La Casita

Just as on road trips, when I sometimes start out toward one destination and end up somewhere else, the trip of remodeling has taken me to a different place than I'd planned.

The process has been so much fun, and the final product is exactly what I wanted!  I feel happy every time I walk in the doors or look at it from the outside.

When I started the La Casita remodeling project, I intended to advertise on the Air BnB website--because I thought I'd like making money on a place that's not used every day.  I thought I'd enjoy meeting travelers and doing for them what Air BnB has done for me on the road.

But now that it's all done, La Casita is telling me it wants a different road.  It wants to host friends and families of friends instead of strangers. Already, it's working out--not to the extent it might have had I gone the Air BnB route, but it's already booked in advance for several extended stays.

When Paula decided to rent it on writing group nights instead of driving back to Austin, the road changed, and it feels just right.

Here it is:

The kitchen and bathroom are now bright green, the refrigerator yellow.

A big blue chicken sits atop the cover we made for the air conditioner--which we made out of my old bed.

Mike put a half-moon on the sliding door to the bathroom and built a very comfy Murphy bed.

The fire place and books are ready for winter reading and writing groups.

Here's the Murphy bed--our summer project--in the down position, ready for a quiet night of snoozing.

We painted the casita orange peel yellow and the door turquoise, and Mike built a  Saltillo tile patio with plants on it beside the front door.

Then we decided to paint the house white, with a door to match the casita and blue blinds and trim.

La Casita is home for my writing groups, but when it's vacant, it's now available for out of towners to stay and enjoy San Antonio.  The private back yard (with a new deck)  has twinkle lights and is a quiet place to sit and drink coffee or wine.

If you know of anyone traveling to San Antonio who'd like to stay here for a night or a week, please pass the word that the orange peel casita is ready for guests.



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