Oak Branch Cottage: The Work Continues...

Work continues day by day at Oak Branch Cottage, and with each passing week, the vision for this home becomes a little clearer—and a lot more exciting.

Lighting Up the Cottage The electrician just wrapped up installing the rough-in boxes for the sconces, which feels like a massive win. I’ll readily admit it: I am completely addicted to sconce lighting. There is something about the warm, low-level glow of a wall sconce that overhead lighting just can’t replicate. Instead of harsh top-down illumination, sconces cast a soft, welcoming light that creates instant depth and texture across a room. I’ve planned for them throughout the house, and seeing the wiring in place makes the eventual cozy atmosphere feel so close.

Refining the Interior Canvas With the electrical rough-ins complete, the drywall crew has stepped in. Sheetrock is actively being patched, smoothed, and resurfaced here and there to fix old imperfections and seamlessly cover up the fresh trade cuts. It’s a messy phase of renovation, but watching the walls turn into clean, uniform surfaces is deeply satisfying. It’s the ultimate reset before paint colors enter the conversation.

A Clean Slate Outdoors Outside, things look dramatically different. The old, overgrown landscaping has been completely removed, leaving us with a total clean slate. It’s a bit jarring to see the cottage stripped down to bare dirt, but it was a necessary step to do things right. Right now, I am awaiting final estimates for the new irrigation system, landscape lighting, and fresh plantings. Once those bids come in, the exterior transformation can officially begin.

Every phase brings its own set of decisions and waiting games, but watching Oak Branch Cottage evolve step by step makes every detail worth the wait.

The Work Continues, y'all!

Oak Branch Cottage: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly?

 At the very beginning of this journey, I promised to keep you posted on the renovations of Oak Branch Cottage—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Well, it turns out you really do have to push through the ugly to get to the fun stuff!

The Heavy Lifting

Last week was all about the gritty, essential updates. We officially kicked off the week by tackling the ancient knob-and-tube wiring. Done and check!

Before: Furnace

After: Repaired

Before: Laundry floor rotten wood

After

Living Room floors

From there, the focus shifted to the original hardwood floors. The crew got to work cleaning, sanding, and restaining them to bring their natural character back to life. In areas where the wood was rotted, fresh boards were woven in, and we finally removed an old, bulky furnace, patching up the flooring where it once stood. Meanwhile, plumbing work is well underway. You couldn’t pay me enough money to crawl under the house, so I am endlessly grateful for the team taking that on!

Looking Ahead

J and I meet with our contractor every Sunday morning to map out the strategy for the week ahead. This coming week is all about prepping the canvas:

• Removing various old doors throughout the house

• Prepping and cleaning up the interior walls

• Diving headfirst into paint, paint, and more paint

Even when the daily progress feels minor, I absolutely love watching the cottage transform bit by bit.

Exterior & Finishes

Outdoors, things are moving just as fast. I'm meeting with the cloth awning specialists this afternoon to finalize those details, and the landscaping crew arrives tomorrow morning to clear out overgrown brush and remove a few problem trees.

Best of all, we got to squeeze in some of the fun design work this past weekend! On Saturday, J and I took a trip to Gulf Coast Home in Bay St. Louis to meet with the owners, Wendy and Theresa. We spent the day selecting and ordering rugs, a Louis Phillipe mirror, a new bed, and outdoor furniture for the porch. {Photos to come....}

Seeing the design elements come together makes all the dust, noise, and rewiring entirely worth it. Stay tuned—the best is yet to come.

Work, work, work, y'all!