We have a small out building on our property that has been used for many things in the 28 years we have lived here. It has been a shed, a shop, and in then in  2002 -our guest house.The building defiantly looked utilitarian when we first started with its small metal framed windows. We really wanted to make it match the style of the house so I went looking for wooden windows. I was able to locate two old windows that matched the ones on the house (and were almost the same size and shape).

The old door to the shed/ guest house was right outside our back door. This was convenient when it was used as a shed but wanting to give our guests a little more privacy I wanted to relocate the door to the back of the building. This also made the entrance through the flower garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To start we removed the metal windows and the door jam. Using the existing headers we played musical chairs with the windows and doors to come up with a cute little cottage look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We removed much of the vertical lap siding before cutting the window openings bigger. This was so that we could reuse it and not have to buy more. We strategically placed the shorter boards under windows and the whole boards in between them. There were only a few pieces we had to splice together to make the full length.

Once the siding was finished we were able to hang our new/old windows. We also picked up an old window door that my brother-in-law had to add to the homey feeling. We added an exterior light to make visibility better for our guests. Adding a small over hang above the door helped to keep the rain off of you while unlocking the door. Then we applied a little caulking to seal any cracks in the siding and around the windows.  Then  we  applied primmer and paint.  The exterior of our little guest house was complete.

The work went quickly on the inside as there was already electricity hooked up. All we needed to do was insulate, sheet rock and texture the walls. This is normally a simple process but somewhat time consuming until you get the hang of it. Then I needed a trip to the store to pick out wall color, curtain fabric, and even some art work (for the walls). It turned out beautiful. We also had our son-in-law make a Murphy bed for on one wall. This way the bed can be folded up and away (in a cabinet) when guests are not here. The floor space can be used for other things.

If you have an older house you might check a second hand building supply that sells windows and doors from houses that are being remodeled. There are some really great buys to be found. Note also in some areas there are restrictions on changing windows out of older houses and putting in new vinyl ones. Check with your city when getting your permits.

Find my work on these fine sites…Happy Shopping!