Little Cottage Exterior Paint + Dutch Door Reveal

Today I’m sharing how we changed the entire look and feel of The Little Cottage with new exterior paint, a gorgeous wood & glass Dutch door, and that cute little farmhouse light we all love! Thanks in part to our amazing sponsors Sherwin Williams & The Simpson Door Company for helping us reach our home improvement goals!

I am so pleased to finally be sharing our brand new Dutch Door from the Simpson Door Company with you today, and unveiling the exterior paint job on our little guest cottage too. Everything is done now and I’ve been positively dying to share this, but I want to share a little bit of the process first.

The projects kind of collided as far as timing goes, and I couldn’t get to the door to finish it after it was installed and hung, because it was covered to protect it while the house was being painted.

This post is highlighting projects we did on our guest cottage – which I refer to as The Little Cottage.

This was a “during” photo with the door installed, paint samples on the cottage, and the beginnings of a new stone path getting started. It was a very busy few months. I had just started to plan a Fall porch when the opportunity to have my dream door came up, so they were put to the side to allow work to be done.

This house is all kinds of wonky, and we paid a professional to come in and completely tear out the old frame, rebuild and hang the door. It’s an absolutely stunning wood door and there was no way Jim or I wanted to be responsible for not doing it the justice it deserves.

Our installer did a beautiful job with the mess he was working with and the door opens and closes like a dream! We used a local company, Pacific Coast Restoration. They will be handling the demo and rebuild for the water damage that we discovered on the back side of the main house too.

I selected matte black hinges & door hardware, I grabbed a very simple doorknob from Ace hardware. I didn’t want anything to complete with the door, and I didn’t see the need for a deadbolt with all the glass? Our door is not visible from the street at all so I’m comfortable with the full glass top portion, and the difference it makes in that entryway is amazing! I’ve got a project coming up in a few weeks and light that comes pouring in is really going to be evident.

When the opportunity came up to partner with Simpson Door Company it was a dream come true! They make just about every shape, size and configuration of door your can imagine. And I got to design every single element of this one myself. From the wood species (I went with White Birch), to the glass style (Beveled for me!), to the design layout on the bottom of the door.

I didn’t feel like our house was a good candidate for a Dutch door, and because the entry door at The Little Cottage was in the worst shape, getting a new door for it made the most sense. It being a Dutch door was the cherry on top.

While the Dutch door was being installed, we decided to bite the bullet and have the main house painted!

See The Big Exterior Paint Makeover Reveal [Click HERE]

It was all very last-minute, and actually pretty exciting. It was a quick cascade of decisions, like picking paint colors! I didn’t have time to blog about my choices, but it was so fun sharing all my options on Instagram with some of you.

While we were getting the final bid for the main house, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by, and I pulled the painter aside to ask him how much it would cost to do The Little Cottage too.

I think you can see how that went.

Let me add that while I had the painter pulled aside, that would be about the time Jim noticed, and asked what I was scheming. He knows me too well. I told him never you mind, that I’d pay for it, and not to worry. hahaha… and then we discovered all that rot later. Whoops.

Seriously though, it was really so little extra to have this done. And I think perhaps even more than the main house… THIS little cutie was meant to be white. I mean, how could that full batten siding not be white? And I’ve said it several times, but this is my view. This is what we see coming and going to and from our cars. It’s what I see as I run up & down the stairs all day, and from our sun deck when I water all my plants. I love seeing the house in white, and gazing at that pretty door is such a treat! 

She’s so far from perfect, but she’s getting there.

I decided on the same Softened Green for the bedroom door, as I did for the vintage French doors on our house. I have big dreams for this little porch to be turned into an outdoor shower one day. Jim loves them, so I am pretty sure I could get him on board! We won’t have a view of whales swimming by like we did on Oahu, but it could still be pretty sweet on a warm Summer day.

The light will be switched out when time and budget allow. This was a busy year, and with the discovery of the dry rot on our house… this light isn’t really high on my list right now.

I spent any extra cash I had on my new vacuum purchase, LOL. It’s all about priorities… and I really wanted that vacuum!

Before she was even done being painted, Jim and I were daydreaming…. and we already have plans to expand the porch and re-work the flower bed under the bedroom window next Summer.

We sit out here all Summer, and late into the Fall. I meet Jim outside when he gets home from work and we chat about our days and catch-up while I water and dead-head the pots & planters.

We both cherish that time together in our day.

It feels so good to finally be sharing this project with you!! It seems like everyone is deep into holiday mode, while I’ve been over here playing catch up. Bouncing from my late Fall home improvement projects, to being sick, to prepping for Christmas tours!

It’s all been so worth it though.

Thank you for cheering us on!! It helps me push through on projects when I know you guys are waiting for those after pictures, even if sometimes I wish I was faster for you. xo Shannon

PS: here is a tiny peek from inside, and where I’ll be working this coming week, on a brand new DIY project!!

POST DETAILS:

A friendly tip: I suggest you like & follow the Sherwin Williams Facebook page. I always plan my projects around sales, and it’s often 30-40 percent off!

Some of the direct courtesy shopping links I provide may be affiliate links – It will not increase your cost.

• Exterior Paint: Sherwin Williams Emerald Paint in PURE WHITE, satin
• Exterior Trim: Sherwin Williams Emerald Paint in PURE WHITE, semi-gloss
• Door Color: Sherwin Williams Resilience, SOFTENED GREEN
• Porch Light: Matte Black Farmhouse Light [here]
• Dutch Door: Simpson Door Company [find a door – create a custom door page]
• Dutch Door Finish: Varathane Wood Stain in BRIARSMOKE
• Dutch Door Entry Knob: Kwikset in Matte Black, Ace Hardware
• Dutch Door Blot: Solid Brass Matte Black Bolt [here]

The exact product/color I used on the Dutch Door [click here]

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