People! I am sooooo excited to show you the progress on the beach house during February! There are still a few things to be done, but the end of construction really is in sight! That concrete pad in front is big enough to fit 4 cars side by side, and more gravel is being added on both sides of the concrete which will comfortably allow seven cars to park off-street. And thanks to a nice shallow ramp leading up to the front door, it’ll also be super simple to wheel in luggage or to get into the home via a wheelchair. It is going to be stellar for a big group.
As you can see, the deck is now under construction, and wow, it is big and beautiful! At 16 feet wide and 28 feet long, it is more than large enough for a picnic table and some lounge furniture. The east and west ends of the deck will be standard rails and the south end will be glass, to help block wind and let you soak in the sun on nice days.
I love, love, love the attention to detail that is being shown by the main carpenter. If you look really carefully at this picture with our daughter and her friend, you might be able to tell that the Trex was laid so that the pattern all flows in the same direction. Maybe a small detail, but it really adds to the beauty of the deck. The Trex is friendly to bare feet, dries quickly after rain, and holds heat on a sunny day. We’ll have our own little cozy micro-climate out on that deck.
I can’t wait to see it with rails, but the view is pretty stellar as is. Can you see the tiny peek of the Alsea Bay Bridge on the right? The girls are facing west, so that’s the view to the east behind their backs. Sunrise gorgeousness, let me tell you!
The concrete extends around the south side of the home creating a lovely patio under the deck where the hot tub will live, right between those two sliding doors that lead into the two downstairs master suites. All three of the master suites have a direct access point to the outdoors, which I think people will find convenient. We are planning to put a barbecue right next to the bottom of the deck stairs.
I wish I’d taken more photos of the living room, but it is still in progress, and the perfectionist in me kept wanting to hold off until it looked more pulled together. Basically we’re waiting on some furniture, some stair railing, and the tile around the fireplace. I’m also still figuring out the best placement for the seating. But this photo gives you an idea of the lovely view, and the comfy chairs.
Here’s one of my favorite features of the home. The dining table will easily seat 10-12 people, and then there’s a lovely bar at the window edge facing the ocean where 6 more people can sit on barstools.
The bar was thoughtfully designed by John to fit exactly into the window nooks, and provides great seating without blocking any of that lovely view. (See all that blue sky and ocean? We had some lovely weather while we were there!)
Here’s a photo of us eating lunch with friends in the midst of working on the space. It gives you a better feel for the flow between the spaces, and also of the size of the dining table. Seven of us were eating together, and still one whole end of the table was empty. John got a spotting scope for Christmas, and has been having fun checking out the names of the fishing boats that we can see out on the water.
Then here are a few shots of the kitchen. The kitchen has a lowered portion of island that offers yet more seating. I am picturing the grandbabies having great fun sitting here to watch dinner prep. It’d also be a great work area for someone in a wheelchair.
The kitchen sink is the best sink I’ve ever seen– so big and deep that you could easily hide a dozen people’s worth of dishes there without the kitchen even looking cluttered. The range was not yet installed, but it is a real powerhouse– a lovely gas-powered Bosch. Also still to be added is a lovely marble tile backsplash that goes all the way to the ceiling behind the range.
The kitchen also features two dishwashers, a large refrigerator, a small wine fridge, a pantry, and tons of open counter space. We had great fun outfitting the cupboards with enough plates, bowls and glasses to feed a horde.We have some lovely sturdy stainless pots and pans and a nice cast iron skillet. Other small appliances include a coffee pot, toaster, electric griddle, hot pot, and a crock pot. I still have a few more small utensils to add, but we are getting there! This kitchen has lovely views in every direction. It will be a delight to work here.
Moving on through the upstairs, here is the main master bedroom. It is the most spacious bedroom in the home, and has a balcony all its own. My friend Molly came along on this trip to help me pull together decor, and she really has a magical touch. We had great fun setting up the bed and trying out furniture in various places. Still to come is a different painting over the bed– this one is too small, but it does represent the colors that we hope to find to put in that space.
In this photo you can also see the gorgeous solid core doors that are throughout the home. I was originally planning on white doors, but when we saw the gorgeous solid doors that our contractor had ordered, we knew we couldn’t paint them white. We did still do white trim, but we stained the doors a lovely dark walnut color that blends beautifully with the many custom walnut pieces that John built for the home. I am also planning on switching out the wall sconces for some with a little more presence.
Here’s a photo showing where the chaise actually ended up after a couple of different rearranging attempts. Doesn’t it look like a sweet space to sit and read a book? The room has huge lovely east-facing windows that just flood the room with morning light. Sunrises are UH-mazing! But we also opted for some room-darkening curtains to cater to those who like a little less light early in the morning. For MONTHS I have been hoarding long curtains when they’ve gone on sale on overstock.com, and I am just thrilled to see them working so well in the various spaces. And don’t you love my cute owl perched on the table next to the chaise?
Next I’ll take you downstairs. Here you can see that the stair chair is already in place, ready for anyone who needs a little extra help navigating stairs. We all had good fun trying it out. It won’t get you anywhere fast, but it does the job beautifully, and is rated for up to 350 pounds. It also has a battery, so that even if the power goes out, it’ll be good for 20 or so more trips up and down.
This staircase is 4 feet wide, so even with the chair seat extended in place, there’s plenty of room to move up and down. And as you can see, the chair is even more compact when not in use.
At the bottom of the stairs, you come to the laundry room. Wow, that was a fun space to see all put together! Two washers and two dryers will make laundry a breeze– a very good thing for this large home.
Since some parts of the home were still filled with tools and supplies, we weren’t able to do anything to several of the rooms. But here are the three downstairs rooms that we got done.
First off is the yellow room. This cozy little space is just the right size for a queen size bed with side tables and sweet reading lights. And sitting in that bed, you can see the ocean! Doesn’t get much better than that! This room will also have a small dresser and a TV tucked behind the entry door. I love the laminate flooring we chose for the home– it feels very durable and looks so pretty.
Next up is the sweet room that I call the princess room. We went all out on curtains here, to really highlight the gorgeous windows. Again, it is not a large space, but this room will have a window seat as well as its own TV. The padded headboard is an additional cozy touch. (Another clearance find on overstock.com). I have been shopping for this house for so long that it is a real delight to see the spaces coming together, even better than I dared imagine. I really think anyone would LOVE this home!
Next up is one of the downstairs master bedrooms. I confess to having a bit of anxiety about the size of this room as it is the very smallest of the three master suites. But lo and behold, it fits the king size bed beautifully with plenty of room to walk around the bed. I think there will even be enough space for a chair in that far corner. Both the smaller windows and the sliding glass door have nice room darkening shades for privacy and the ability to sleep late in the morning if you wish. And just outside the door is the hot tub!
Last but not least, I am excited to show you the downstairs family room.. This is actually the first room you will enter when you come into the home. The entry closet will eventually have a nice shoe rack, as well as lots of hooks to offer an easy landing zone for wet things when you come into the home.
Outfitted with oversize couches and a large TV, I picture this room as a super-comfy movie room. And the bunk beds are sure to captivate the kids. We will be adding rails at the upper bunks to make them safer. We also added exceedingly adorable ship’s wheels in each upper space.
Whew! I ended up using a lot of words on this post, but it’s just so gratifying to see everything coming together so comfortably and beautifully. I really do think it will be a warm and welcoming space for families to come on vacation.
If you live nearby and would like to try out the home, head on over to our booking agency and take a peek at the availability calendar. July and August are filling up fast, so chat with your group and see if you could find a time that would work with your people. We would love to host you! And if you have any ideas at all for improving the space, I’d love to hear them!
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