Between birthdays, proms, and other "life" at home this spring, we have not spent much time working on the Little Beach House, but we've definitely made some progress since the last post.
First, check out the granite we found for the kitchen counters!
We think people will either love it or hate it -- which one are you? Originally, we looked for cararra marble because we like the stripey look of marble more than the spotty look that granite often has (and cararra is just beautiful & classic.) Unfortunately, marble has a reputation for staining and chipping easily, so it did not seem to be the practical choice for a vacation home (not to mention the price tag.) We were lucky to see this remnant piece while looking at stone slabs. Immediately, Steve and I agreed that this was the one. It's a bit darker than we thought we wanted, but we both really like the cool wavy pattern. PLUS, this remnant was big enough for our whole kitchen, so we saved a bunch vs buying a new full slab : ) Want to see how it looks in the kitchen? Next blog update - I promise!
The bathroom project is also coming together - if only we could get a vanity : ( Between broken pieces and misjudging how much elbow-room a person really needs on the potty, we're waiting on our THIRD vanity to be delivered now. The washer & dryer are in place and and the custom built-in unit adds a ton of functionality and storage.
Oh, and can you see the door? We've replaced all the old hollow lauan doors with solid 5-panel Shaker-style. I love them.
Here's another, still in progress. Opening up walls is always an adventure. This is the new master bedroom door, which we moved just a few feet (more on that later.) We wanted to put it along the stud on the left, but when we removed the drywall we found the HVAC condensation drain pipes there. Having to shift to the right meant that an electrical outlet had to be moved as well. Of course, that outlet was daisy-chained to others and we discovered that the wiring goes under the house instead of through studs or into the attic space. It took some investigating, but Steve finally identified all the outlets on the same circuit and got everything working properly. Now we just have to close up the drywall, spackle, sand, prime, paint. . .
Last thing for now is just a reminder of why we're doing all this work. We got to spend a few days at the house with the kids over their spring break from school. Even tho it was a bit colder than we would have liked, everyone had a great time. Bike rides, beach walks, family movie nights, playing games -- so much fun! Everyone is looking forward to spending more time there over the summer. We will still have work to do, but we will remember to play, too : )
On the way home, we stopped for lunch at the restaurant in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. We have driven past this place for years and never pulled over. I am so glad we finally visited. We expected a total tourist trap. Yes, there are souvenirs available, but it's really just a nice little family restaurant. If you drive this way, you should make a point of stopping just to try the she-crab soup. Everything we ordered was good - like really good - and not overpriced, either. Afterwards, we walked out along the pier and read all the signs about the construction and history of the project. Totally a worthwhile visit.
All for now. Full kitchen "reveal" coming soon! As always, thanks for following along : )
New to the OBX Little Beach House blog?
Start here to see where we started and why size doesn't matter.
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