DIY Network

Gulf-Shores Home: Finishing Touches From "Be Your Own Contractor: Vacation Homes" episode DBCV-107

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In this episode of DIY's Be Your Own Contractor: Vacation Homes, we meet homeowners Lundy and Harry Wilder who acted as their own contractors on their unique waterfront home in Gulf Shores, Alabama. In this segment the do-it-yourselfers discuss some of the finishing touches on their vacation home.

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Figure A

Finishing Touches

The DAC-Art construction that the Wilders used employed pre-made concrete blocks that are dry-stacked without mortar, the blocks do have a beveled edge and are designed to receive grout. Lundy undertook the grouting and, doing it by herself, found that it was a slow process. In fact, the grouting on the exterior cornices (figure A) was finished just prior to the certificate of occupancy being issued.

Another big job that Lundy undertook was the custom design on the wooden-beam ceiling (figure B). Since she couldn't find painters willing to do the type of decorative whitewashing and painting she wanted, Lundy purchased a spray-gun and did the job herself. Applying the whitewash was a messy job, but she managed to complete it herself. She then added stenciling to the whitewashed beams to get the exact look she wanted (figure C).

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

But Lundy's most ambitious project was the bathroom shower (figure D). She designed a mosaic, a type of feature that is common in Italian-style interior design. She ordered the tiles and started working on a unique design with a water theme. In the end, the job took six months for Lundy to complete.

The mosaic (figures E and F) was the final finishing touch on the house, and Lundy completed work on it while she was staying onsite. Unfortunately, this meant doing without a shower until the job was complete. The solution: a cold shower on the porch using the kitchen-sink sprayer and hose pulled through the front window.

Figure E

Figure F

Take My Advice

"If you are not the kind of person that can handle these types of inconveniences of a building project," says Lundy "and sit down and have a cold beer and laugh about it, then forget it. Hire a contractor. Because you're going to run into lots of challenges. And it can either be a fun part of the whole experience, and something you can laugh about, or it can be something you can't tolerate."

	BEFORE: The kitchen during construction.
	AFTER: The completed kitchen.

"When you run into problems," says Harry, "there are times that you need to back off and to, as my mechanic says, just go clean your tools and think about the project. And just to keep your attitude right about knowing that you can solve the problems, that you can work through these things. I guess you have to experience the downside to appreciate the upside."

RESOURCES :

Investing in a Vacation Home for Pleasure and Profit
Author: James H. Boykin
Order this book from Amazon.com
Publisher: South-Western Educational Pub (2005)
ISBN: 0324314116

How a Second Home Can Be Your Best Investment: New, Tax-Free Methods for Using a Vacation Home for Recreation, Retirement and Investment
Authors: Tom Kelly, John Tuccillo
Order this book from Amazon.com
Publisher: McGraw-Hill (2004)
ISBN: 0071429700

Special Resources for Be Your Own Contractor: Vacation Homes, episode 107

DAC-Art Building Systems
Website: www.dac-art.net

Lundy Wilder's website
Website: www.scrapbookscrapbook.com