Cottage gets storybook makeover

For 12 years, Mark and Nancy Morris pined for the “mushroom cottage” on Lake Minnetonka, just west of Minneapolis-St. Paul.They often drove by the ivy-covered early 1900s home that looked as if it belonged in a fairy tale. The fanciful gardener#146;s cottage, designed in 1919 by Minneapolis architect Harry Wild Jones, was part of a massive estate. Over the years, the property was divided and the cottage became a single-family home.The hand-hewn timbers and thatched roof reminded the Morrises of the cottages in Carmel, Calif., where they were married and often visited. #147;We loved the architecture and European charm of the Carmel homes,#148; said Nancy.When the home came up for sale, the couple got their chance to see it close-up. They fell in love.The cottage had small, comfortable rooms, beamed ceilings and a little greenhouse. Best of all, it was only a few feet from the water. They couldn#146;t buy because they were moving to South Carolina, but they never forgot the cottage.When they came back to Minnesota to visit, they always drove by. And, once a year, Mark would call the owner, who had taken it off the market, to ask if he#146;d sell. The answer was always #147;no.#148;Finally, that answer changed to #147;yes.#148;The timing couldn#146;t have been better. The Morrises had just sold their home in South Carolina and were returning to Minnesota. More than a decade after they had first looked at the house, the Morrises finally bought it.With its age, #147;we knew from the get-go we#146;d have to redo everything,#148; said Mark. #147;But we wanted to keep the unique character of the original gardener#146;s cottage.#148;They also were committed to keeping the cottage#146;s modest size. Instead of expanding its 1,800 square feet, they wanted to make the best use of the existing space. The Morrises wanted to mange every aspect of the project #8212; from designing the new kitchen to hiring subcontractors.#147;We#146;re very interested in design, architecture and construction,#148; said Nancy. #147;So we took classes on general contracting since it was the first time we had done this.#148;Because they had to find time between their day jobs (Nancy is an interior design consultant and Mark owns a marketing and consulting business), they designed a three-phase remodeling project.In the first phase, they tore out the old radiators, installed a new heating and cooling system, rewired and installed new plumbing. They replaced the original straw-and-horsehair insulation with new insulation. They replaced the roof, replicating its wavy look of hand-cut asphalt shingles. #147;It took a crew of five about a month to do it,#148; recalled Mark.During the second phase, they hired workers to gut and remodel the first- and second-floor bathrooms and widen the cramped entry. Then they #147;really agonized#148; over the kitchen, said Mark. #147;It#146;s so long and narrow and we couldn#146;t knock down the wall because the fireplace was on the other side.#148; They decided to move the #147;pump house,#148; which held utilities, to the attic. That allowed them to double the size of the kitchen.To give the space an Old World look, Nancy hired Westwood Cabinets in Minnetonka to create cabinets and an antique-style hutch.In the adjacent dining room, connected to the original gardener#146;s greenhouse, they tore out worn carpet and installed a heated stone floor. With new divided-light windows, they converted the drafty greenhouse into a cozy computer work area.The Morrises capitalized on the living room#146;s prime lake view by adding French doors and large picture windows. Now they can hear loons calling and water lapping against the rocks when the windows are open.#147;It#146;s rare to be on Lake Minnetonka and be this close to the water,#148; said Mark.The last phase, and finishing touch, involved designing and building an outdoor room, which they outfitted with a hot tub and a stone fireplace fueled by natural gas.#147;I always wanted a fireplace in the kitchen,#148; said Nancy. #147;But since that wasn#146;t possible, I can see this one from the kitchen window.#148;Although the cottage makeover took two years and plenty of work, the Morrises said they enjoyed the process #8212; and the end result.