natural log cabin walls.

Key Contributor: John Elliott

Bison Skull

Now hanging over the mantle in the great room, this centerpiece was recovered from the bank of a creek bed in South Dakota. After being carried almost ten miles back to the car, this twenty-pound skull was brought back to Wisconsin where it was cleaned and later repurposed as a decorative element in the (next door) Elliott cabin. Upon completion of the Elliott Cottage, it was moved to where it is today.

Key Contributors: George and Maggie Elliott