Project Journal: July 14, 2025

We continue to work tirelessly on the Beach House. Okay, you caught me -- last weekend I was at home while Mike and his mom were working tirelessly, but I've been there the last few weeks, don't you worry. Because we are excited to get things all ready for our guests.

Mike in action

The big project to report on is the bathroom tiling. Mike has pretty flawlessly framed out the shower, then placed tile, grouted tile, and caulked tile in a pretty unusually strange and quirky bathroom. I am impressed by him: his skill, his patience, and his fortitude. And I'm so excited about the color and the emotion it brings to the space. The color reminds me of the deep blue freshness of Lake Michigan, and this should bring joy to everyone. My dad has had his hand in the plumbing and electrical and the vent action behind the scenes, which has been so vital to the project. While we can both say that we are pleased with the look of the space, the real success of this will be the moment when we can actually take a shower! We'll need a curtain rod and curtain and rug, to be sure, and maybe some towels to dry off, but we'll be prepared to do this in no time flat. We have never actually showered in the Beach House, as it was one of the first demos we did when we bought the place and started working on it last fall. The lake is a great place to freshen up, but this elevates our game!

Before/Work In Progress

Isn't it interesting that the tub actually looks white after removing the yellow and green? The power of the color wheel.

We've done many more things since my last project journal - we've been trying to capture everything with photos and lists, but we are in full-steam-ahead mode to get this place ready, and sadly I've been not awesome at getting things posted. I am so grateful for this blog, as it gives me a bit of a goal and creates intentional reflection on what we've accomplished and what we have left to do.

Big things left are to complete the building cabinets in kitchen and to finish construction of walls and cabinets in the sun room. I'm busy deciding last minute design things like curtains and decor and thinking through the special things that need to happen in order to make this place special, including those ties to the outdoors that are so important to us.

As Phase One (getting guest ready) is beginning to wrap up, I'm already thinking about Phase Two. What's Phase Two? It's about further refining the interior and exterior spaces, about expanding experiences, about things I have not yet considered.

While you wait patiently for The Beach House to be ready to book, don't forget The Cottage is available for bookings!