Renovations are under way!

So it’s been a while since our first post.  I’ve been surprised by the growing number of new followers on our facebook page, based on that one original post.  I guess the idea of a small, single family home so close to the beach in Corolla is appealing to a lot of people -- maybe because it’s so hard to find one!

We're long overdue for an update on the OBX Little Beach House, so here it is ~

When we purchased the home last year, it was already locked into a management agreement with a rental agency and the summer was booked.  This meant that we were only able to take a few weekend trips before and after the season, but could not spend any real vacation time at the house.

This year, we canceled the agency contract and got to spend several summer weeks at the Little Beach House.  (Steve and I are fortunate to have schedules that allowed us to either work remotely or flex hours.)  I can honestly tell you: we love-love-love that the beach access is just a few doors down!  It is so great to be able to easily go back & forth during the day.  Surf fishing, boogie-boarding, playing games, building castles or reading in a beach chair – all require carrying stuff. . . and it was no big deal.  We did not feel pressure to pack for the whole day or to cart a huge cooler, because we could quickly pop back to the house for anything we forgot or wanted, or for lunch (or the potty.)  Steve and I took early morning walks on the beach before the kids woke up.  At night, we enjoyed margaritas on the front deck of our home while listening to waves crash on the sand.  Ahhhhh. . .

Of course, that's only half of the story.  While it’s still hard to believe that we actually own a semi-oceanfront property in Whalehead Beach. . . there is a reason why we were able to afford it.  Thirty years in that environment can take a toll, not to mention that trends in décor have changed a lot, too. So part of our "vacation" time has also been spent working on the house. We got a few things done, but still have a long way to go.

Do you remember from our first blog post that we made an offer to buy the Little Beach House based on the listing photos, without first seeing it in person?  Well, here’s what we saw online:

and here’s what we got:

LOOK how big those shrubs are now!!

It was obvious that the listing photos had been taken many years ago. We knew going into this that the house would need some serious updating.  In fact, we were looking forward to it.  But while pictures might tell a thousand words, they can also leave out a lot.  For example, here is the photo we saw of the cute screened-in porch on the back of the house:

but here is a close-up of one of the screens:

Ugh!  I spent many hours last summer prying out rusty staples, sanding and repairing the frames, and attaching new screens. This spring we will give everything a fresh coat of paint and then will post photos of the *new and improved* outdoor area, complete with a bright cushy porch swing : )

On some of our visits Steve and the older boys got to play with a chain saw, trying to clear out some of the overgrown yard. The power washer was also put to good use. All the kids have helped to scrape  popcorn ceilings, then spackled and repainted.  Some of my time was spent just cleaning out and driving car loads of stuff to donate at Goodwill.  Thankfully they sent a truck to pick up the old furniture. . . leaving space for me to shop for new things!

We have just started taking on the major projects: new flooring throughout, updating the bathrooms, a completely new kitchen, and re-configuring some of the room layouts for more functional use of space. This is how we spent last weekend:

As we complete these rooms & projects, I'll post before & after photos to share our progress.  We plan to spend part of the summer here in 2015, and will open up the other weeks for rental opportunities. More on that to come. . .

Thanks for following along with us!

  ~ Steve & Suzanne