The View from St Francis Cottage - A Chattanooga Bed and Breakfast

MOVING forward / ALMOST there!

Freshly poured driveway and new landscaping.

Immediately after receiving the conditional Certificate of Occupancy from the City of Chattanooga, we began moving five years of accumulated goods and furniture from our 800 square foot storage unit to St Francis Cottage.


Since the paving crew was simultaneously installing concrete over the second phase of our 500 foot driveway, we were unable to take advantage of a rental truck due to lack of access.  Therefore, we relied on our trusted farm truck and trailer, and the two of us moved everything over eight full days of loading and unloading items, from dressers and beds to artwork and kitchen items.  Thankfully, nothing fell or broke during the move (including US), and everything is now under cover.  We were as giddy as two kids in a candy shop during that final load!

Empty . . . at last!

One of the last of many loads

Now that everything has been moved, Wallace has begun the task of assembling beds and installing curtain rods in the guest rooms.  We are enjoying watching the rooms come together as we allocate furnishings and final touches, and each room is developing its unique ambiance of comfort and rest.  We believe that Divine Intervention has caused our random purchases over the years to come together so nicely; it’s definitely not us, for sure!  We hope that St. Francis will be pleased with the outcome of many years of planning.

Monarch in progress.  Curtains going up next.

Monarch, again.  There are two wired 1GB internet connections in most rooms.

Hydrangea . . . the pet friendly room

Sunflower.  Bright, cheery, urban cottage space.

Sunflower, with king bed

Cardinal, King Bed and the beginnings of a reddish theme.

Cardinal, sitting area at back.

Soon to be assembled poster bed in Hummingbird.

A hint of the décor in Bluebird.

More Bluebird details.

Bluebird will have two queen beds.

Azalea in its beginning stage.  Window to right looks out over an azalea garden. Room and bath are ADA compliant.

Now that the driveway and final grading are finished, we are scrambling to seed-and-straw the ground while working around seasonal springtime showers.  Wallace has been seeding and then painstakingly installing straw mats over the sloped driveway areas.  We’ll soon finish seeding the acre of land surrounding the building, which is required before issuing the final C.O.  The last of the Leyland Cypress trees have been planted along the driveway, and we must admit that we’re tired of digging holes and planting bushes and trees since we’ve recently planted well over 150 of them!

Driveway look up the hill.  St Francis Cottage is out of sight at upper left.

Nancy finishing the planting of eight Leyland Cypress

Nearing the top of the drive as it approaches the parking circle at the top.

We have booked our first reservation and have responded to several inquiries, so we are excited about beginning our venture as Innkeepers of St Francis Cottage.  Please check out our website as we upload photos of the finished rooms.  We hope you will choose to stay at the Cottage if you’re ever passing through Southeastern Tennessee.  We’d love to meet you and provide a warm, restful respite from your travels.