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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

our summer house

I always wanted a "summer house". A simple house with a screen door that slams with a smack as you go in and out. The kind where life is casual, slow and relaxing.  Where you can hang out at the water in your bathing suit all day long, snack on watermelon all afternoon and throw supper on the grill at night. Where you sit outside while the sun sets, watching the water glisten pink as the sun goes down.
Growing up on Long Island, my girlhood "summer house" was out east, at the beach. But as an adult, living in Georgia, my summer house is at Lake Oconee. 
 sunset view from the porch
the great room
my flea finds... the hand painted fish benches and dresser
the kitchen 
 gutted the original and installed new cabinets, appliances and the red oak floor
loft and hall to laundry room and bath
all the beadboard and trim was stained dark, slooowly, 4 coats later, we've been painting it all white
powder room
we changed out the sink, added beadboard and wallpaper
back door to lake
we added the pergo floor, another DIY
master bedroom
love this paint color!
2nd bedroom
beds for 4
downstairs bath
also a gut and redo
 the deck
It's been a labor of love. 
I don't think there's an inch we haven't touched with paint or elbow grease over the past 12 summers. Whoever originally painted that deck railing white, I'd like to have a word with them... yes it looks quaint and crisp, but the upkeep you can keep!  


back to laboring... :-)

5 comments:

  1. The pictures turned out great! Hope you're having fun laboring. We miss you!!! oxxo

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  2. Your lake place is gorgeous Sandy!

    Thanks so much for stopping by the Back Porch. The year we bought the condo and in fact the month we bought the condo, I turned 60. J is two years younger and retired a few years after we bought our lake place. We have friends who own lake houses. They told us stories of time spent doing exactly what you describe, taking away from their time at the lake. Their stories made us wary of buying a house and so we bought the condo. But, even now, at 65 and 67 we still sit on the deck, looking up the cove, and dream of having one of those houses, seen in the photos. However, we would certainly sell our "everyday home" if we should purchase a lake house, and move there full time. I admire anyone who takes care of more than one home. I don't think we would ever have the stamina.

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  3. I just love how you are so confident with color. Everything you do is so pretty. Have a wonderful Mother's/Grandma's Day. :)

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  4. I'm jealous! The best part about a second home is the absence of mail/paper/junk!
    -trish

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  5. Wow I love it, we also have a lake house for the summer but we have a lot more in common than that...I see our tastes are alike, the color of that green in the bedroom is just the same color of a room that I painted and the beadboard in the bathroom with the same pedestal sink...I'm your new best *friend*!

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