THE AMAZING FLOOR - BEACH HOUSE PART 2

Another installment of
THE BEACH HOUSE
BIG RENOVATION, little budget

If you missed Part 1, check it out here.   

I'm renovating a beach house using as much salvage and green material as possible.

Working on a very tight budget, and this house needs a lot of work

both inside and out -

luckily, my client, Shawna, has a good eye,

(she's an amazing photographer who works with natural light)

a great design sense,

and the ability to think outside the box - 

you can always tell a true artist that way, right?

someone who doesn't just follow trends like a lemming, 

but who can set their own?

I'm sure that she would have preferred to have a house that was already improved,

the budget to install new floors, a custom kitchen, and be able to purchase new furnishings...

but fate and a divorce has dictated that this house and a lot of elbow grease is her future - 

which she has accepted with dignity and a sense of adventure...

This little house is unique

and we definitely want to preserve that

Like these round porthole windows on either side of the fireplace.

I'll admit my first thought was to remove them and use that spot for built-ins - 

but she felt they were part of the old original beach house charm - 

just kind of quirky and fun.

and she's right,

we should preserve some of the details that make this house unique -

so they will stay....

We didn't feel as sentimental about the patched up and smoke stained brick fireplace

or the bare wood paneling that is original to the house - 

so the whole wall got a coat of paint.

There are two entrances to this living area - this one is off the large front deck or patio.

French doors let in lots of yummy natural light

and ocean breezes.

The actual front door at  the front of the house is flanked by two smallish windows.

We will be replacing these for larger versions, which will let in yet more natural light 

as funds permit.  

We are looking for two used or salvage, matching windows.

I have to admire Shawna's determination to get all the improvements done 

before she begins the interior decoration. 
 

I'm chomping at the bit, but she is able to take it all a little at a time.  

Still, she has managed to make it cozy and comfortable in the interim - don't you think?

(She was way ahead of the game on the taxidermy that's so on trend right now.

This was a find years ago she worked on with her Dad - finding the antlers and head separately and putting them together.  He keeps gentle watch over the living room.)

But this post is all about the flooring.

Being a vintage home that started as a little beach cottage and grew over the years as owners added to it - the flooring was a patchwork of several different materials.  

There was very old original 2" hardwood in the living room,

newer 4" oak flooring in the kitchen (with weird buttons),

and some worn and slightly gross carpet in the bedrooms.

The carpet was the first to go - Shawna had to get that out of there even if she had to live on plywood sub flooring for a while!

Then the question became what type of flooring could we put in throughout the house that was affordable - durable - and would still have a beach cottage vibe.  

Shawna really wanted wood, but hardwood flooring was WAY out of the budget..

I have lived in a lot of different countries - including the UK and the South Pacific - and I've been in many an old house, and many a beach house.  I started thinking about the floors I had seen in these places; simple pine plank floors that just took on more character with each scrape and ding and I suggested we look into a wide pine plank floor...

just simple stained pine we could install ourselves 

(I say ourselves, but I'm really meaning HERSELF - :)

She needed to see what I was talking about - 

and no one is actually doing that these days.... 

except for this wonderful shop called Tuvalu in Laguna Beach.  

They have installed pine plank flooring over their entire shop.

We took a little trip to Laguna to check it out - and it was perfect!

The more traffic and distressing it receives, the better it looks.   

Pine is a soft wood - so we can pretty much guarantee the 'distressing' part - 

and this is a beach cottage, people.... 

it's the perfect floor, 

its the perfect look, 

its the perfect budget.

And so she did it.

It took a lot of courage, but Shawna is not one to shrink in the face of a challenge!

and with a little ingenuity, she mixed the perfect stain color

and stained all of those pine planks....

and with a little help from her family

the 'out of the box' floor became a reality.

I install many floors in homes that are more beautiful -

with materials more elegant and costly

from hand-scraped hardwood to breathtaking marble -

but I think in all honesty, 

this floor is my favorite.

This floor was created with love, faith and courage - 

and a lot of elbow grease.

Just needs a top sealer, and they're done!

So proud of you, Shawna.

Ignore anyone out there who has so little talent or ability or human kindness

that they can't see the beauty of what we are creating here:

A home - created with love, determination, strength of character and the need to

make a place where family can gather - on a practically non-existent budget.

Each step we take, each part we create

is a little miracle.

I'm blessed to be included in this endeavor.

Here's a recap of the progress we have made in the living room:

PROGRESS:

Popcorn (acoustic) ceiling removed, plastered and repainted

Wall between living/dining/kitchen areas removed to create an open living area

Installed a salvaged dutch door for the front door

Walls/paneling and brick fireplace - painted Sherwin Williams, Accessible Beige.
(a cool grayed down light beige)

Pine plank flooring installed

Living room furniture: Shawna purchased:
 2 slip-covered love seats,

a chaise, 


and 1 ottoman -  all second hand from Craigslist or Close5.
(this girl finds the most incredible stuff!)

Still to do:

LIVING ROOM:

Replace small windows with larger windows

Faux beam and/or beadboard ceiling treatment

Add baseboard and crown trim

Repaint all doors and trim

Create built-in shelving on both sides of fireplace under porthole windows

Chunky fireplace mantle

Ceiling fan

Light fixtures

Furniture arrangement

Accessories and decorating

Please follow this blog and support Shawna and the beach house project.
Bless you!