Prepping the Cottage for HVAC Installation and Figuring Out How to Design Our Small Space

Prepping our cottage for HVAC installation and figuring out how to design our small space was exciting yet posed some unique challenges!

man with arms open in front of old cottage siding

PREPPING FOR HVAC INSTALLATION

We were finally getting our HVAC unit installed! Before that could happen, Nate had to prep the outside and inside of our little cottage. He started by sanding the siding in the area where the AC hookups and hoses would go. This was also where the AC unit would be placed.

man pointing up in front of old cottage siding

He sanded the area in between the laundry room and kitchen windows. He did this all the way up and down the siding. The AC guys would need to access the area when they did their installation. They would put the outdoor unit of the AC right in that spot. But first they would run the lines and copper tubing up that part of the siding. Then they would take it through the house and into the attic.

The siding needed to be prepped and primed before the HVAC guys did their work. That way he wouldn’t have to paint behind the equipment later.

cottage with HVAC copper tubing on siding

Alright y’all so at this point of our fixer upper journey we were finally going to have AC installed! We made it through a really hot summer the year that we bought this little cottage. It was really an unbearable time! We were so excited to get our HVAC system installed! Now we’d have AC and central heat and air throughout the house.

WAITING ON THE HVAC INSTALLATION TO LIVE WITHIN A BUDGET

We had waited so long because we were trying to stay within our budget. It’s very important for us to live at or below our means.

Yet it was seriously getting to the point of becoming unbearable. We were really looking forward to having some AC to cool us down in this small little cottage. All we had were fans and made the most of them. Then we even bought a portable AC unit for the bedroom, which helped a bit, but only in that one room. I remembered that Nate even put his legs in a five gallon bucket of cold water to cool down once! Now I’d call that a cold water dip!

man sitting on couch with legs in bucket of water

So we were looking forward to finally having AC. And you know what, when it finally was installed, it was actually time for us to use the heater! That was because we were starting to get into fall and winter. We were excited to get AC when it was at the peak of summer. But by the time it was installed, we were actually putting on the heat!

Inside the cottage, the AC guys also cut out holes in different rooms on the ceiling for the supply vents and on one large wall for a large return vent.

man pointing toward supply vent and drywall

Prepping our cottage for HVAC installation and figuring out how to design our small space was something we had been dreaming of getting done for a very long time!

FIGURING OUT HOW TO DESIGN A SMALL SPACE

After several months of living in our cottage renovations, we were finally able to hook up and plug in our TV. Nate found this little area for it in our living room. Yet we were still trying to figure out where the permanent spot for our entertainment center would be. Like if we would have it against the wall, or in the corner, or in front of the window. But then it would be blocking those beautiful colonial windows so we didn’t really want to do that.

inside cottage showing couch, tv placement, window and drywall

Now we had to move the couch around to face the TV. Thinking back, I realize we’ve had our couch placed in three spots so far in this tiny cottage. Originally we had it facing the east wall and at the time of these renovations we moved it to face the window. Today we have it facing the west wall! Gotta try everything to get it just right I suppose!

FINDING CREATIVE WAYS TO DESIGN A SMALL SPACE

Well actually, Nate thought of another idea of where we could place the TV and entertainment are. It was so ingenious and a very creative maneuver. When you’re in a small space like this, you don’t have very many options of where to put things or place things. And it can kinda be discouraging because you can sorta feel stuck.

sketch of tv placement inside of cottage

Whether your space is the shape of a box or rectangle, you really have to literally think outside the box in order to design your space. So we have been learning a little bit about that. And I will share with you coming up soon what we ended up doing and building! Spoiler alert!

But for the time period that we were in, this was where we had the TV placed temporarily. When you are designing your space, it’s helpful to live in it to figure out how you really want it to look like and function. We tend to try out different things for like a couple weeks or a couple months to see if we like the new placement.

I’m kinda the type that doesn’t really like a lot of change so if I get used to something, I’m just good with it. But for Nate, good isn’t good enough. He wants like the best so if it doesn’t feel completely right for him, he would keep trying to think of a way to make the placement or design just right. So sometimes that takes a really long time. But in the end, I’m always so thankful because I don’t want to change. But then later, I’m like, why didn’t we do this sooner!

woman in fixer upper kitchen with appliances all around

Well, it would usually take time for us to figure out how to design it differently. We’ve really just been learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable. But I think we’re getting closer and closer to final placements. We’re going to be unpacking that as we go. Stay tuned to see how these updates unfold!

HVAC CONTRACTORS BLOWING INSULATION IN ATTIC

Not only was the AC guy installing our HVAC system, but we also hired him to blow in the insulation in the attic for us as he had more experience with that. Nate was in the office and he was feeding the insulation blowing machine. The insulation would get sucked up to the attic where the AC guy was to blow it in the attic.

I was just wondering if Mike Rowe was going to show up from Dirty Jobs because this was another one of those dirty jobs. We’ve experienced a few of those during our renovations. If you haven’t seen them yet, go back to look at our library of blogs and videos to catch some of those dirty jobs that we’ve done around here. With excavation, our foundation, Nate getting underneath our crawl space, and our many demo projects – all of them dirty jobs!

We are thankful that we had the AC guy do this for us. He worked so hard to get it right and did a good job. It was certainly a dirty job, but one that needed to be done!

Prepping our cottage for HVAC installation and figuring out how to design our small space would be an ongoing project into the near future. Yet one we were definitely looking forward to!

Psalm 90:17

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.

man with arms open in front of old cottage siding AND cottage with HVAC copper tubing on siding

CHECK OUT OUR VIDEOS

Thanks for joining us on this journey! We hope that you will find inspiration watching us learn as we go while we’re attempting to renovate and rebuild this old small historic cottage mostly on our own. Stay tuned for more progress updates ahead!

You can also watch a video about this here.