Beach Cottage Exterior Transformation in North Carolina
By: Hannah Warne
Katie H. was ready to overhaul her beach cottage exterior. But even after finding a contractor and getting the ball rolling on her renovations, she was overwhelmed by the nearly endless paint color combinations she could choose from.
Knowing the exterior of our house needed some serious love, we contracted to have new siding installed and the house repainted. However, I was completely stuck on a paint color. Being a visual person, I could not settle on a color. After searching high and low on the Internet looking for pictures to inspire a paint color, I came across brick&batten and their stunning transformations.
After discovering brick&batten’s virtual exterior design services, she knew it was the ideal way to solve her problem. She reached out to our team to begin her design and start the process of transforming her outdated exterior into her dream coastal getaway.
Whether you want to renovate your beach cottage or your primary residence, brick&batten is the perfect partner to help bring your dream exterior to life. Our experienced designers will help you find a color palette, design elements, and finishes to transform your home and give it a brand-new look and feel. Learn more about our virtual exterior design services.
Our designers only use and recommend products that we know, love, or would use on our own properties. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission, at no cost to you.
The before
Before renovations, Katie’s North Carolina beach cottage had navy blue horizontal siding, all-white trim, and faded wooden staircases. While this nautical-inspired color palette fit well with the locale, she was ready for something different. She wanted a modern new look to fit with her preferred aesthetic — but she was struggling to bring it to life on her own. From choosing a new color palette to selecting every finish, she didn’t know where to start.
After discovering brick&batten’s design services and reaching out to our team, she knew we could not only make the process seamless but also create a design she loved.
I was amazed at how simple the process was and even more amazed to see the beautiful rendering! I sent a picture of the front of the house, answered a couple of questions, and in a couple of weeks received a gorgeous design that transformed our beach cottage beyond anything I could ever imagined or achieved!
The design
To give her home a rustic, coastal feel, our designers recommended a classic, high-contrast palette: black and white. Our team chose James Hardie siding for the majority of the exterior. This fiber cement siding is resistant to moisture and adapts to almost any climate. It’s a low-maintenance style that gives you the same look as classic wood siding — without the often expensive and frequent upkeep. We recommended finishing the siding in James Hardie’s White Bungalow hue, a creamy off-white shade that brightened Katie’s home’s exterior. James Hardie also bakes on and cures the paint color, ensuring it won’t quickly fade or yellow.
Instead of the classic horizontal orientation, we recommended a vertical orientation for the siding to add height and draw the eye upward, giving the home a more modern feel. Our team also recommended finishing the trim and columns in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White to complement the White Bungalow siding. With a subtle yellow undertone, Simply White is slightly more muted than a true white paint color. With a light reflective value of 91.7, it’s perfect for home exteriors because it is bright — but it isn’t too stark. Instead, it is a crisp, clean shade that looks classic on homes of all styles.
To complement Simply White, our team recommended wooden detailing throughout the exterior. A wooden garage door, door frames, stairs, and balcony railings offer an organic contrast to the bright white siding. A pop of black for the deck skirt — painted in Benjamin Moore’s Black — grounds the exterior and complements the black ceiling fans and light fixtures on the home’s multiple patios. This neutral black hue offset the light, airy white siding and the warm wood for a beautifully striking contrast.
Using her free revision, Katie opted for a design with even more contrast. Our team swapped out many of the wooden details for black accents throughout her exterior design. To match the deck skirt in Benjamin Moore’s black, we added black door frames, ceiling fans, light fixtures, and planters. Our team kept a few wooden accents throughout the balcony railing and stairs for a warm, organic design detail. Finally, faux copper gutters with a similar warm tone to the wooden elements helped bring it all together.
We always recommend sampling and testing paint colors before committing. Factors such as natural lighting, undertones, and your property’s fixed elements will have a significant impact on how a color will appear on your exterior. Our friends at Samplize offer extra-large 9 x 14.75 inch peel-and-stick paint samples of the colors we love for exteriors. Order your ‘Real Paint, No Mess’ samples from Samplize here.
The process
Before working with the brick&batten team, Katie had already found her contractor. Once her design was finalized, her local team was ready to begin the exterior renovations right away.
We were already positioned to make changes to the exterior of the house and had our contractor in place to begin work. The design elements provided by brick&batten ended up guiding our entire exterior project.
After just a few months, Katie’s new exterior was complete.
The actual after
Katie’s new exterior looks almost identical to her brick&batten design. Though her team made a few tweaks along the way, she followed her design deliverable almost to the letter. Instead of using glass and wood railings, Katie opted for sleek, all-black cable railings. She also swapped the all-wood staircases for a wood-and-black combo, and instead of the recommended faux copper gutters from her design deliverable, she chose all-black gutters. The final result is the black-and-white beach house of Katie’s dreams.
I am ecstatic with the transformation of our beach house! We constantly are getting compliments on its design from neighbors, which I give full credit to brick&batten!
Bringing your beach cottage exterior to life
After seeing her new exterior, Katie can’t believe the transformation. Not only is her new beach cottage exterior exactly what she envisioned, but she was also blown away by the ease and professionalism of the brick&batten team.
brick&batten worked magic to bring our house to life by adding design elements that I didn’t even imagine and providing references as to where the items could be purchased. I recommend brick&batten to any homeowner facing an exterior remodel as they know how to create a diamond in the rough!
Katie’s updated home has all the features she was looking for. From a classic color palette to modern details, it tied together all her favorite styles. In the end, brick&batten was able to make her dream home a reality.
Are you looking to transform your home or business exterior with a new color palette, updated siding, refreshed finishes, or all of the above? The brick&batten team is ready and waiting to help! Our team will work with you to understand your design style and develop a comprehensive design that expertly brings your vision to life. Start your project today!
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