Before we dive into an impressive home transformation from Erin, Sherry has a quick Easter DIY she made for Clara; she shared the project over on Young House Life, so you can visit that post for full instructions and photos. There’s a sneak peek included below.
Now, back to Erin’s remarkable makeover. Both Sherry and I have long dreamed about raising the roof in our homes—literally removing the top of the house and setting it back on a few feet higher to gain ceiling height—so we were captivated by a couple who actually did just that. Their renovation solved long-standing issues while creating several beautiful new spaces. Here’s Erin’s story in her own words:
Hi John and Sherry! We fell in love with our 1938 cottage near Lake Michigan in Wisconsin the moment we saw it in 2002. It had charm, but it also had a few practical problems: the upstairs bedrooms had very low headroom and the roof leaked.
We began by fixing the roof, which led to a complete roof redesign, then to a couple of additions, and finally to literally removing the top half of the house and reattaching it higher. That change dramatically improved the upstairs layout and resolved the headroom and leakage problems.
In the backyard, we had a deck built and installed cable railings. As sailors, we liked the look and feel of cable rails—they remind us of sailboat lifelines. I also laid the entire stone walkway to the detached garage, built the small retaining walls around the garden, and designed and planted all the beds. It’s the DIY project I’m most proud of so far.
After the renovation, the upstairs transformed from two small, cramped bedrooms with slanted ceilings into two generous bedrooms. One of those now has a walk-in closet, and we also added a second bathroom. You don’t realize how inconvenient it is to not have a bathroom on the same floor as your bedroom until you live that way for years—adding that bathroom was a game changer.
In our master bedroom, built-in storage proved to be our best decision. The built-ins, along with the small walk-in closet, provide so much storage that we don’t need any additional furniture like dressers. We installed bamboo flooring ourselves and painted the entire house, except the living room’s cathedral ceilings—some jobs are best left to professionals (or chiropractors) when your neck is concerned.
The new upstairs bathroom is compact—just 8 by 8 feet—but we made smart choices. We fit a 5 by 3 foot shower and added more storage than we imagined possible in such a small footprint. Like the bedroom built-ins, I designed the bathroom storage and had a carpenter build it. The upstairs hallway is open to the living room below and showcases a small gallery wall I put together, inspired by your work. One of the pieces on that wall is a board found during demolition that bears the inscription “Put here July 11, 1938.” We also reused a door salvaged from my grandparents’ house for the bathroom entrance.
We couldn’t have loved our home more before the renovation, and now we are certain we’ll stay here for as long as we can—this house truly feels like home. – Erin
Doesn’t that sound like the kind of place you’d want to visit for a weekend getaway? Erin has documented other phases of the cottage remodel on her blog, where you can see more before-and-after photos and project details. As for our favorite details here: I’m enchanted by the salvaged board from 1938, and Sherry calls the backyard “bed-and-breakfast-y,” which perfectly captures its relaxed, welcoming vibe. Thanks to Erin for sharing her renovation journey!