We ran into a few frustrating setbacks with our beach duplex renovation, but a small technicality finally let us move forward and begin demolition. Loopholes can be life-savers. In this update we explain the workaround we used and share a surprising discovery from demo day. We also talk about how much more comfortable we’ve become buying home items online without seeing them in person first, plus tips for reducing risk when shopping virtually — including how to uncover extra reviews and which items still give us pause. We rethink the humble shower curtain and report on whether a weighted blanket has actually helped Sherry sleep better.
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What’s New
- If you missed the full story about what held us back from going full steam on the duplex, check the detailed blog post we published explaining the entire ordeal.
- That brown pile on the left side of the porch roof in the photo above is part of a squirrel nest they pulled out of the HVAC system.
- Below is a preview of the demolition progress. It was wild to see both staircases exposed (one for each side of the duplex) after they had been separated by a solid wall for so long. We’ll rebuild that dividing wall because the property will remain a duplex, but it was fun to see the interior opened up. During demo we also uncovered some concerning issues with the house’s condition; we’re working on a full post about what we found and our future floor plans.
- If you want more details about the tax incentive program we’re using in Cape Charles, we covered it in an earlier podcast episode that dives deeper into the program and how it benefits this renovation.
Updates
- The photo above shows our 2017 Family Yearbook that we made using Blurb — it’s the book with the yellow spine. I’m putting together a blog post with more on the process, interior spreads, and a comparison to the now-defunct MyPublisher.
- I realized after recording that Blurb does include a trim area guide like MyPublisher’s, but you must enable it manually under the View menu, which is how I missed it initially.
- We first mentioned the weighted blanket I bought Sherry for Christmas in an earlier episode; if you’re curious about our original thoughts, that episode covers it in more depth.
Listener Question
- The glass shower pane we ordered online for the beach house en-suite is probably the boldest thing we’ve had the nerve to buy sight-unseen recently. The basket in the photo came from World Market (in-store) and the marble-and-wood table is the accent table we used nearby.
- Another item we bought online out of our comfort zone was the Haier refrigerator for the beach house pantry; it fit well and worked out fine after installation.
- If you want our experience buying a mattress online, we published a thorough review covering delivery, off-gassing, comfort, and long-term impressions.
- We’ve shared before why we hesitated to buy a couch online after a prior bad experience, and in time we found a couch we liked from a national retailer and documented that process and results.
- Below are two photos from the product listing of our beach house nightstand that illustrate how product photos can show very different undertones of wood. One image looked orange, the other almost peachy, even though both were from the same listing. Seeing the piece in a blogger’s room gave us the confidence to buy.
- Here’s a photo we took of that nightstand at the beach house this weekend, trying to show the true color as we see it in person: a medium wood tone that doesn’t read strongly orange or peach.
Headboard / Nightstand / Lamp / Rug / Blue blanket (products shown in the photo)
We’re Digging
- The downstairs bathroom at the beach house has 9-foot ceilings. We ordered an extra-long 8-foot shower curtain and a matching long liner (96″ x 72″) and have been pleased with how they look and perform.
- The upstairs hall bath has standard 8-foot ceilings, so we used a 7-foot shower curtain and liner instead of the typical 6-foot options. That extra foot makes the room feel noticeably taller — a simple trick we’ve used in our own home for nearly a decade. Wash curtains before hanging to allow for any shrinkage.
- For the upstairs curtain we used a standard tension rod successfully, but the downstairs shower was a bit wider so we opted for a heavier-duty tension rod with extra hold. Both rods have been reliable with no falls, even under heavy steam and long showers.
- The sink vanity we installed has a smooth tiled marble top and plenty of counter space, plus two fully usable drawers for storage. The accent tile in the shower looks more expensive in person than it did online.
- For runners, the Nike+ Run Club app remains my favorite — the Guided Runs feature has been motivating, and a few of the speed workouts stand out as favorites.
- And, because it’s important: Chocolate Hazelnut Oreos are a current obsession.
If you’re hunting for something we’ve recommended in a past episode but can’t remember where, we keep a master list of everything we’ve featured across previous shows so it’s easy to find past “we’re digging” items.
Finally, thanks to HANDy Paint Products for sponsoring this episode. For painting projects we like the HANDy Paint Cup (with the brush magnet) and the HANDy Paint Tray, both of which make moving a roller around the room much easier. HANDy Paint Products are available wherever you buy paint.
Thanks for listening, everyone!
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