This has been a long time coming, and we couldn’t be more excited: our beach house finally has walls again. When we first “met” the house, the original plaster was crumbling and riddled with mold and termite damage, so it has taken more than eight months to rebuild it from the studs up. That work included new electrical, updated plumbing, a modern HVAC system, and even rebuilding an entire side of the house from scratch. This stage might not look dramatic, but to us it feels hugely significant.
Here are a few before photos to refresh your memory. You can see the house’s original “before” condition and the fully torn-apart demo stages in our earlier posts, including the shot below that shows how extensive the damage and decay once were.
We still don’t have a working water or sewer connection yet, which turned into an unexpected ordeal that involved city officials, metal detectors, and excavating a large portion of the front yard. We did find an old hookup and are working to get it functional again. Renovations are rarely smooth, but we love this little old house, and today we’re celebrating the huge victory of having walls again.
I filmed a video tour last week to show off the newly hung drywall and to explain the new layout, what we’re excited to do next, and how the house will function for us and future renters.
If you’re reading this in a feed reader you may need to click through to see the video.
For comparison, we also included the original walkthrough we filmed right after closing. Seeing the before and now images really highlights how far this place has come.
Looking back at the original back of the first floor reminds us how much damage there once was—crumbling walls, missing floors, and severe termite and mold issues on the left wall and ceiling.
Now the same view shows fresh drywall and primer and a slightly adjusted layout. For instance, what used to be a window into an enclosed porch is now a door leading into a mudroom. The video tour gives a better sense of the flow and how the spaces relate to one another.
We’re one of the few homes on our row that kept the original back stairs. There are four identical houses on our block, and two of our neighbors had their back stairs removed before they moved in. Our neighbor to the left—whose home was once featured on TV—still has theirs, and we decided to keep ours too. Even though a small house doesn’t need two staircases, we couldn’t resist preserving that original charm and character. They’re one of our favorite features of this 100-year-old house.
Another area that’s seen a dramatic change is the view from the front door into the foyer. The new walls made me fall in love all over again with the stained glass windows on the stairs, even though they’re currently covered in protective plastic. Everything is primed for now, and we’ve chosen paint colors: a soft, light neutral on the walls with crisp white trim. That palette will allow the stained glass and architectural details like the original newel post and railings to stand out. Imagine the heart pine floors refinished and shiny, moldings restored, and a pretty light fixture overhead—it’s easy to picture even if it’s not finished yet.
One particularly satisfying before-and-after involves a room that used to be an inadequately enclosed side porch. That exterior wall had rotted and the house had actually sunk on that side because the original footings were set on sand with no proper foundation.
Now that space will become a compact but functional mudroom—the main post-beach entry with a full bathroom nearby to rinse off, plus hooks, baskets for gear, and a washer/dryer for towels. The bright orange you see in some photos is just waterproof underlayment we’ve started tiling over; it’s not a design decision. We’ll share more about finishes and tile choices soon.
Upstairs, one of the worst spots when we bought the house has been fully rebuilt. This was part of the sinking side, and at one point the floor boards were so soft they sagged when we stood on them—the contractor had to rush us out. It was amazing the tub hadn’t fallen through yet.
Now we don’t have to worry about structural failures. The cast-iron tub we plan to refinish will sit across from the shower so we can fit both a tub and a shower into this larger bathroom. Again, the orange underlayment is temporary and will be covered by tile and finishes.
We’re thrilled, relieved, and grateful. Solving the water and sewer situation is a priority and we hope to have it resolved in the coming weeks.
Next up: paint on the walls and ceilings, continued tiling, installing doors (we saved the original ones packed with character), hanging trim, installing light fixtures and fans, fitting the kitchen cabinets, adding bathroom fixtures and toilets, refinishing the floors, bringing in appliances, and a long list of smaller finish details. My advice for a huge project like this is to take it one step at a time. After all of that, it will be time to furnish the place and—hopefully—take a long nap on the beach.