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FrontRangeLiving.com -> Architecture -> Canyon Cottage
CANYON
COTTAGE: From Derelict To Cinderella
By Niki Hayden
 Any homeowner who
has renovated
a house will relate a list of miseries
that accompanied the thrill of transformation--expensive, drawn out, disruptive,
exhausting—even in the best of circumstances. In the worst of circumstances,
imagine resurrecting a ghost of a house, a structure so depleted that gaps allow
the wind to whistle through, where rain seeps into every crevice and tear, where
foundations rot and floor joists sit on dirt. Usually a house is demolished when
time has eroded a dwelling that is derelict and over 100 years old.
 "It’s called demolition by neglect," says Jim Marsden, the
architect called to take a look at the house. In 1887, the small cottage was
modest. Originally it had no bathroom and consisted of two rooms located near a
creek that flooded yearly. Even then, it wasn’t the kind of dwelling that held
promise. But times have changed and the tiny house now is part of an historic
district, where buildings cannot be destroyed and may by altered only in keeping
with the styles of the 19th century.
"The house had either no foundation or it had crumbled. You could see
the floor joists sitting on bare ground. The only place with concrete was
accessed to the cellar. Sand cement had been used for mortar that had no
adhesive quality. With weathering, the nominal stone foundations had all failed.
The house had no sheathing on the walls. The siding was nailed directly to the
studs. Water went straight though to the house. It was like balsa wood. I’m
surprised the house didn’t blow away," Jim says grimly.
 One hundred years ago, land was cheap under the tiny cottage because it was
in a flood zone, when a canyon creek lapped over its boundaries. But now the flood plain has been tamed. A city grew up around
the neighborhood and, in time, citizens decided the entire street should be
preserved as a nod to working class history. Show homes located on higher ground
may be spectacular but saving the ordinary, the landmarks board believed, was
just as important. Our citizens, they insisted, should understand the extremes
of income that existed at the turn of the 20th century.
 Rumors swirled around the small cottage. Perhaps it had been a brothel with
its red-painted stairs as a wanton symbol from the past. Not so, says
Colorado historian Silvia Pettem. The cottage most likely housed a few workers
who toiled at a gold-processing plant nearby. When gold was unearthed from
mountain mines, the ore had to be taken to a mill. So while there is plenty of
folklore surrounding gold miners, ordinary people worked long shifts in mill
towns, too.
 Since the late 19th century, land values have skyrocketed and the
little house sits on prime real estate. In keeping with a 21st
century perspective, the tiny cottage was transformed. Stripped to the basic
boards, hoisted above ground, perched like a stork on thin legs, the entire
house was cleaned and examined, practically exhumed. From a corpse to a living
structure, resurrected from the ground up--the cottage had years of neglect
erased to reveal a new house that, while modest in design, wears a party dress.
Copper drainpipes, stained glass windows, lacy fretwork, and hand-made
tiles--the tiny cottage now is Cinderella fitted with a glass slipper. But
getting the frills, pumpkin coach and ball gown took time, money and steadfast
perseverance.
 "First of all we won’t let you tear it down, you are told. And
secondly, you can get tax credits," Jim says to describe both a sharp stick
and carrot approach of the landmarks board. When an historical building is
improved, the owner can apply for tax credits from the State of Colorado. That
means that some costs can be subtracted from the owner’s income. But getting
the tax credit means that the plans are scrutinized
and accepted by zoning and planning boards. "People don’t understand all
the hoops they must jump through," Jim says.
Small changes often were rejected, which meant rewriting the proposal and
waiting for months before meeting with a board once again. In one exasperating
example, a small bathroom strayed over the property line.
But tearing down the bathroom wasn’t acceptable, either. Jim also had to save
the single pane windows, although they are not energy efficient. Most of all,
the house needed more square footage in keeping with contemporary homes. But
when ideas for side additions were rejected, Jim simply expanded the back,
"I call that the Burlington train solution, that you just add cars on the
back. But we had no choice. In the end, the family room works well because it
gets the morning sun."
 The home looks, and feels, like an old-fashioned cottage with modern
amenities. The kitchen was moved into the center of the house, where it is
linked to a wood-paneled family room lined by windows. A separate formal dining
room flows from the living room. A tiny foyer, with stained glass panels,
creates a private entry space before entering the living room from the front
door. Stairs wind up from the back of the house. A study was added behind the
kitchen and the difficult downstairs bathroom that strayed over the property
line has been reconfigured as a sink and toilet powder room.
Upstairs, two bedrooms and two baths were added to the original single
bedroom. The attic has disappeared in order to raise the low ceilings. New
electrical wiring, plumbing and heating make the rooms up-to-date, with heating
systems running though the floors. Most of the structural elements were "sistered,"
such as the joists, so that the original house is intact, but given sound
building blocks.
But what makes the cottage unique, besides its resurrection, is the care lavished on such a modest structure. "A lot of original
time and detail was there," Jim says, "that was removed in other
houses where they put in contemporary detail and everything interesting is gone.
For a cottage or bungalow, the key is to keep refining parts to make them more
and more interesting." Rhythm, repetition, scale—these are the elements
that make the cottage style so intimate and beloved, as well as the
carpenter’s attention to woodwork. "That’s what the old guys did. None
of these houses was architect built, but it didn’t matter. They were builder
houses, and they had a great sense of style. All we need to do is be sympathetic
to the aesthetic," he adds.
 The house has been romanced, with trim and woodwork, chandeliers and stained
glass. Tile in the bathrooms is artfully arranged. Fine woodwork lines the
walls. The kitchen, with glass-paneled cabinets features hand made ceramics on
the back splash.
Michelle Guyton searched through catalogues and antique shops for
reproductions and originals. Michelle spent 20 years in the home furnishings
industry before setting up her own business as a personal shopper. For
chandeliers, she searched antique shops. Many shops that carry old lighting
fixtures also re-wire their antiques for modern use, she says. Hardware came
from catalogues. Bathroom tiles, sinks and toilets arrived from major manufacturers
who have developed lines with small-scale fixtures.
The bathroom tiles are arranged in a pattern by the craftsman who set them
rather than the manufacturer, but they are factory tiles. In contrast, the
stained glass windows were designed and hand made by a local artist. The blend
of mass-produced and artisan produced objects involved conscious choices
throughout the building process. "Some things, like the chandeliers, you
want to see and touch before you buy them," Michelle says, "wall
sconces, could come from catalogues. Small special pieces can come from
catalogues, but we have some wonderful antique places. That’s where I’ll
find a one-of-a-kind object like furniture."
Colorado is filled with antique shops that specialize in lighting, silver,
Mission Style accessories or turn-of-the-century oak and porcelain. Combining
antiques with smaller items from catalogues filled the needs for trim, hardware
and lighting.
The landscaping includes espaliered pear trees, curved beds of xeric plants,
a
 wavy serpentine wall and a carriage house with its original rock walls. What
once was a crumbling rock garage now includes a small apartment above the
three-car carriage house with shingled siding. In keeping with the historic
neighborhood, paint for the home is muted in gray and dark cranberry red,
fitting the 19th century era when mineral and earth pigments tinted house paint.
 Next door, the adjoining lot has been donated by the owner as a small city
park, so the cottage is both integral to a small cottage neighborhood and also
nestled among trees. Landscaping from the house will eventually merge into the
park setting. To a casual visitor, the small cottage looks impeccable, as if
another century has been perfectly preserved. And, of course, it has. But to
anyone who witnessed the alteration, a ghost from the past has been given new
life—more lavish and elegant now than ever before.
If you have purchased an old cottage and hope to renew its life, here are a
few tips:
 CHECK THE OUTSIDE AND INSIDE FOR TRIM. "If anybody is really conscious,
they are not going to do anything to the exterior of a bungalow except restore
it," Jim says. People love bungalows and cottages because they love the human scale and sense of proportion, the trim and details. Take stock
of what you have and what ’s missing. Eventually you may want to fix or renew
trim, so don’t throw any away. Carpenters today can duplicate nearly anything
and stay within the original style.
 CONSIDER THE INSIDE AS MUCH AS THE OUTSIDE: Cottages and bungalows were
filled with carefully crafted detail. "With more refinement, you fool the
eye, and a room looks larger," Jim says. Simple details like corner beads,
which originally served to protect the plaster, add to the fine touches of an
old cottage. Paneling, trim, beadboard, fretwork and archways all trick the eye
into believing a small space is larger.
LOOK FOR HIDDEN AREAS TO OPEN SPACE: Jim opened up the attic to elevate
upstairs ceilings. That empty, hidden space made a difference in the scale of
the rooms without altering the outside of the house. Similar hidden places might
be a pantry that can become a bathroom, a porch that becomes a study.
TAKE CARE OF THE BASICS FIRST: Upgrade the basics first like heating,
plumbing and electrical work. If you start to refinish walls and floors,
discovering later than you’ll have to tear out a wall to fix the plumbing,
time and money is wasted. Take a careful inventory of the needs in your home. If
you don’t have the expertise, call in someone who does. Together, you can
decide what changes should be made.
 FIND GREAT SOURCES FOR HARDWARE AND FURNISHINGS: Shops that specialize in
architectural artifacts are rich hunting grounds for early 20th
century hardware, bathroom fixtures, windows and more. But reproductions are
available, too. Decide what needs to be original and what can be reproduction.
For example, you might choose an old chandelier that is newly wired, polished
and mended. But sconces or bathroom lights could be reproduction. Most
homeowners mix the two according to their tastes and budget. There are more
sources for bungalow and cottage reproduction hardware than ever before.
Sources that were used at the canyon cottage:
Magazines that offer ideas and advice: Old House Journal at
www.oldhousejournal.com
American Bungalow Magazine at www.ambungalow.com
Hardware from catalogues: Renovator’s Hardware at www.renovatorssupply.com
for a variety of hardware, Van Dyck's Restorers at www.vandykes.com carries
woodwork and hardware
Clem Labine’s Traditional Building at www.traditional-building.com, a
wealth of metalwork, window, flooring, cast-stone and other construction details
Artisans: The Boulder Stained Glass at 1920 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder,
303-449-9030; tiles from Jeff Ravage at www.ravage.bz
Manufacturers: Kohler bathroom fixtures at www.kohler.com
offers small
fixtures that will fit into tight spaces and American Olean tiles features
pixilated abstract and realistic scenes at www.americanolean.com
Antiques: Ralston Bros. Antiques, 425 High St. Lyons, 303-823-6982
Bedell & Co at 767 Pearl St., Boulder, 303-939-9292.
Heating: Wirsbo, 5925 148th St. West, Apple Valley, Minnesota,
1-800-321-4739 at www.wirsbo.com
Doors: Simpson Doors at www.simpsondoor.com
Metalwork: King Architectural Metals at 1-800-542-2379 in Dallas, Los
Angeles, Baltimore for wrought iron and copper drainpipes from Copperworks by
Don Miller, 206 S. Thomas, Orange, California, 877-633-9308 or
www.copperworks.net
Marble and Granite counters: (wholesale) IMG in Denver, 852 South Jason, Unit
B, Denver, 800-464-2511, at www.imgstone.com
Wood and Gas Stoves: Hearthstone, carried by McGuckin Hardware in Boulder
at www.mcguckin.com
Architect: James Marsden in Boulder at 303-499-9799
Contractor: George Russell, Boulder, 303-579-4610
Simply Shopping, Michelle Guyton, 303-652-1195
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