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The Beginning of Our Story

Ocracoke Island, on the outer banks of North Carolina, has been the McCurdy preferred family vacation destination since 2000. So... 13 years ago, our girls would have been 10 and 6 years old. We took a long weekend, our new Jeep Wrangler, the kids, and clothing stuffed in paper grocery sacks because, as we found out, there's no luggage space in a Jeep Wrangler!  We booked a room at the Ocracoke Harbor Inn, because that was one of the newer hotels on the Island, and spent 3 days there.  I thought we would never get there!  But as soon as we were on the ferry and, what seemed like saying good-bye to the real world, we realized that the 9 hour trip in a small Jeep with 2 kids in tow was worth every minute!

13 years later, after having spent a week every summer at Ocracoke Harbor Inn, we have finally realized the dream of having our own cottage on Ocracoke Island. It's name has been listed in rental brochures as "10 Cuttin Sage". We have thought about changing the name, but can't agree on one yet, so we'll just keep it as is, especially since it shows up first in the brochures!

We are currently undertaking a fairly large renovation project. Of course, like all projects, it didn't start out being so large, but you know how one thing inevitably leads to another whenever you take on something like this. The cottage needed new cedar siding: it's getting it. The cottage needed new doors and windows: it's getting them. It needed insulation underneath between the underpinnings: it's getting it. The cottage needed a fresh coat of paint inside and out: it's getting it.  The cottage needed a central HVAC system: it's getting it.  I could go on and on with the boring stuff (to me, anyway. My husband would cringe if he knew I said that!)

The fun stuff is, for me, DECORATING it!  I love to decorate!  I hope to achieve a shabby chic look, with a mix of new and old furnishings and artwork. New in the important things like beds, mattresses, linens, appliances, kitchen gear, couches, you know, the comfy things, and old in the important things like artwork, occasional pieces, knick-knacks, mirrors, etc.




New cedar siding! I love the smell of it!!! Notice the new shed roof over the front door to protect visitors from the weather!




It was a little disarming seeing the living room this past weekend!  But, it’s work in progress!




We began painting the screened porch this past weekend. It’s a light taupe. Much cheerier than the old dark red color. You can see the difference between the old and new railings.
The dock house in the background will someday be a game room for kids. That will happen in the next year or two.



The downstairs bedroom is getting a pocket door into the bathroom. Some nice privacy!







How about that marsh and sound view from the the upstairs claw foot tub????


Comments

  1. Wow. What great upgrades to this cute house. The views from your screened porch are awesome!! The Sound and Sunset view from the big tub upstairs is great too.
    Can't wait to stay there later this summer.

    ReplyDelete

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