Once In A Lifetime

As time goes by we accumulate possessions, ideas, and dreams. We think about the things we do, and better ways they can be done. We pull out reminders of past adventures and plan new ones. We talk about ways to make our lives better. The Byrnes already had a cottage on Wrightsville Beach. But when an oceanfront lot became available they saw an opportunity to take advantage of the things they’ve learned and build a home where they can dream their dreams, do what they want and display some of their mementos. Carefully assembling their team, they picked us to design the house, Murray Construction to build it and Susan Covington to work on the interiors. Josh Mihaly developed the landscaping.

The project is designed to look like a traditional beach cottage from the street with punched windows, natural cedar shingles and awnings over the windows. A “crofter” apartment over the garage is connected to the main house by a second story bridge. It’s as if the crofter was the original beach cottage and we renovated it and attached it to the new house. The oceanfront elevation is all glass, connecting the modernist interior to the Atlantic Ocean. Eliminating intermediate columns, the living room and exterior deck has an unobstructed view of the water.