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Cottage/outhouse/door latch At the time of purchase The outbuilding near the home has had a variety of names because of uncertainty about its original function. A former owner uses the name "summer kitchen and smokehouse" and that wording was used in the historic registry. In contrast, one Kownover descendent refers to it as the workshop. Another descendent now debates the smokehouse theory. In his words... "Your choice'The cottage' seems to me to be a better name for this building. As I have previously related, the term 'summer kitchen' that an earlier owner gave to the structure seems inappropriate to me since its ceiling was too low for that purpose. Summer kitchens generally lack a ceiling, and sometimes they are open on one side so that the kitchen heat is less troublesome during the sweltering summer days. The kitchen In the main house has or had a higher ceiling than the one that was found in this building, and it would have been more comfortable to have worked there during the summer ... Yet, neither my father nor grandmother could say how this building was used, although my grandmother suggested that it was probably used for storage" - Willem Van Kouwenhoven In any case, there is no debate that the part facing the home on the west side was the original outhouse. There is also no debate that the interior and some of the exterior trim was in disrepair with a falling interior ceiling, decay of the window sills, and broken windows. At some point in recent decades, electricity was brought to the building, but it too had become unsafe with exposed and frayed wires and loose outlets. The building was only used for weather- tolerant storage by the previous owner. Vision The quaint character of this building with its fireplace and back room looked more like a cottage. Our plan was to make this a small cottage for visitors to use as a guest house. The outhouse was only used as a garden shed for the previous homeowner. With its concrete floor and no other purpose, we envisioned the water heater for the cottage to be there and the building only used seasonally. Process Materials left in the cottage from the previous owner were removed. The electric was evaluated by an electrician, disconnected and a new plan for electricity was discussed. The ceiling which was falling down had to be removed. The original hope was that the ceiling was faux and that the roof support would allow it to be vaulted. Insulation which had been in the attic showed evidence of water leakage, verminous infestation, and debris. None of it was salvageable. It was also evident that vaulting would not be possible, so new ceiling board was put up with new roll insulation and a port to allow attic access. A drainable water line was brought to the cottage from the basement of the main house. A small kitchenette was added as was a shower and toilet in the back room, leaving natural the high parts of the "drying room" to maintain its original character. Tile was selected for the bath rather than some sort of contemporary composite and colors were chosen to fit the earth tones of the home's era. A mantle was constructed out of some of the barn wood as was the custom made vanity for the kitchenette. Counter tops were custom made out of local wood. The original