The Collins and Stutts went down Saturday (Oct. 15th) to check out the progress on the Sack of Crabs and to witness first hand the damage left by Irene. It has been about 60 days since we were last down and about 45 days since Irene hit Rodanthe, Waves and Salvo. Irene came on shore August 27th, cutting 3 new inlets and disconneting the tri-villages from the rest of the world (unless you were fortunate to be able to travel by boat). The estimated impact from Irene on the completion date of our cottage was approximately a 3-4 week delay.....nothing compared to the residents that lost a lot of personal affects and are dealing with damaged homes caused by 3-4' of moving water. The towns are working hard to clean up the debris left. Unless you see it first hand you truly cannot imagine the debris that is left behind in these types of situations. Some of the items that were relocated by the waters of Irene anywhere from 50 feet to many miles away from their place of origin were mobile homes, decks, TVs, jet skis, boats, insulation, more insulation, fences, refrigerators, washers, dryers, soda machines, fruit stands, road side kiosks, trailers, road ways, asphalt, concrete driveways. . . I could go on and on. Unfortunately, it looks like some of the business owners will not be re-establishing their businesses. However, there were no lives lost and I am convinced the tri-villages will rebuild and prospers while establishing personal bonds stronger than ever before amongst their residents and businesses. On a real positive note, the TOP DOG Cafe made it through Irene with minimal damage and was open for business!!! We were thrilled to see that and enjoyed yet another great meal at out favorite cafe.
As far as the cottage goes, Pogie and his team have shifted into high gear! We were so excited to see that the Sack of Crabs has all her shingles on, drywall hung and the first coat of paint (inside) on. The exterior doors do not have paint yet. This week (10/17) they will be laying all the flooring (upstair's hardwood, bedroom carpet and laundry room/bathroom 12" tiles) and then the following week (10/24) it is the cabinetry and trim work. We will be going down in a couple of weeks hoping to see more of the exciting progress. We are planning for a November 30th or December 1st closing which is only a 1 week delay at most. Pogie and his team are amazing!! Below are a handful of pictures. In all the excitement we neglected to take a lot of pics - promise to have more next time!
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| Front and East Side of Cottage |
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| Front and West Side of Cottage |
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Ronnie taking a picture of Frank taking a picture of Ronnie taking a picture.....you get the picture!
This is the top floor dinner deck off the dining room. |
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Dining Room. All rooms are now painted but not trimmed out.
All windows and 4" floor molding will be in white semi gloss trim. |
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Kitchen - pantry is structure on left. Sink will be under window.
L-shaped knee wall will be the island. |
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Top Floor Master Bathroom - The color throughout the house is "Cottage Yellow".
Living Room/Kitchen. The paint color is more of a beige with yellow undertones - hard to tell in these pictures. |
Until next time - Sea Ya!!
xoxox
K & R