So...who else lives in a "Rantage"?

[Lynzee]

I live in a ranch rambler that desperately wants to be a cottage. I know we've discussed the fact that cottage is a state of mind many times, but I think there are definitely cosmetic things we do in an effort to "transform" our ranches into cottages.

What are some of the interior and exterior changes, tweaks, touches, etc. that you have done/added to your ranch home to give it the cottage look/feel that we all seem to love so much? And what else would you like to do to the exterior and interior in order to complete the transformation?

The previous owners seemed to be heading in that direction with the exterior of our house. They added white shutters and a white "cottagy" porch rail along the L shaped front porch. They also had what I call a gingerbread screen door--which we have since removed for repairs but never reinstalled. :(

Inside, the first thing we did was paint everything white. Most of the walls which had been left in place were covered with DARK paneling and the walls which had already been painted were painted pink and burgundy. The kitchen walls had to be replaced (couldn't get the numerous layers of wallpaper off the paneling), so we replaced them with T-111 which, I realize now, was a huge mistake.

We built a window seat to fill a very awkward empty space in the dining room and added shelving above most of the windows. There are no walls to divide the kitchen, dining, living room areas, so wall space is truly at a premium. The rest of the "cottage look" is created with furnishings and decorative items, but I just think there could be so much more.

Anyone else?

[CohenCottage]

My parents had this dilemma with their beach house and here's what they did in two stages:

stage 1 - completed at time of purchase in the mid 90s
tabby pink cinderblock exterior
turned carport into screened porch
painted everything (cabinets/walls) white
pulled up green shag carpet
refinished floors
added black/white check linoleum in kitchen
tabby ugly fireplace

stage 2 - almost done now
replaced roof (didn't change roofline)
stained concrete screen porch
added french doors to porch
new front door
total kitchen remodel
took out ceiling to raise inside, left exposed beams
replaced windows
added gas logs
updated and expanded guest bath
new plumbing, electrical, subfloor, and some floor joists

Now, it is a much more functional beach cottage! It was considered a tear down when they bought it...

[Lisa S]

Even though our house was built in the 1920's, it didn't have a ton of original character left.

First, we tried to right the wrongs. I pulled layers of painted wallpaper from the walls and ceilings and stripped the hardware from every door. We replaced the aluminum windows. I wish we could have afforded beautiful wood casement windows, but at the time we just needed windows that didn't leak ~ fast!

We added millwork. Board and batten in the dining room, painted and mahogany cabinets in the kitchen, beadboard and beams to the 1970's sunroom addition. A new stairway with big newel posts...

We furnished our house with things we love and it became our home. I love looking at my collection of red mixing bowls through the glass of the kitchen cabinets. I always wanted a church pew and found one that we cut to fit into a corner of our sunroom. It's a great place for reading a book or pulling off boots. I covered it with pillows and a throw. So cozy!

[WannaBHomemaker]

I don't know if my 1950s farmhouse counts as a ranch house or not, but in the future we plan to replace the asbestos siding (yuck!) and all the aluminum windows (yuck yuck!). All the walls except the bathroom are creamy white and the trim is brighter white. I really like it. The bathroom has a peachy tile in it that I'd love to replace with beadboard. I'd also love to replace our front door. While it is the original from the house (I think), it is almost impossible to shut or lock in the fall and winter! We have beautiful wood floors in the hallway and living room. I eventually want to put a similar colored wood laminate in the bathroom. Right now it's the original linoleum that is glued down so hard it's impossible to get off!

[annielinz]

My itty bitty ranch is a wanna be cottage...well at least in my mind.

Some of the changes we've made to help achieve this is: changing out the old aluminum windows. Removed all the fuggly popcorn ceilings and added some crown molding. Removed lots of wall paper. Painted the equally ugly kitchen cabinets off white until we can get to the Kitchen redo. Painted the brown 70's paneling in the FR. Refinished the hardwood floors. Decorated in a more cottage way and used family heirlooms (hand me downs) thru-out to bring in the feeling that the house is not a cookie cutter house but has some family history. Its a work in progress :)

[Lynzee]

I see so many things posted that are on my list!

We have aluminum windows, too, plus the previous owners had also added storm windows. What a nightmare when window cleaning time rolls around. Will definitely replace the windows someday. There are just so many of them. :eek:

We also have the popcorn ceilings. The house was built in the '74, so I'm guessing asbestos will be an issue when we get ready to remove it. I would love to remove the ceilings and expose the beams. Our ceilings are only 8' and seem to close in on us at times. Anyone have any experience with that?

The previous owners had painted the kitchen cabinets white, but that is all they did. No prep work and no primer! :eek: I did the prep work and repainted them right after we moved in, but I want to replace the uppers (all two of them) with open shelving.

Righting the wrongs was what I had in mind when we bought this place, Lisa, but it's extremely difficult to tell exactly what the original was. We have searched high and low but can find no original plans for the house and the the previous owners "can't remember", so we are guessing for the most part. :(

[Rhonda]

Hey everyone!

We too have a ranch house that we are gradually turning into a cottage. It was built in 1970 and was completely 70s when we bought it in 2002 as a repossession home - talk about a mess! Like Lisa, we removed layers of wallpaper from each and every room.

We totally gutted the 2nd bath to the studs and rebuilt it with all white fixtures and a turquoise color for the walls which makes for a striking contrast.

We remodeled the laundry room (I have pictures in my gallery here of that room, before and in progress but we still need a few touches before i can do "after" photos). All the cabinets in there are white, along with the washer and dryer. The birch paneling (nice, solid wood) was primed and painted a spa-like very light blue/green color. We built a panel/screen to hide the unsightly water heater and created some open shelf storage as a pantry with bins. It's so great!

And, we are in the process of remodeling our kitchen. So far, we've gutted all the cabinets and replaced them with solid white ones, primed/painted the solid wood birch paneling a lovely white, built open shelving and cabinets, added a recipe book shelf over the range vent, and added additional lighting. So exciting!!

I have plans for the exterior so it doesn't look like this brick rectangle. I'm not sure how quickly that will be done but we're working our way through as time and money permits. Plus, we'll need a new roof before anything else happens out there. And, the windows will need to be replaced at some point as well.

For each thing we do, though, we love our home more and more. :)

[annielinz]

Lynzee, we removed our popcorn ceilings ourselves. Our home was built in the 70's also. It was the best thing we did, it made the house feel cleaner. Those ceilings were just gross, who in their right mind thought those were attractive?! We did have someone come out and retexture and paint them but the removal was pretty easy altho a little messy.

[Lynzee]

Rhonda...your laundry room is beautiful! If I had a laundry room that looked like that, maybe I wouldn't hate doing laundry so much. :D Can't wait to see pictures of your new kitchen!

Annie...had your popcorn ceilings been painted? I think these have been painted numerous times. I've heard popcorn is more difficult to remove if it has been painted. You are so right about them being gross. I didn't realize just how bad these were until we painted all of the walls white. :eek:

:D

[Gigi]

Yep- that's what our beach house is...and we will have a waterfront wedding here in September- so we have plans to change our rambler into more of a cottage...

Phase one has started: We took a wall down between the kitchen/living room making it waterfront from the front...

Next phase: Either adding a third bedroom/bathroom or renovating the 2 car garage into a studio/cottage near the water... lots to do before September!

[cheapdiva]

we hope to finally start working on our half bath/laundry room/funny room (extra back room that is used for storage) re-do by February. The walls will come down in the bath opening it to the "funny room". Then the washer and dryer will be moved and a shower put in - creating a big 2nd full bath with laundy room combination.

[annielinz]

Lynzee, re: the popcorn ceilings--ours had never been painted, so you can imagine how dingy they were *shudder*.We had a leak in the roof and the stain it left prompted us to take action.

All we did was spray them with a water bottle and held a large box in our hand and used a spatula to scrap. We did wear masks and protective glasses.

[Rhonda]

Lynzee - thank you so much for your kind compliments! You are so right! Doing laundry in there is actually a pleasure and it used to be such a chore. I even have a little victorian style night light that I leave on at night which gives it a soft glow in there. Romance in the laundry room - so unexpected! I'll get some pics of the kitchen up soon. It's a work in progress, but sooooo much better than it was.

Gigi - that waterfront wedding sounds delightful!! You have lots to do, but I am soooo excited for you!

[Lisa S]

Gigi ~ who is getting married?

[Gigi]

My youngest son is getting married. We had a wedding at our "base" home this past May---and now another wedding at our recently purchased beach house.

I will share pics of the newer home when I get my laptop back from the shop--it has pics on it...

Lisa & everyone I will need your advice again about this wedding too!

[Lynzee]

Gigi...a wedding! That's so exciting! I love beach weddings. Sounds like you will be pretty busy in the coming months.

Maria...are you doing the work yourself? We have a room that is pretty much wasted space right now--it was originally an attached one car garage, so it's a pretty good sized room--and we want to divide it and use half as the master bedroom and add a bathroom. I would love to move my laundry into that room, as well, and free up the "pantry" in my kitchen--where they are now--to use as a breakfront. My husband seems to think plumbing will be a huge issue because of the concrete slab and the fact that all of the other plumbing is so far away. Any helpful hints/ideas you could give us would be greatly appreciated!

Annie...My husband and I talked about it over the weekend. Have decided that we will tackle the bathroom first, since it's the smallest room, and see how that goes before we commit to taking on the rest of the house. What kind of finish did you use after you removed yours?

Rhonda...I honestly think I would put a comfy chair in that laundry room and read a book while doing the laundry. Can't wait for the pictures. I love before and afters, but have found from experience that "durings" are usually the most fun. :D

[Lisa S]

Lynzee, you're husband is right (he paid me to say that!), plumbing will be an issue with a concrete slab and no existing plumbing nearby.

We looked into these toilets that can use smaller pipes and are easier to install ~ no need to rip up a concrete floor. http://www.saniflo.com

Gigi ~ another wedding! How exciting! What are your plans so far? What a compliment to you.

[Lynzee]

Thanks for the website, Lisa. It looks interesting. I will show it to BPG and see what he thinks.

[annielinz]

Lynzee, re: ceilings we used a flat finish because our lovely popcorn ceilings were only in the entry, family room, living room and hallway. Like I said we paid someone to retexture and paint. Good luck with the job and a neck massage will be in order :)

[Rhonda]

Lynzee - Oh I wish there were space in there for a chair! Wouldn't that be wonderful?! It's a really small room but the pictures may not be very good at showing that. I love the thoughts of that though. There's something about the hum of a washer or dryer that's so relaxing to me...or at least until that dryer buzzer sounds and that just about scares me to death!! LOL!

[Breezy]

We don't live in a "rantage" but we did do a lot of work on this house.

All rooms but the kitchen and bathroom dry walled
All rooms painted
New kitchen counters/sink & fixtures
New lower kitchen cupboards
New flooring for kitchen and bath
New everything for bath except tub & had it reglazed
New carpet
New furnace & a/c
Electrical wiring updated
New ceiling fans and lighting fixtures
New baseboard trim
New windows
Exterior trim and parts of exterior house painted

We sold the Victorian house - the upkeep was too much - and with that money we were able to buy our little rock bungalow and make improvements to it. This is the last house for us - it's our retirement home - easy to heat & cool - low taxes - easy to clean - it was the smartest move we've ever made! We would like to do more work on the yard now that the "big" work is done. I posted some pics of the Victorian house in my profile albums.

[Lynzee]

Thanks for the tips, Annie. I'll keep them in mind while we're working.

I love the hum of a dryer, too, Rhonda. There's something very soothing about it. And yeah, I know exactly what you mean about the buzz!

Wow! Y'all have done a lot, Linn! You must be so glad to have the "big" work done. Unfortunately, with the exception of having central heat and air installed, we have done none of the "big" stuff yet. :(

[Breezy]

Hi Lynz - yeah we did do a lot but we got the house for cheap so we were able to put back into it ~ and yep we sure are glad the "big" stuff is done whew!:)

[memmey]

GiGi another wedding! If it is anything as nice as the other then it will be gorgeous. Let us hear the details. please?:)

[Gigi]

Ms. Memmey and everyone~ Last May we hosted our oldest son's wedding on our "dry" property~ while our youngest son will host his wedding on our "beach front" home...

Here's a peek at last year's wedding...
http://underthewillowgifts.blogspot.com/2008/05/wedding-day-picturesfinally.html

It's funny because we have two homes on either side of a LARGE bridge called the Bay Bridge that links the "dry" land to the Eastern shore...and even funnier is that the bride from the shore (who married my older son) chose to get married at our home on the dry part of the Bay Bridge while the our youngest son's sweetie chose the water...

We feel blessed about all of this...our sons have and will be marrying some girls we love dearly...

Now about our rantage (love this name!)---it's a bit smaller than our main home, but it has the water and the sunset is beautiful....

So September 5th at 6:00 another wedding.... and I'll need everyone input- like I had last year!

More to come....

[chyna]

Start collecting Mason jars for candle lights. That would be so romantic to have all of these jars filled with candles lit up near the water and a pretty moon. Don't think you get much choice on the moonlight though. :p

[Gigi]

Thank you Chyna! Actually I just packed acouple cases that we used during the May wedding---you are right--they will give a romantic glow to the property.

I was lucky to have about 20 antique blue mason jars. I filled the bottom third with sand- tossed in a tea light and it looked real sweet. I'm glad I can use them again...

More ideas???? I'm ALLLLL ears----:D:p:)

I remember last year soooo many wonderful ideas from everyone....WHERE"S LADYBUG & RUBYSLIPPERS!!!!!

[annielinz]

Gigi,(that's what we called my mom).
The wedding photos were beautiful. Love how the girls wore flip flops.How special to have the wedding on your incredible property, even more exciting to host another wedding!
Do you have pictures of the beach front house? Looking forward to seeing the next event unfold.

[Rhonda]

Gigi! Those photos are adorable!! I commented on your blog but wanted to make sure I did here, too. Everyone looked so very happy!!
Rhonda

P.S. No wonder you'll be hosting another one!! I'm betting everyone likes to hang out at your place :)

[Gigi]

Annelinz- Yes flipflops! Even the bride wore them---after all she grew up in a waterfront town all her life---it was very cool!

And Rhonda~ thank you for your kind words~ it was a wonderful day! The weather was just perfect too!

[chyna]

How about along with sand you put in some sea glass and maybe shells? Me I'd toss in glitter for maximum bling but then again I'm a raven/crow by nature. :D

[Gigi]

Chyna---you are brillant! Yes some sea glass & shells---a BIG thank you! That will also set it apart from the last wedding...more "shore" like.


Hugs

[memmey]

I can mail you 2 shoe boxes full of shells. They are clean and nice. I went crazy buying shells and you surely can have them if you need them AND I don't want them back.:)

[Gigi]

Memmey~ Are you sure??? That would be sooo special. I would be more than happy to pay for postage...email me...

I was just thinkin'----about the shells and finding them....

Thank you!

[Zuzu's Garden]

Gigi - those wedding pictures were just wonderful! What a special day, and it has come true that since your youngest son caught the veil, he is the next to marry. :D

Maybe you could mix some shells in with the flower decorations too?

Zu

[Gigi]

OMGosh.........Zuzu I never thought of that!!!! You are right---he did catch the veil that day :p---and he's getting married next...it was so much fun that day- we are looking forward to adding another "girl" to the family. We are blessed-- both of our sons met lovely young ladies.

Flowers- that would be another great idea-YES- she is having blue & yellow flowers-- I will look around for some tiny flowers of such colors...you guys are the greatest!!!!

Gigi - those wedding pictures were just wonderful! What a special day, and it has come true that since your youngest son caught the veil, he is the next to marry. :D

Maybe you could mix some shells in with the flower decorations too?

Zu

[Lynzee]

I love the idea, Gigi! My husband and I had a seaside wedding and we had seashells on everything!

[Rhonda]

We had a outdoor luau rehearsal dinner and used glass jars with sand, candles and seashells inside. I think the sea glass would have been a nice addition - I can just imagine the sparkle of that candle against the sea glass!!

We also had tiki torches lit up all around the area (which also helped with any pesky mosquitos, too). It was so beautiful and so romantic :)

I love reading all these ideas!!

Rhonda

[Gigi]

Lnyzee- tell us more! I'd love to hear about your seaside wedding...

and Rhonda and outdoor lulua rehearsal dinner---omgoooodness that would be sooo much fun and festive---I am thinking Maryland crabs, etc....

[Lynzee]

What would you like to know, Gigi? I don't want to bore everyone with all of the details, but I'd be happy to answer questions if you have any.

Basically, I used a seashell that my husband found on the beach and gave to me as my inspiration in planning everything--even the color of the bridesmaid's dresses--and everything had seashells on it or in it. Let me tell you, the baker thought I was nuts! :eek: :D

[Gigi]

That is so special your husband giving you the seashell for inspiration. I love this!

What time of the day? What color were the bridemaids? And color theme? I won't be bored at all to hear anything :)

What would you like to know, Gigi? I don't want to bore everyone with all of the details, but I'd be happy to answer questions if you have any.

Basically, I used a seashell that my husband found on the beach and gave to me as my inspiration in planning everything--even the color of the bridesmaid's dresses--and everything had seashells on it or in it. Let me tell you, the baker thought I was nuts! :eek: :D

[Zuzu's Garden]

Lynz,

You wouldn't bore anyone here! We'd love to hear more. Already I love the what you've shared - how romantic!

:)
Zu

[Rhonda]

Oh Gigi! It was so much fun! We sent hawaiian invitations for the dinner and requested that everyone come in "casual Hawaiian attire" and we had our two tween nieces greeting everyone with a lei. The Hawaiian music was going in the background.

While we were eating (bar-b-q and pineapple chicken), I looked around at everyone and they were so happy and so relaxed. And, actually having fun. That made me happy because that's exactly what I wanted it to be. Our wedding the next day was a traditional formal church wedding, so the more casual the rehearsal dinner, the better :D

[Lynzee]

Y'all are so sweet. BPG and I met at the beach and dated at the beach, so it just seemed like the place to get married. I still have the seashell he gave me. :o

To answer your questions, Gigi...We were married at 6:00. We were in Florida, and it was very hot and very humid and there was a hurricane on the way. The color theme came from the shell. It is a white scallop shell with colors ranging from pink to burgundy. If the color was on the shell, I used it.

To keep this post from being long and tedious, I will post a few pictures in an album for you. :) The pictures are old and probably don't tell the color theme story accurately though. :(

[Gigi]

The wedding will be 6:00 here too! This should be close to sunset-which is over the water on the property. Very pretty.

Looking forward to seeing your pics.

Y'all are so sweet. BPG and I met at the beach and dated at the beach, so it just seemed like the place to get married. I still have the seashell he gave me. :o

To answer your questions, Gigi...We were married at 6:00. We were in Florida, and it was very hot and very humid and there was a hurricane on the way. The color theme came from the shell. It is a white scallop shell with colors ranging from pink to burgundy. If the color was on the shell, I used it.

To keep this post from being long and tedious, I will post a few pictures in an album for you. :) The pictures are old and probably don't tell the color theme story accurately though. :(

[Lynzee]

It will be so lovely, Gigi! And so special! :)

I've created an album that has a couple of pics for you.

[Gigi]

You did---wonderful. Where do I see the album :confused::rolleyes:;)

Found them....OMG they are beautiful. I LOVE the cake, the dress (so fancy) and is that a shell hanging down from the boutieu (spelling goof....)????

What a dream wedding you must have had---I just love it had a theme and such a special meaning... it will last a lifetime.

[Lynzee]

Thanks, Gigi.

That is a shell. The guys weren't thrilled but were sweet enough to wear them for me.

[Gigi]

That shows the sensitive character of the men...I think that is really sweet.

[memmey]

Geeg I'm mailing you all the shells I can find around here. You need to go to the flea markets they are full of them. Well at least around here. If you decide of shells I will help you gather them if you need me to.:)

[Lisa S]

Lynzee ~ I can't see your album. Is it still posted?

[Gigi]

Ms. Memmey~ You are such a dear...this will mean so much to me---are you sure??????? Please think twice--

Geeg I'm mailing you all the shells I can find around here. You need to go to the flea markets they are full of them. Well at least around here. If you decide of shells I will help you gather them if you need me to.:)

[Lynzee]

Lisa...I had deleted it because Gigi had seen it, but I put it back temporarily if you want to take a peek. :)

Gigi...I have boxes and boxes of shells. If you need more, PM me your address and I'll be happy to send them to you.

[Gigi]

Thank you Lynzee~ I may have to take you up on that.... let's see ;) You are soooo sweet to offer...

:)

[One Woman]

Rhonda, you're laundry room looks great! So soothing. And I thought I was the only one who loved the hum of the washer and dryer - I could seriously take a nap in my laundry room (well, if it had all it's walls and didn't quite feel so icky, lol!).

Sounds like there's going to be a beautiful wedding soon, too!

Our ranch looks like this (first photo) from the outside and someday we need to tackle it's exterior. The siding currently needs to be replaced -not sure how that's going to happen any time soon, but I'd love to have a RED house with board and batten siding. Just love it...reminds me of Swedish cottages.

[Gigi]

One Woman-charming home. I also have a rambler and am looking to turn it into a cottage- yours is really charming as is-mine is a brick rambler-screaming to become a cottage. It's on the water... we also have a two car garage in the back we are going to paint (exterior) very soon.

At first I was going to paint it the color you show with the red with white trim (LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!)- but on a re-thought because it right next to the water we are leaning toward a sage green with white trim.

The front of the rambler to make it more "cottage" we are going to add panel white shutters, paint door red, add a new french door look storm door. Put the lighted light house in the garden, add some different landscaping and add some white railing on the porch.

This will be done before a wedding on the property in September :eek:

[One Woman]

Gigi, your plans sound delightful! I love the idea of having a red door! It's neat that you have something (a wedding) to keep you going until it's done. I'm a major procrastinator and need something like company or an event to help me stay motivated!

I've never seen storm doors that look like french doors. Do you have a picture of that? Sounds pretty!

[Lynzee]

One Woman ~ your home is darling!

I have an L shaped rambler that desperately wants to be a cottage. Can't afford to tackle the exterior, so I'm focusing on the interior for now. Someday though... :rolleyes:

[mac78]

I would love a true cottage at the lake.....but maybe in my next life time. I do agree, that a home is what you make it. This is our 1968 brick ranch.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w155/mdburch/218a.jpg

Gosh, it really needs some work in the "cottage" department.

[Gigi]

I also have a 1960's brick rambler--wishing to become a cottage one day. I LOVE your large windows and the coloring of your brick.