Welcome to Fernandina Beach, Florida: A Journey of Renovation and Discovery

My name is Lynn Anderson, and I'm thrilled to welcome you to my home, a 1920s cottage that has been transformed into a haven of relaxation and style. After a long search for the perfect oceanfront community, I made the move to Fernandina Beach in the spring of 2000. One of the main reasons I fell in love with this house was its approximately 700 square feet of inaccessible undeveloped attic space under the roof – a treasure trove that would one day become my fabulous master suite.

The Renovation Journey Begins

As you can see, welcome to the renovated attic, now my very own master suite. The journey to get here has been an exciting and sometimes challenging one. First, we had to obtain approval from our historic district council before we could begin the renovation. It was a careful process, but the end result is well worth it. I'm particularly fond of the triple window that lets in plenty of natural light – it's truly the crown jewel of my new retreat.

Getting Creative with Skylights and Framing

The pros did an incredible job installing those skylights and windows, as well as some of the basic framing work. However, it was only when I took over the reins and went all-in on DIY that things really came together. The first thing we decided to install was a pine tongue and groove natural finish ceiling – what a game-changer! The wood proved to be very forgiving, and sheetrock would have been a disaster in this space, showing every dip and flow on the old roof rafters.

A Masterpiece Takes Shape

As I took over the renovation process, my friend who's also my construction partner and I worked tirelessly to bring our vision to life. We installed an electric fireplace that only requires about 16 inches of depth and a regular 110-volt outlet – it's been a staple in this room ever since. The countertops and shelving were made from reclaimed heart pine flooring, which we found at a local lumber yard for a steal – just $25 cents per four-foot board! We also added plenty of closet space beneath the floor, and by using fabric panels in the doors, we created an effect that shimmers beautifully at night.

A Hidden Gem Revealed

I call this next space my dressing room, as it's located at the front gable of the house. That triple window you saw earlier when we were outside is a real showstopper – and it includes storage doors for linens under the window seat. The room is full of open shelving for clothes and shoes, making it easy to get dressed and ready for the day. This renovation took us just over a year, but as beach dwellers, we only worked from 10 until two on cloudy days – it was worth it in the end.

A Year in the Making

I'm absolutely thrilled with how this master suite has turned out – it's everything I dreamed of and more! I've been fortunate enough to receive countless design ideas and construction tips from both This Old House magazine and the TV show, and I must say, it was a shock and thrill to receive the call telling me I was the winner of this year's attic renovation contest.

The Finishing Touches

As I look around my newly renovated master suite, I feel grateful for every moment of this journey. From the early days of planning to the final touches, it's been an incredible ride. And now that you've seen my home, I hope you'll join me in exploring the world of renovation and discovery – there's always something new to learn and discover!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi this old house fans my name is lynn anderson welcome to fernandina beach florida i bought my 1920s cottage here in the spring of 2000 after a maine to miami search for the perfect oceanfront community one of the main reasons i bought this particular house was the approximately 700 square feet of inaccessible undeveloped attic space under the roof that i knew would someday make a really fabulous master suite adding the triple window had to be approved by our historic district council before i could begin the attic renovation welcome to the renovated attic which is now my fabulous master suite i had the pros install those skylights and the windows and do some of the basic framing and then the entire space was sealed with spray foam insulation so this is now the coziest spot in this otherwise uninsulated house figuring out where to put the staircase without totally messing up the first floor of the house was far and away the biggest design decision i had to make after building the stairs the next thing the professionals did was sister two by twelves onto the existing two by six floor joists and also check out this cantilevered corner you're going to be really surprised when you see what's sitting on top of it here's the walk-in shower i had to really fight with the guys to have it in this location the tile is travertine and the subfloor is portland cement so you can imagine just how heavy it is yet this is what's cantilevered over the kitchen with no supporting post beneath it here's the magic behind that trick in that corner there's a steel cable running from the ceiling joist all the way to the floor joist at this point my friend who's also my construction partner and i kissed the pros goodbye and went all in diy the first thing we did was install this pine tongue and groove natural finish ceiling it turned out to be an inspired decision as the wood was very forgiving sheetrock would have been a disaster and showed every dip and flow on the old roof rafters how about that electric fireplace it only requires about 16 inches of depth and a regular 110 volt outlet the countertops and the shelving were made out of reclaimed heart pine flooring that we found at a local lumber yard and the really cool part is we only paid 25 cents for each four foot board there's plenty of underneath closet space and by using fabric panels in the doors the light shines through and it gives a really cool effect at night i call this next space my dressing room it's the front gable of the house and there's that triple window that you saw earlier when we were outside it includes storage doors for linens under the window seat and there's lots of open shelving for clothes and shoes altogether this renovation took us just over a year but then we do live in a beach town so we only work from 10 until two and only on cloudy days this master suite is everything i dreamed of and more i could not be more proud of the way that it turned out over the years i've gotten so many design ideas and construction tips from both this old house magazine and the tv show still it was a shock and a thrill to get the call from this old house saying that i was the winner of this year's attic renovation and it's been so much fun to show it to you todayhi this old house fans my name is lynn anderson welcome to fernandina beach florida i bought my 1920s cottage here in the spring of 2000 after a maine to miami search for the perfect oceanfront community one of the main reasons i bought this particular house was the approximately 700 square feet of inaccessible undeveloped attic space under the roof that i knew would someday make a really fabulous master suite adding the triple window had to be approved by our historic district council before i could begin the attic renovation welcome to the renovated attic which is now my fabulous master suite i had the pros install those skylights and the windows and do some of the basic framing and then the entire space was sealed with spray foam insulation so this is now the coziest spot in this otherwise uninsulated house figuring out where to put the staircase without totally messing up the first floor of the house was far and away the biggest design decision i had to make after building the stairs the next thing the professionals did was sister two by twelves onto the existing two by six floor joists and also check out this cantilevered corner you're going to be really surprised when you see what's sitting on top of it here's the walk-in shower i had to really fight with the guys to have it in this location the tile is travertine and the subfloor is portland cement so you can imagine just how heavy it is yet this is what's cantilevered over the kitchen with no supporting post beneath it here's the magic behind that trick in that corner there's a steel cable running from the ceiling joist all the way to the floor joist at this point my friend who's also my construction partner and i kissed the pros goodbye and went all in diy the first thing we did was install this pine tongue and groove natural finish ceiling it turned out to be an inspired decision as the wood was very forgiving sheetrock would have been a disaster and showed every dip and flow on the old roof rafters how about that electric fireplace it only requires about 16 inches of depth and a regular 110 volt outlet the countertops and the shelving were made out of reclaimed heart pine flooring that we found at a local lumber yard and the really cool part is we only paid 25 cents for each four foot board there's plenty of underneath closet space and by using fabric panels in the doors the light shines through and it gives a really cool effect at night i call this next space my dressing room it's the front gable of the house and there's that triple window that you saw earlier when we were outside it includes storage doors for linens under the window seat and there's lots of open shelving for clothes and shoes altogether this renovation took us just over a year but then we do live in a beach town so we only work from 10 until two and only on cloudy days this master suite is everything i dreamed of and more i could not be more proud of the way that it turned out over the years i've gotten so many design ideas and construction tips from both this old house magazine and the tv show still it was a shock and a thrill to get the call from this old house saying that i was the winner of this year's attic renovation and it's been so much fun to show it to you today\n"