HIGH EFFICIENCY BEACH HOUSE

This family had owned their beach house for 10 years before they decided to remodel, using it for summer vacations, family gatherings, and an escape from urban life. The place hadn’t been remodeled for years prior to their purchase. It didn’t matter whether the carpets were worn, the walls were covered with 1960’s wallpaper, or the outside was damaged from years of exposure to the ocean’s salty air. Once the kids grew up, the family’s lifestyle changed. The owners wanted to spend quality time at the beach house and needed a general contractor to make overdue repairs in order to create a more comfortable and updated home.

New interior finishes such as white oak floors from Expressions in Wood in the living room, kitchen, and hallways, cork flooring in the entry, sisal grass carpet in bedrooms, and tongue and groove ceilings painted white, give the home a beachy feel. The remodeled kitchen now features Blanco Carrera marble countertops, custom cabinets by Expression in Wood, and appliances by Miele, Sub Zero and Wolfe. We replaced old, aluminum frame windows and exterior doors with metal clad windows and sliding doors (Fleetwood) and a custom wood front door (Portofino). Four hundred square feet of “green roof” is a refreshing addition to the breathtaking ocean views from the master bedroom. Nautical themes abound in this ocean front home, including a “porthole” window in the bathroom.

As the general contractor, we suggested exterior finishes that would make the home more durable and able to withstand the sometimes harsh marine conditions. Beyond a new PVC roof and copper gutters, Allen installed a deck made of cornhusks, coconut and rice hulls instead of wood, eliminating the need for refinishing over and over again. The remodeled home is now energy efficient and produces a majority of its own power thanks to a high performance shell, high efficiency insulation, high efficiency windows, thermal buffer construction, and a 3.5 kW solar system.

Architect: On-Design Architects
Photographer: Jake Cryan