Comments on: Using Reclaimed Wood In The Guest Cottage

By: Nicolette

Nicolette — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 21:04:01 +0000

I was too late to comment on the bathroom layout post so I’m leaving my thoughts here. I personally am very grossed out when I have to sit on a toilet next to a urinal. I like the room within a room idea but what if you add a divider or even two doors so guests don’t have to sit next to a urinal when using the facilities

By: Unah

Unah — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 19:35:58 +0000

We have a “pool bathroom” that has double entrance doors. The door on one end opens into our house and the door on the other end opens to the exterior/pool area. It’s a pain to use. You (and your guests) have to remember to lock/unlock BOTH doors when using it. Inevitably someone leaves one door locked and people are stranded until someone goes around and unlocks the offending door. Or worse, someone using it doesn’t lock BOTH doors, leading to an awkward walk-in, yikes. It’s kind of like having the Jack and Jill bath between two kids rooms where they are always “accidentally” locking out the other kid. Anyone have any ideas on how to address/prevent that from happening? We haven’t solved the problem yet.

By: Unah

Unah — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 19:13:41 +0000

You should look at pics of the La Charpenterie restaurant (Av. du Prariond, 73150 Val-d’Isère, France). It is more of a 70s vibe, but they have half old wood paneling and half white walls. It’s a great look. It sounds like you are now leaning towards ripping out al the old paneling and replacing it, but maybe you can do something similar to what they did.

By: Lin

Lin — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 05:58:53 +0000

This bathroom will have to have such a unique answer to “how is this room supposed to function/need does it meet?” It is really going to need to be two bathrooms in one. You’ve got the “public facing” as it were, part of it–the beloved urinal, and toilet, that your outside guests will use when you generously offer the house up for big school parties. These folks might be new to you/strangers etc., that you may not want wandering through the whole guest cottage (just being real). They are just there for the quick potty visit, hand wash, etc. and back to the party.
Then, you have your true house guests, that will be using the shower, relaxing, and ideally enjoying the beautiful quirky space.
My point is, I’d love to see your layout ideas, because I am wondering whether it makes sense to base a separation of the big room on these two concepts–Is there a role for an indoor door/curtain/etc to separate, when needed, the “public” part of the bathroom that exits to the yard, from the “private” part of the bathroom that your houseguests will use? (Also making sure that folks can’t randomly wander through your office if you choose to base your work life out there–just close the door to the “inner bathroom” and rest of the cottage during big school events etc/when needed.

Which circles back to the point of this post–if you end up splitting the room up by functionality and who will use it, does that change the whole wall cladding situation etc?
None of this is an issue if.you are going to be fine with having the whole cottage open, but if there is podcast gear, design projects, etc. it got me thinking you may want to limit access to the cottage to just the “outer bath — aka urinal lounge? :)” during big parties?

By: Stacy

Stacy — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 04:06:21 +0000

I am delighted that you’re showcasing how to work with salvaged materials! Even if you don’t choose it, thanks for highlighting it as an option. The wood in old PNW buildings is so gorgeous and often from trees that were 800-1000 years old when they were cut down, so showcasing them feels like the best way to honor them to me =).

I have the same question as another commenter and am wondering if you really need to insulate that room if it’s going to have mini-rooms within? You could keep more of a campy vibe and just have the original walls with exposed electrical tubing against it. (Not sure if that’s the right word here. Wires would be securely in a tube, but you see them against the wall.)

Either way, love the cottage posts!

By: Galena

Galena — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:27:39 +0000

In reply to kiki. Tadelakt would be a very cool DIY skill to learn and is waterproof for a shower wall.

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 23:46:50 +0000

In reply to Emily. Do you even need to finish the other walls at all? The exposed walls look pretty cute in my opinion. Very rustic and might get a bit cold in winter, but with ‘little rooms’ for the toilet, shower etc, then you only need to worry about the warmth in those rooms. Just a thought….

By: Donna

Donna — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:46:46 +0000

I don’t understand the appeal of uniformly stained reclaimed wood. It seems like an oxymoron. And honestly, other than deep cleaning and possibly sealing the wood that is already there, I wouldn’t touch it. The beauty of the aging is so authentic and stunning on its own, and representative of the history of the room. I say leave it and plaster any other walls that are not clad.

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:10:34 +0000

Just curious: Why is drywall not an option? All the walls in my 1880s were drywalled before we bought it and it’s honestly fine. The moulding, original wood windows and other architectural details contribute plenty of charm. You could do Venetian or clay plaster or lime wash or some other finish if you want more texture. And of course, tile is the obvious answer for bathroom walls.

By: Lynly

Lynly — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 20:56:30 +0000

In reply to Vany. I have those jeans. Kut from the Kloth Ashton barrel.