LIFE AFTER THE TEXAS STORM: Guest Cottage Design & Thrift Shopping | XO, MaCenna 

My family and I are so grateful and fortunate to have made it through the Texas storm, but so many Texans are in need of our help to get back on their feet. If you can, please consider donating to the Feeding Texas fundraiser on this video. I appreciate you guys so much and thank you for all of your kind messages! xo

Our "boil all water" notice was just lifted this afternoon! Woo hoo!

MaCenna, Thank you for sharing your journey with us! If you can, add a little private patio/outdoor space off the master of your guest house that cannot be seen from the main house. I once stayed at someone's guest house and they had a single french door in the mb leading out to a small private outdoor space. Being an introvert It was so nice to have a private space to recharge.

I’ve lived in Texas most of my life and have never seen anything like this. So glad y’all are ok

I bought a book a while back entitled "Small Space Style: Because You Don't Need to Live Large to Live Beautifully" that you might like.

Ok, but like this whole drafting process looks better with a penmanship like MaCenna LOL

I like seeing the process! It’s really the process that’s important, and it can be modeled and taught. All of these amazing ideas don’t spring up from nowhere. It’s a constant drawing, editing, wrinkling up the paper and starting again. So fun to watch!

So happy y’all are ok! Also so excited to see this house after the reno!!

Winter storm and valentines day only means one thing... A TEXAS BABY BOOM! 😍😍

I’m currently 3 years into my BSD for interior design and I’m so excited to do stuff like this when I graduate, so fun to watch 🥺

I LOVE watching you sketch the floor plan while talking us through your thought process. Please please please post more of these!

I just want to suggest you something really quick, I think you should do an apartment tour around your neighborhood to see the smallest apartment and understand the sq.ft. for your guest cottage renovation.

I am legitimately obsessed with this project.

two suggestions for keeping the kitchen small from things I’ve watched: 1) when Kelsey from the sorry girls made her second floor unit, she found a rather slim fridge/freezer unit that was still tall 2) Eamon and Bec, who do van life, use something unique for their stovetop! I’d say these two videos are worth the watch, even just to get the creativity flowing. Can’t wait to keep following this journey with you!!

Idk why, but I feel this storm came just in time for you as a learning lesson so that you will build your home as best as possible to be prepared for anything in particular a snow storm. Just looking at things from a bright side. Lol 🤗💕

So glad you are ok and Texas getting back on its feet!!!! Watching you going through your floor plan drawing process really made me smile and think ‘she is her parents daughter!’ I am sure you would be a good staff member in your dad’s architect’s business and a good co-worker for designer mum! They must be so proud of you!!!😊😊😊😊😊. Good advice by dad to switch off the water and drain it out of the system! 👍👍👍👍👍👍

I respect you and your work so much, I know your mom is an interior designer and you might have your knowledge because of her but the fact that you never claim to be one yourself because you’re not certified is great to see because so many people claim to be when they’re not

The most beautiful guest house I stayed in had this layout. The front door is placed on one side of the house off the porch. Inside, the lounge, dining and galley kitchen are in an open plan layout one after the other on the side that has the room. The bedroom is then behind the kitchen wall with the bathroom leading off it. This creates a hallway that ends in a wall against which you can put a pretty cabinet. The bathroom is behind it. The hallway "wall" is usually a wall of glass doors so that you can step straight onto a porch. It's a way of bringing the outside in and makes the cottage seem bigger. Then all the breakfasts etc can be served outside. No-one goes to a guest cottage to be inside. If it is cold, there is a pot belly in the lounge. If you want a loft, I suggest steep stairs at the end of the hallway. That means there must be a bathroom door from the lounge just at the side of the stairs. This place has 15 guesthouses and is booked 3 years in advance. The secret is that the houses are surrounded by nature and they can't see each other so it feels private. And each has a screened hot tub outside. 😊

MaCenna you are like an old friend to me ... and I don't know how many more people must feel that way ....living on the other side of the globe ...when I heard the news of the storm ...I was worried for you and prayed for you and for all the people who were stuck in the storm...n I'd a hunch ...you won't be sitting still ....coz you aren't the one who can sit still ....I knew you must be trying to utilize this time the best way you can ...and it's good to see you did ....be blessed

I bought an old house built in 1901, it had the old pine floors, even under all the carpet. I had them all sanded down and refinished, a handful of boards replaced and they are literally the most beautiful floors!!!! I hope yours can be salvaged too! I am so excited to follow your projects

If your putting a washer and dryer in you might want to think about a unit that is both a washer and dryer together to save space. Can't wait to see more of this process!

I love the idea of taking things slow so that you think things through

This whole process with you guys is so heart warming. The dream. So happy for you!

“Hi house”! You’re adorable. I can feel your excitement. Having your own house, and being able to make it your home is the best! I’m so excited to see all the wonderful things you do.

Bathroom wall and kitchen wall can share the plumbing. We put our heater above the shower in our house in Alaska and instant hot water took up 18 inches by I think 8 inches. It was enough for us. A long closet in the bedroom can share the shower/bathtub wall in the bathroom. You can put an access door to the plumbing on the closet wall.

Good for you. I'm happy Texas is recovering. This is great journey to watch. Thank you.

I think we have ptsd from this last week. Our boil water notice just lifted about an hour ago, thank you Jesus! We still have a few areas of snow that is melting in our front yard. I am just SE of SA in the LaVernia/Floresville local. I enjoy watching your planing for the new place. You are doing great!

So glad we made it through the winter storm with no damage to our home we were also without power & just got water back on last night. I’m so glad you’re going to local thrift shops that are close to me so I can check them out also 😁

Glad you are all ok. Thank you for taking us along this journey!

A signed Aaron Carter photo lol!!!! That’s so funny.

My son lives in Houston and I am so happy things are improving. Blessing to all of you who had to experience something so severe. I hope things continue to slowly but surely get better. I live in Buffalo N Y we had the storm here twice but we are use to it and have the infrastructure to keep things going. Be safe God's Blessing on you all.

I’m so glad that you and your family are alright after the storm! I’m from Canada and I know the trouble the snow causes when you’re not prepared for the impact. Hope everyone in Texas is recovering alright!

My husband and I were the same, so much time at home but with no power and no heat we could work on any projects, just spent the time trying to keep the kids warm and feed.

I live in Houston and last time it snowed here was after hurricane Harvey hit. I'll never forget, January 16, 2018, my grandfather died that day. So although it wasn't as much as this past week, it does snow sometimes and it does get cold!

What a beautiful home! I would have suggested a kitchenette and a sitting area for dining inside the guest house. And a private space outside to relax, when the weather gets warmer.

I'm glad you and your family are okay, and in a much better spot now that power and water are back on. I am sending you guys much love from San Antonio, TX!

Low-key wish I could skip all the weekdays until it’s Sunday again and I get to see what you’ve been up to with the house project 😆🤩 You must be so excited to be back at it after the storm! 🥰

Omg I'm so glad you're ok! Been praying you and your family up! I love your videos! Can't wait to see your idea's and design come to life! Be Safe and Stay warm! ❤

I'm so glad you all are doing well! I love seeing how you are going through the process. TV shows are so condensed that it goes from quick brainstorm to done. Your real time and creative process is infirmative. 😍

Glad you are ok. Been praying for Texas.

I live in NH and let me tell you... ice storms are no joke. They take down trees and power lines, make travel nearly impossible and just wreak havoc on everything. I feel for everyone hit by one who lives in an area that isn't "used to" them.

So glad you're on the other side of the storm okay ❤️LOVE your pinterest board and all the cottage, warm, cozy inspo 😍

It's been quick an ordeal their, been keep all in my prayers..I've lived in Texas never seen anything this bad. Stay warm an safe. U get here just takes time an planning. TY

I think is my first commitment, I watch you every week, love you decorations style and Congratulate you and Romeo on you First House.. BE SAFE... Here in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 we was 🙏 for you guys in Texas.

During Texas disaster recall you turning off water@meter+draining pipes....so fortuitous given what is seen on news with pipes, homes, apts,etc.Good to know you/family OK. Prayers for all of Texas+ other hard-hit States❤

It's crazy because I was thinking about you when I heard about Texas. I'm like oh no she just bought her home..I'm glad you're okay!! Love you!! Seriously obsessed!!

I’m glad y’all are safe and made it through!

Sorry to hear about the power out and the water situation inTexas! I understand what it's like to have no heat and power outages, as I live in Ontario and we have had a few incidences in the past. And with the water boil situation, my hometown of Walkerton, had this happen in the 90's. A number of people died, some of whom I knew. Was so sad. ... Anyway I'm glad you're concentrating on starting your guest house! Can't wait til you get started!

This was SO interesting to see how you go about trying to design a cottage! I would find this too stressful and overwhelming!

I am so glad you and your family are in good spirits sweetie. I have heard a lot of bad news lately, and it was scarey. I have family in Texas, but i haven't heard from them yet, so my fingers are crossed. Sending love and prayers your way sweetie!!!

putting the front door off center is visually interesting and would allow you to get a large "L" shaped sectional with a pull-out. Then on the other side of the door you can designate an entry area. When you're trying to maximize space, i feel like making the living area more useable is better. Then you can either take away the small room next to the kitchen or make it smaller with a twin bed and a desk. With the loft and pull out sofa, that's 2-4 ppl sleeping and if you keep a small sleeping/office space that's an extra person.

So glad you and your family are safe. Take care.

So glad y’all are okay! We were out of power and water for nine days, so I’m thankful y’all didn’t have to go through that!

I LOOVEEE the loft idea for the guest house and I really hope you incorporate that!!! It would be so cute 😍😍

It is so good to know you are all well in Texas and things are beginning to return to a more familiar warmth. I am enjoying so much watching your work even before the new home project began. The way you approach your projects and develop them is inspiring. How you place focus on your drafting process... with attention to minute detail... as far as I am concerned is ' the way '. I cannot wait to see how every one of your ideas evolve as the weeks go by MaCenna. Continued success to you !

This is just the craziest weather. I’m here in KC MO and we’ve had the coldest temperatures -23 to -30 below wind chills. Then we experienced the rolling power cuts. As bad as that was, your situation was even worse. Who would have thought something like that would happen in Texas. Just crazy. Looking forward to your renovations ! Keep the videos coming !

Fellow Texan here it’s so funny because today we were in the 70s in south Texas and don’t even need jackets at night again! It’s been a wild ride.

This so reminds me of when I was a kid...I was always designing houses, drawing them out on paper like that. My dad thought I might become an architect (I became a biologist instead but I still love, love to design things and decorate my space).

Another girl here who always hated dolls. Love your excitement about this project and new phase of your life.

So relieved you are all ok.

Glad to hear you and your fam ok

Im obsessed with seeing this drawing design process! Def want to keep seeing more of the drafting and drawing out on paper. And def would love an explanation on how u figure out the electrical part when u draw that in. Please please!

To give yourself an idea of what 500 square feet is like go visit one of those lots where they sell sheds and tiny houses. So glad you all are ok and that Texas is recovering. I live in North Central Arkansas and was without water for over two weeks, just got it back yesterday. About a week before the storm hit we had a pipe break and were a week out on a plumber getting here and then the storm hit and slowed them down even more. I think I've washed everything in the house at least once plus done loads of laundry and dishes since yesterday.

Glad you are all safe .

Glad you made it safely through the weather.

Prayers for Texas 🇺🇲🙏

Thanks for sharing your process of developing the cottage.

I can totally relate to this since I live in Dallas! Glad things are improving!

Emergency manager here. The situation in Texas was very frustrating because it could have been avoided. Texas is the only state not regulated by the FERC and they literally have their own energy grid to avoid regulation. In 2011 after a winter storm, the FERC warned Texas that their infrastructure was vulnerable to climate change impacts (e.g. extreme weather events), but the Texas state government chose to prioritize the fossil fuel industry and profits over their residents. They did not weatherize their energy system because there was no incentive or requirement to follow national regulatory standards.

So happy you and the family are ok, this is what happens in Florida when we have hurricanes. I love that your Mom kept a lot of your childhood items. I still have my children’s stuff ( ages 44 and 36).

As a child, I loved dolls and I had many. But I saw a miniseries when I was 15/16. It's a Scandinavian series called Maelstrom and it had this private Island with a house filled with all these scary dolls. And since then dolls creep me out sometimes. So I feel you. :) Glad you have power again.

I wish I could fast forward your life! Just so I can see your hard work come to fruition! You have great vision! So excited for you & Romeo! May God Bless you and keep you safe as you realize your dreams. 🙏🏽❤️💚💜💙❤️💚💜💙❤️💚💜💙❤️💚💜💙❤️💚💜💙❤️💚

Great to see you again❤ keep warm. Little sweet dog, so adorable.

I live in Texas and we didn’t have power/ hot water for 4 days and it was honestly scary how cold it was in our house, especially when you have a little one 😕 every hotel was booked from as far out as an hour away from us. It was crazy I’ve never seen/experienced anything like this before and I’m born and raised here! So glad you guys are okay!! Our boil ban was lifted today and when I tell you I’ve never taken a better shower 😂 it really taught me not to take what I have for granted ♥️

So glad we made it all through the storm, we’re out of power for 4 days straight, and this afternoon our “boiling water”noticed has been lifted! Yay!

Happy you all are okay!! Can’t wait to see more of your videos🌈

I am so glad you all weathered that storm and is okay now.

Glad you're all doing ok and the house was fine through the storm too.

I loved the 2nd pic of the kitchen with built in bench and blue cupboards. That is the way I would go. And also loved the blue cupboards. Very cottagy.

Glad you and your family are safe!

Glad you’re doing okay. So many in Texas are still in bad shape. Love your mini cottage plans!

I’m so glad you are ok . Looking forward to watching your journey !

Thanks for sharing your design process, its always so cool to see the behind the scenes!

I'm grateful you guys are ok. take care

I’m so glad you’re safe 🙏🏼🤍

Love watching the thought process on the floor plan and seeing it drawn out.

Wishing you all the very best. Be safe.

Hi MaCenna, please please please could you make a video sharing your knowledge on house building planning, how you do the plan specific drawings, how you knew how to draw plans for the electrics etc etc ? 😍🙏 I find that so interesting and would love to learn a little more ❤️ ps. Very excited for your cottage renovation journey!

I'm loving this series!! It's so fun to see the entire process and I loved watching you draw your floor plan and like envisioning what you want. So cool.

So glad you guys came out on the other side of the storm ok. I love the plans. This place is going to look so good, I can't wait to see how it all comes together. 😁

Thanks for showing your thought process. Good luck with it all coming to plan

I'm having so much fun watching this series. I'm buying my first house (closing next week), and I've been planning the renovation for weeks so it's really exciting to feel like we're going on this journey together! XO

So Glad you guys are ok! Can't wait to see the cottage you create...which I'm sure will become your very own she "shed". The jumping off picture is just lovely and brings back memories of trips to the many places in the USA. Not on huge lots, but everywhere that get their inspiration from the surrounding areas, histories of the towns, and what many areas were built for, whether they were fishing, logging, milling and mining towns. I hope you have a great time with this build and home reno, I can't wait to watch you two bring it all to life 🌻⚘♥️

Trust me, go for 600 sqft. I lived in a 500 sqft apt for a year while building my home. By the time you take away floorspace for closets, etc.. it's VERY small & feels uncomfortably cluttered unless you're a minimalist. Give yourself some luxuries like a walk in closet, an entry area & comfortable sized bath. In a small space you absolutely want an entry area! A place to kick off your shoes without it being an eyesore & set stuff down when you walk in is a must have especially when you're not living in sunny calif & are dealing with a lot more wet weather. Give yourself space for at least an apt size fridge & carve out a small space for a smaller wood burning stove - you've just experienced why - aside from the ambiance of course. You never know for sure what tomorrow or 10 years from now will bring so if, down the road, you decide to rent it that 100sqft will make a huge difference in the rate you'll get.

Hi, I hope you are doing better now. What a storm. Iam enjoying watching your videos to see how everything turns out. Your going to do an amazing job. I can’t wait to see it all. Good luck! 🍀 xo 😘

I am in San Antonio, this was such a weird experience. Not only cold, but being without phones and internet was hard. Not knowing what was going on. I look forward to your videos, I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

aww the guest cottage is going to be SO CUTE

Glad you got your power back and doing ok😊

So happy all of you are okay.

Oh Yeah - definitely heard!! Texas has been in our prayers. Terrible situation. 😢