But don’t worry — we’re not moving into this one.
We recently bought a beach house. It’s not the glossy, magazine-ready kind you might imagine — it’s nearly a century old and easily the roughest property we’ve taken on. The house needs a lot of work, but its charm and location sold us on it. Below are some “before” photos and the story of how and why we decided to buy this particular place.
Where is it?
The house is in Cape Charles, VA, a small historic town on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. That stretch of coastline sits on a peninsula separated from mainland Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay. From our home in Richmond it’s about a 2.5-hour drive, including a scenic crossing of a long bridge over the Bay.
We first visited Cape Charles in 2013 and fell instantly in love. The town is quiet and walkable, with minimal traffic and lots of small-town character: an old-fashioned ice cream shop, a single-screen movie theater called the Palace Theatre, and streets where people get around by foot, bike, or golf cart. The town faces the bay, so the water is calm and shallow — ideal for young kids and great for kayaking and paddleboarding as they grow.
Why buy a house there?
We’ve talked about a vacation home for years. With childhood exposure to family rental properties, the idea always appealed to us: a place to renovate, enjoy, and eventually share with friends and family. Over time, Cape Charles kept calling to us. Each visit showed more renovated homes and new small hospitality projects, so we realized the area was on an upswing. That gave us confidence to act before prices rose further.
Buying a fixer-upper wasn’t just about creating content or a hobby project. We wanted a practical investment that could serve as a family gathering spot for years to come, while also offering rental income potential when we’re not using it. The beach town’s market supports vacation rentals, which helps offset maintenance and renovation costs.
Why this house?
We looked at several local properties, many of them in rough condition. A few were in our price range on paper, but location and lot characteristics ruled them out. The house we bought was a pocket listing our realtor showed privately. It matched our priorities: walkable to the beach and main shopping area, close to the town’s central park, and situated on a charming tree-lined street among already-renovated older homes.
Built in 1920, the house has strong bones and plenty of character despite its current state. It’s one of four nearly identical homes in a row, and the neighboring renovated houses showed precisely what ours could become. That potential, plus the fact that one similar home recently sold for nearly three times our purchase price, made this a sensible investment for us.
The style is an understated version of a Victorian — not overly ornate but with decorative porch columns and brackets, stained glass windows, tall ceilings, an old claw-foot tub, solid wood doors with vintage hardware, and an appealing original staircase. There’s even a back staircase unique among the row, which we’re excited to preserve.
How will we use it?
We imagine the house becoming a family tradition: summers and holiday weekends spent there with close friends and relatives. My childhood memories of a long-cherished family beach house inspire us to create a similar gathering spot for our family now. At the same time, we plan to rent it as a vacation property during parts of the year to help cover upkeep. Cape Charles has a healthy short-term rental market during peak season, which makes that option appealing.
Will we DIY the renovation?
We’ll tackle a mix of professional work and DIY. Major systems and structural work — foundation repairs, new plumbing and electrical, HVAC, and a new roof — will be handled by licensed contractors. We’ll take on many of the finishing tasks ourselves, such as installing cabinetry, tiling, painting, hanging light fixtures, and furnishing and decorating. Some of the early work will be behind-the-scenes systems updates, so visible transformations may take a little while, but we’re excited to share layout plans and progress as the project unfolds.
We’ll document the renovation journey, including proposed floor plans and design ideas, and share updates as the work progresses. For now, we’re soaking up the potential of this old house and imagining what it will become after careful restoration.
