The Cavanaugh House - 1863

For many years I had been keeping an eye on my dream house. It's up in Mendocino and is located on the left (ocean-side) side of Main Street when you turn off of Hwy 1. It's pretty hidden from view, so you need to really look for it if you want to find it. One of the reasons I love this house is because it is one of only 2 private residences that have direct beach access, rather than access to the bluffs/cliffs that surround most of Mendocino. This is key because I don't have to worry about my kids falling off the bluffs as so often happens up there.

It's not just the location though. The house is equally amazing. It is a New England farmhouse built by a lumberman, Charles Cavanaugh, in 1863. It has two bedrooms and 1.5 baths. It has a separate guest house and two additional buildings that have been converted into a playroom and an office for me. The views from the living room and master bedroom are absolutely stunning.

In October of 2007, I got a call that the house had been put on the market. I raced up to Mendo to take a look at it and immediately made on offer. After a few offers and counter offers, we agreed on a price. I took possession of the property on October 15, and immediately began renovating it with the hopes of having it ready for the following summer. The contractor had it finished by Memorial Day of 2008. The house is now all furnished and we are finally all moved in. I stocked much of it with New England antiques, which I LOVE.

I have added a bunch of before and after pics below. Pretty exciting ;)

The House

The Guest Cottage - This had been renovated before I purchased the house, so the cottage was home sweet home in Mendocino during the renovations. Now it sits empty, just waiting for friends and family to come visit :)

Highlights of the Renovation

The Kitchen - We blew out the wall separating the kitchen to the dining room, repainted, replaced the rotted out floors and installed new cabinetry, countertops and appliances--showing before and after pics.

The Great Room - Replaced the floors, painted, installed a window seat, book cases and added French doors to enable us to walk right onto the new deck. The great room has some amazing New England antiques in it, including a Federal tall case clock, a Queen Anne drop leaf table and a William and Mary tavern table -- all of which pre-date this country! -- showing before and after pics.

The Master Bedroom - still hunting for an awesome antique bed, but the rest of the room is all finished. It has a Chippendale dresser from the 1790's, as well as a wonderful dome topped Excelsior oak slat trunk.

The Kids Bedroom - We put a bunk bed and a twin bed in the kid's room -- both with trundles, so it sleeps 5. I couldn't resist putting another Excelsior oak slat trunk in their room to use as a blanket chest. This was the only room we didn't touch in the entire house!

The Upstairs Bathroom - Added a 2 person shower, a new tub and a two sink vanity in order to make the bathroom work for adults as well as a house full of kids--showing old and new pics (no glass in the shower yet and some fixtures missing).

The Playroom - For those frequent rainy days, the kids have a playroom complete with foosball and a shuffleboard table.

Exterior Renovations - The entire deck and a significant amount of foundation framing needed to be replaced. Now the new deck is a lot larger, and there's a hot tub!

Landscaping - Once all the work was done, the landscaping went in. Looks a little sparse right now, but once spring comes, the garden should look really nice!