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The Cottage Compound

An owner builder photo story: two small cottages, a 16’ wide Victoria’s Cottage and a 14’ x 24’ Builder’s Cottage, joined at the back by a common hall and mudroom.

the two finished cottages of the compound side by side among bare winter trees
The wintertime photo above shows the project nearing completion.

On the right is the 14’ wide Builders Cottage. On the left, the 16’ wide Victoria’s Cottage.
The two buildings are connected in the back by a common hall and mudroom utility area.

red double French doors under the front porch roof of the cottage
The red door gives a hint of character to come.

Below is the 14’ wide red door cottage updated with a more lived-in look eight months later.

the 14 foot wide cottage with its red door, front porch and planted yard

And a view of the larger 16’ wide Victoria cottage stepping forward.

both cottages seen from the front, with the larger Victoria cottage stepping forward

Inside the Victoria cottage

The main level bedroom addition to the Victoria cottage has an open cathedral ceiling.

open cathedral ceiling with white collar ties, a ceiling fan and a diamond window in the gable

Here are a few shots of the kitchen area in the Victoria cottage.

kitchen with glass front cabinets, a plate rack and a hanging pendant light
kitchen sink set under a run of windows with woven blinds
dining area with a round table and a candle chandelier beside the half wall to the kitchen
The passover between the kitchen and the eating area.

Donna’s latest report

Here is the latest report from Donna LeBlanc:

It’s been a long time since we sent pictures! As you can see from these photos, we have been busy! We are still working to complete the cottages but we have only minor finish-up things left to do. We are making progress and still absolutely love the floorplans. The two cottages work perfect for our family!

Inside the 14’ wide Builder’s Cottage

Here are some interior pictures of the smaller 14’ wide Builders Cottage that Donna and her husband share.
(They gave the “big” house to their daughter and granddaughte!.)

cottage kitchen with a farmhouse sink, a yellow tile backsplash and a red door
Builders cottage kitchen
corner dining nook with windows on two sides and a painted cabinet
Builders cottage corner Dining nook
great room cathedral ceiling with dark exposed beams and an arched window in the gable
This is looking back across the cathedral ceiling of the Great Room to the front of the cottage.
The white French doors are painted red on the outside and open onto the front porch..

Earlier construction shots

the two cottages at the framing stage with both roofs framed
The Victoria cottage is on the left, with the Builder’s cottage on the right.
side of the Victoria cottage showing the gable addition under framing
Here you see the other side of the Victoria with the gable addition.
both structures seen from further back with the mudroom connection between them
Here is a view further back. The mudroom connection is between the two structures.
kitchen pop-out on the Victoria cottage with the mudroom utility element behind it
On the left you can see the kitchen pop-out for the Victoria cottage and behind that,
the mudroom utility element that ties the two buildings together.
back side of the hip roofed element that connects the two cottages
Here is the backside of the hip roofed connecting element. Small gables turn
the corner and connect to the back walls of the two cottages.
new rafters over the connecting element between the two cottages
This type of idea could be used to connect other types of small buildings into linked compounds.
One advantage of such a project is that construction could be done in stages if needed.
front porch of the Builders cottage with its railings up and the roof going on
Here is the Builder’s Cottage front porch and the roof being finished up.
Notice the double French doors to the porch. Nice touch.
street view of the two cottages under construction among the trees
Here is the street view of the compound.

Donna’s report from the framing stage

Here is what Donna had to say about this project:

“Hi, John. Here are some pictures of our progress. As you can see Victoria’s Cottage is on the left and the Builder’s Cottage is on the right. There will be a mudroom/laundry room connecting the two houses. We expect to be completely dried-in by the end of next week. We will send more pictures as we progress...

We LOVE the plans!”

Donna LeBlanc

Where to go from here