You guys. I am so excited to share this update. John’s computer crashed twice this morning while we were working on these photos, and my enthusiasm is still through the roof — which tells you how much I love this project.
I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking because I just want to get this post out there. Here’s what the house looked like back in February when we put in an offer. It happened to be rainy and overcast for both of our visits (our luck — more on that tradition here), but we loved it anyway. Check out how excited we were back then:
And here’s the same view yesterday morning (captured on my phone). Isn’t she lovely?
Quick progress rundown: we reframed the side porch to simplify the look, added a modern horizontal railing on the top deck and side porch to better suit the house’s style, widened the front steps, and removed the awkward old arch. We also replaced the worn deck boards with Trex in the warm “Havana Gold” color — we used Trex at the duplex and loved how low-maintenance and durable it is.
Any damaged cedar siding found during inspection was replaced and we painted the whole house. We chose Sherwin Williams Moderne White and the difference is dramatic — it brightened everything and the neighbors have been so sweet commenting on the update.
Ta daaaaaa! Still very excited.
About the windows you’ve been asking about from my sneak peeks on Instagram: the black windows and large glass doors are original. They stood out much more against the white paint than they did against the house’s previous brown color. We did reglaze or replace a few foggy panes, but the frames themselves are original and still in great shape after decades of use.
We’re thrilled — these windows have held up beautifully and fill the house with light. In fact, this is the brightest house we’ve ever lived in, which surprised us since we only saw it twice in rainy February when buying it. We were ready to add lots of lights if needed, but arriving on a sunny day revealed abundant natural light throughout. The location, close to the beach and shops and set on a wooded lot, sealed the deal for us.
There are large glass doors everywhere — twelve exterior glass doors in total — and generously sized windows that deliver incredible light. Also, Burger is officially a porch dog. He spends hours sniffing and watching the neighborhood.
Sometimes I hold him like a baby and he tolerates it because he loves me. Also, those secondhand driftwood chairs I found years ago fit the house perfectly next to the thin black window frames — I’m thrilled they worked out so well.
People asked about the planters and the brass porch light I used in the sneaks; I went with brass hardware throughout the house and it pairs beautifully with the white siding and black windows. The brass finish on the door handle and deadbolt ties everything together nicely.
Here’s our front-porch view. Most yards nearby favor pine straw and trees over traditional lawns, so it feels like living in the forest — and we never have to mow. More time for the beach!
This before shot shows how choppy the original side porch looked, with screens that even had green growth on them.
And here’s the updated version. Eventually we want to simplify the front columns more and paint the underside of the roof a soft blue, but this is already a huge improvement.
About mosquitos and bugs: yes, we know Florida has them. We lived with them in humid Richmond too. Our strategy is fans and fragrant plants like citronella and peppermint before reaching for screens. Fans keep bugs away by creating moving air, and plants add an extra layer of protection. In the first week we’ve spent about 20 hours on the porch and none of us has a single bite so far.
These before-and-after shots really show the difference. February looked like this:
And now:
Burger is the happiest dog — his sleep smile says it all.
This side of the house faces the cross street — here’s the before:
And here it is now. The POD parked in front blocked the exact spot for a perfect match, but you get the idea.
We also have a small lean-to shed tucked on the side for yard and beach gear — very handy. In addition, we removed the exterior stairs up to the second-floor deck because they felt unnecessary and presented a security and safety concern. Now you access the upstairs deck from inside and the ground-level front porch from the yard.
On that side, the first-floor room is our bedroom and we plan to create a private patio area for the two of us — picture wine and string lights after the kids are in bed. We’ll also convert the area behind where the steps were into a bathroom and closet, so we prefer a window with a tree view rather than stairs in front of it.
The live oaks and magnolias around the house are magical.
We also simplified the railings on the bedroom steps — removing the choppy rail spindles on the stair face and keeping rails only on the outside edges opened the space up while still meeting code. From the bed (for now our mattress on the floor), the tree view makes me tear up every morning when I open the blackout curtains — true blackout curtains are coming soon.
We also removed a tall, leaky chimney that had been causing water issues in the bedroom, replaced it with a gas insert plan for the fireplace, and opened up the upstairs deck. While re-doing the deck with Trex, we also enclosed the stilts the house sits on with clean planking and added an access door for storage.
Between our offer and move-in, the empty lot next door was purchased and cleared for a new build, which has been entertaining for the kids (and interesting to watch from our windows).
John climbed up on the top deck and did the perfectly staged “housewives pose” for the camera. Nailed it.
If you’re wondering about horizontal rails and safety: we considered that carefully. Our kids are six and ten and understand the rule not to step on the bottom rail. We also require adult supervision on second-story decks for littler children. The horizontal rails are secure and, like any railing, require responsible use and supervision.
Here’s a recent shot of the top deck where we need more outdoor furniture — which is an exciting shopping task. We went from a 14-room house to a 6-room house, so these outdoor living areas have become our favorite rooms. Every evening since we moved in we’ve had at least one meal up here, often on beach towels, and I can’t wait for a proper dining table.
We tried to bring our old outdoor table but it disintegrated — two of the legs had rotted — so a new dining table is on the list. We originally planned most outdoor dining downstairs, but we’ve fallen hard for being up in the trees and it’s worth carrying plates and drinks up for that view.
As for a pool and guest house, the lot is small compared to our old place — about one-tenth of an acre — but the house sits to one side of the lot leaving a good area for a pool and a little guest house. We’ll share plans as they develop. Here’s John sketching out possibilities while keeping an eye on Burger, who has zero success catching lizards but never gives up trying.
That’s the update — lots of photos and some long-winded enthusiasm. If you missed our dark and rainy before tour, the style-planning post with inspiration, or the renovation progress post, those are great places to catch up.
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