Oh, it has been a busy couple of weeks since I last wrote!  Santa’s little elves have been working through Christmas to get ready for New Year’s Eve!

Painting, painting, painting. Details, details, details.  Lots of details.  But as we all know, it’s the little things that can make or break an experience, so we wanted to take the extra time to get through all the little specifics.  Our guests deserve that.  It meant we took on a project or two more and that we got a little behind, but in the end, I think it has been worth it.  So, where does that leave us?  Well, both the Shore Room and the Traveler’s Retreat were repainted top to bottom.  Ceiling, walls, trim – the works.  The Traveler’s Retreat bathroom also got a very nice new coat of paint to replace the old wallpaper.  While we were working in the Traveler’s Retreat bath, we also put a fresh coat of polyurethane on both the wood surround on the jetted tub and the wood vanity.  All of that woodwork really pops now.  We also took care of a spot in front of the shower where the floor needed some work.  We added a tile step-out, and it’s going to look great.  We updated the above shower and tub lighting too and they are now LED.  Hooray for being energy efficient!  As I mentioned in a previous post, we are also going to be updating the lighting at the vanity, but our chosen fixture won’t be in until January, so I’ll owe you an updated photo after that goes in!  The current fixtures are back up in the meantime.

Yesterday Jonathan finally got to build the custom headboard for the Shore Room.  I think he purposely saved it until last so he could have something fun and creative to work on!    We made it all from reclaimed pallet wood and it is very cool.  I’m really happy with how it turned out.  It looks fantastic and I can’t wait to get all the furniture back in to see how it all pulls together!  Jonathan also worked on some really nifty wall decor to add to that room too, made from more reclaimed wood.  Of course, all the great beach photos will go back in, but having a few new pieces is a real bonus!  The floor was also refinished, and we couldn’t be happier with that.  The floor really sparkles now.  Finally, we worked on some custom closet pieces to replace the rather flimsy shelves that were originally there.

We repaired a few plaster cracks in the second floor hallway ceiling and it is now ready for a fresh coat of paint too.  The new toe kick went in along the second floor hallway, and that little detail really makes a big difference in my opinion.  One thing we did not get to on this go around, but is still on our hit list, is to refinish all of the spindles going up the stairs to the second floor.  Again, they’ve had one too many coats of paint over the years, so it’s time to go back to the start.  Maybe that will have to be our project next Christmas!

The new plumbing went in for the laundry room and the machines have been relocated.  We are still deciding on the final flooring option for that room, so again, I will owe you another update!  Also, we’ve claimed the old laundry space for the pantry, but we plan to get some nice shelving to go in there to make it very organized and efficient.  Another update to come!

For now, here are some photos of the work to date.  I’ll have the photos of the finished Shore Room and Traveler’s Retreat Room up in the next couple of days.  All of the major construction is done now, so I am planning a massive clean up and furniture load in tomorrow.  See you back here soon!

-R