The Beginning

I love old houses.  There’s just something about them that makes me happy the minute I walk through the door.  Maybe it’s the ghosts of all the people and time gone by that resonates there, but whatever the reason, I’m most comfortable in an old house.  My favorite old houses are the abandoned, derelict ones with all of their original details there just waiting for someone to rescue them.

This is my story about my little old house in San Juan Capistrano.  My husband and I bought our 1915 cottage in 2000 and over the past 12 years we have built a new garage/art studio with studio apartment above in behind our little house.  We did most of the work ourselves, only hiring out the plumbing and electrical and some of the framing.

 

 

 

 Original garage with dirt floor.  Held together by way of termites all holding hands.

 Husband.

 I wanted the building to look a similar age as our cottage, so I salvaged old doors and windows and found antique lighting and hardware and went as far as using antique ceiling fans that I had restored.

 

 Upstairs new building - studio apartment.

 And after the dust settled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Now, finally we get to the fun part … working on our house!  I have waited 12 years and have stockpiled a small trailer-full of salvaged parts and I’m ready for the fun to begin.