If you haven’t heard the news, we doubled down on the beach house dream — literally. We bought a duplex!
If you listened to our podcast, you know much of the backstory: the price was right (we negotiated $30K off), the location is excellent (near the park, shops, and a few blocks from the beach), and we felt this was the right moment to act before the town’s affordable inventory disappeared. We paid $220K for the duplex — that’s $110K per side — which is even less than we paid for the pink house. In the podcast we also unpack the financial side of things, including how we paid off our Richmond mortgage and how that made this purchase possible.
Below you’ll find details, photos, and two video tours of the duplex — plenty to get a feel for the scope of work ahead. #SoMuchMoreToTile #LonelyToilet #AlsoWhoHidesWindows
The Basics
This is another historic fixer-upper in Cape Charles on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. It’s in the same town as our pink house and, remarkably, just two doors down on the same street. One house separates them — the one that was once featured on HGTV — so the location was a major factor in our decision. Good houses in this price range are rare here, and this duplex felt like an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.
Practical reasons also made the duplex attractive:
- Vacation rental potential: We don’t plan to use the duplex ourselves, so it can provide two rental units for guests while the pink house remains our primary stay.
- Flexible accommodation: The pink house has three bedrooms (four including the bunk room); combined with six bedrooms across the duplex, we can host larger groups or offer both properties together for big families.
- Renovation efficiencies: Many major tasks — roof, siding, foundation, and landscaping — can be addressed across both units at once, saving time and money compared with renovating two separate homes over several years.
Having already worked with contractors in Cape Charles on the pink house makes this project feel more manageable; we know the local process and teams, which reduces the unknowns.
The Before Tour
The duplex is split down the middle, with mirrored layouts. Condition varies between sides: one has a strong, unpleasant odor from long-term tenancy, while the other is in slightly better shape. Both units were rental properties, and the tenants moved out before the sale. Below are the two video tours — left side first, then the right — followed by photos and notes for each.
If you can’t watch right now, photos and highlights follow. Here’s the shorter tour of the right side; fair warning — a smoke detector chirps in that video, so headphones might help if you have sensitive pets.
The Left Side
Both units open into a stairwell. Our plan is to open the stair wall to the living room to bring more natural light into the stairs and make the space feel less cramped. From the front door you step into a decent-sized living room with floors that should refinish nicely once carpet glue and padding are removed. There’s evidence of a ceiling leak with mold and a large hole behind paneling that will need attention.
A dining area connects to a narrow galley kitchen that likely occupies a former side porch. The kitchen and adjoining back hallway (with an old water heater and backyard door) need a full rethink to create a more functional layout.
Upstairs there are currently two large bedrooms and a big, unusually shaped bathroom. We’re exploring plans to add a third bedroom and possibly a second bathroom by reconfiguring the upstairs layout — the rooms are spacious enough to allow thoughtful rework.
The bedrooms feature layers of cosmetic coverings — painted paneling, foam ceiling tiles glued over original surfaces — which suggests previous owners repeatedly hid issues rather than addressing them. We expect to uncover original details as we peel back layers.
The large upstairs bathroom has an odd, elongated shape; we hope to split or reconfigure it into more practical, attractive bathrooms when we finalize floor plans.
The Right Side
The mirrored right side is in slightly better cosmetic condition. The living room has colorful trim and the same problematic ceiling leak found on the other side. A fridge sits oddly in the dining area and adhesive residue and peeled vinyl tiles make the upstairs floors extremely sticky in places.
One upstairs bedroom is carpeted and painted a moody eggplant; behind foam ceiling tiles and faux paneling we suspect moisture damage in spots, but there’s also an exposed brick chimney we hope to reveal and celebrate.
This side’s bathroom includes a clawfoot tub in decent shape. Both bathrooms are surprisingly large and oddly configured, leaving plenty of room for smarter layouts that make better use of the available square footage.
We’re excited to open up the stair wall into the living room and refresh the entry view. The contractor believes that modification is possible, and we’re eager to get started when the timing is right.
The Plan
For now we’re brainstorming and daydreaming. We’ll wait to begin demolition until the pink house is wrapped up. The duplex is certainly in need of a full overhaul — plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roof, siding, and more. Our immediate priorities are maximizing the floorplans for better flow and improving the curb appeal of the front facade.
We’ve been inspired by other duplexes nearby that retain original decorative details. On our house, some trim appears to be non-original and will likely be removed, but we plan to uncover and restore genuine historic features where they remain — especially the diamond windows that currently hide behind plywood inside.
We’ll share more as the work progresses — photos, floor plans, and updates on renovation milestones. Thanks to everyone who cheered us on when we announced this; your enthusiasm made our decision feel even more right. When the tiles are done and our eyes are crossed from tiling twice as many bathrooms and kitchens, feel free to remind us you called it: we probably are a little crazy, but we’re thrilled to get started.