@sherpa I’d love to know where! That fits my budget. Years ago when we were in Kennebunkport someone was building a community of Tiny Homes. Any option for a bunkhouse in the garage?
@sherpa That is so cool! My mom has a tiny cottage on the beach that was built by my grandfather as a vacation house decades ago. When the house ended up with my family my mom got an architect to draw up plans to make the house more comfortable for her. It is so amazing what someone who knows what they are doing can do with such small spaces!
Tile guys finished day 3 of their work at my house and the tile around the tub still isn’t done! It looks close but I really thought they would be on to the floor by now. They also said that they were going to start doing our porcelain floor install in the entryway, living room and dining room on Monday so I guess that is another group of workers. That means I need to finish packing up the china (only a tiny bit to go) and pack up the console in the entryway that I completely forgot about. This house is going to be such a disaster for the next few weeks - just hoping there is some way it can be done by the time D19 graduates in May but now that I have seen how sloe the tile goes in I am not too hopeful about the rest of it.
Very cool, @sherpa! Would love to see the project. 
There was discussion regarding sliding doors. Which brand was decided to be best and which is second best? I remember to stay away from Renew by Anderson. Thanks
I don’t know which was best/second best, but we are very happy with our custom Pella fiberglass slider.
Has anyone built your own pergola? I need to work on my backyard deck (sanding and repainting), and I’m thinking about adding a pergola while at it. These structures don’t look all that complicated to build, yet cost so much!
@sherpa
I’m so fascinated with the small vacation homes. I hope you will post some pictures or floor plans. We promise not to tear them apart but would love to learn how the functionality is designed.
No pergolas, but Mr. B built a few elaborate arbors. It was a shame to pay $500 for something that could be assembled from a few boards. You will need to have the appropriate power saws though. And you might develop a new hobby… woodworking.
I went to Home Depot, Costco and Sam’s Club and took cell phone photos of different designs, the parts as well as measuring the wood planks. Between Home Depot and Lowes, I think I can purchase all the necessary materials I need. Woodworking is so fun! After my pergola project, I already have in mind to build a series of mini greenhouses in the backyard, too.
We are discussing a “tool shed” that doubles as a man cave. something under 200 sq feet. Poor DH has nowhere he can put his stuff that is not, at times, invaded by others- kids, grandkids, elderly parents, our home is often overstuffed. Costco has some nice sheds, but the reviews are pretty bad on some of them 
I am thinking better to build it from scratch!
If you live near Amish country, there are folks who build some very nice sheds/outbuildings, including things that would work for man caves/she sheds. We just got a new shed (after a tree smashed its 25+ yo predecessor in an ice storm) – 80 sq ft, good quality construction, had it built onsite. Definite upgrade from what we had previously!
@coralbrook - I don’t know how to post pictures here. My basic approach is to start with a small “great room” containing a small kitchen, an eating area, and the living room. Then add two bedrooms and a bathroom or two. No entry or linen closets, and no hallways, they just chew up footage and I see them as unnecessary in a vacation/cabin setting. The plan I designed over the weekend has 2 bedrooms and only one bathroom, but the bathroom is large and has laundry hookups, and came in at 689 square feet. It has a one car attached garage and has a very contemporary look. Maybe I’ll post it as my avatar for a few days so you can see it.
@BunsenBurner, @TiggerDad, @somemom - I’m on the same page with you re: building vs. buying this stuff. My carpentry experience was limited to helping my dad as a child, but now that I’m retired I’m all about the DIY home building projects. The fence we designed and built across our front property line turned out wonderfully. It’s relatively simple: galvanized steel posts with panels that alternate front to back (so neither side is the “bad” side) with each panel consisting of a series of horizontal ipe boards with stainless steel tubes running between each board.
My next project was a steel and ipe (yes, I’m an ipe junkie) retaining wall. There was an existing ugly retaining wall, the shape of which made absolutely no sense. That spot affords a wonderful view of the Sound and a neighboring island, and the new wall is oriented toward the view, with a large freestanding deck and fire pit on the raised portion.
Then there are the raised planter boxes. Again, very simple, just a pressure treated lumber frame with galvanized corrugated panels for walls. 4’ x 8’ each, and we built 4 of them in less than a day at a cost well under $100 each.
And the garden shed… And the grape arbor…
These projects are relatively easy to design and build, and the DIY cost is a fraction of what a contractor would charge.
Best of all, it’s fun and the sense of accomplishment is very gratifying.
I wish I could DIY stuff -DH and I are the worst!
Right now I am at trying to pick a paint color for the bathroom. I am terrible at picking colors anyway and to have to do it in a rush is a pain! I think the problem is almost any color would look nice against the grey and white in the rest of the room (marble floors, white vanity, marble top, white subway tile around the white tub) so it is hard to pick just one! Another probes is that DH and I tend to like blues and sometimes blue/greens but in the main living area of the house and the hallway that are adjacent to this bathroom we already have a color called Tidewater that is very blue (way more than we wanted but we aren’t ready to paint yet because it is such a big area.) I don’t wan to pick something that is so similar to Tidewater that it will look like it matches. Ugh, this is when I could use an interior designer to just come pick something for me!
The key to picking your paint color is that you have to hurry up and throw up a lot of samples because paint looks different inside the room
When my parents had a farm there was an outbuilding that functioned as a guesthouse. It had a really great plan. Simple oblong. You entered the eat-in kitchen on the narrow west side. The bathroom was off the kitchen to the north. Kitchen was open to the living room which extend the entire length of the house on the east side of the house. Two small bedrooms were on the north side with doors directly into the living room. A porch ran across one entire length of the house. Cozy, but fine for two adults and two kids.
@mathmom - That’s very similar to what we’re doing. Accessing the bedrooms directly from the living room is very space efficient. And keeping everything simple and rectangular saves a lot of money.
Nice thread, @BunsenBurner ! I renovated my kitchen 3 years ago. I really (really really really) wanted to add a dishwasher. That turned into a full remodel. I just kept adding more and more on. I did a lot of it myself. (My ex helped with some. He called it the worlds most expensive dishwasher, lol). I wound up:
1)ripped out an old radiator that was no longer being used (thanks to the prior years HVAC replacement)
2)reused a bunch of cabinetry to keep costs managable because they were in great shape…
3) custom ordered a few new cabinets to match the old, which added about 3 feet of new countertop space where the radiator used to be. I even got a cabinet where the shelves pull out, which is just amazing. $600 for one cabinet, well spent. Lol.
4) moved the sink down 6 inches
5) added the dishwasher
6) new undermount sink, faucet (who knew faucets cost so much, ugh)
7) replaced the other appliances. All the new ones are slate.
8) installed under cabinet lighting
9) installed tip out trays in those fake drawers in front of the sink
10) mounted retractable trash can under the sink
11) granite countertops
12) subway tile and glass mosaic tile backsplash
14) tiled the floor with 16 inch square tiles on a 45 degree angle
15) ordered custom blinds for the windows
16) installed new baseboard trim
17) painted and got new curtains.
18) new knob/handles for the cabinets. Talk about highway robbery. Those suckers were like $8/each and I needed like 20!
All in all it came to about $6k, including the appliances and the labor for the granite installation… which is pretty good for a new kitchen. I splurged on things that were important to me and saved where I could. Also bargain hunted for deals on appliances.
Good job, @fendergirl. I hereby nominate you for membership in the DIY bargain remodeller’s club.
Excellent job, @fendergirl!