Maintenance of shore properties

[Chuysmom]

I have been cleaning a beautiful house right on the water near Hilo Bay for over 1.5 years...I can tell you that there is MUCH maintenance as far as salt damage. All the screens will eventually corrode at the corners and pop open...filled with salt. The moist air will leave a black residue on most things and mildew is a constant issue. Sure...you can beat it back with disinfectant wipes, bleach and regular washings. It is however, an ongoing process to keep your property from decay.



Carrie

http://www.sapphiresoap.etsy.com
http://www.septemberspirals.etsy.com

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future..." Galadriel LOTR

[bduvall]

Yikes!!!!! This all sounds like a lot of work!How far back from shoreline would one expect to be free of salt spray?

[Carey]

We are 3 miles back, our lot does have a little ocean view (more mountain view) but our neighbors house is aligned w/ours & 'blocks' the ocean along our house.... our makai side (windward ocean side) of the house does see a lot more corrosion issues... we had "lifetime" door hardware that pitted within 5 years & the window hardware needs more attention on that side to stay nicely functioning... none of the other doors or windows on the other sides need as much attention... and the window glass on the ocean side does get more 'ichy' with a black residue quicker than our non-ocean, road facing windows...

ADDED: oh - on Climate Change induced sea level change, the leading experts are utilizing the figures of 2.6 - 6.6 ft (3/4 - 2 meters) as the planning point for the sea level to rise within the next ninety years (REMEMBER, the CO2 rise has been EXPONENTIAL to this point & the expected response will have a potential for exponentiality.... (my own word...). FWS link with their planning points:
http://www.fws.gov/pacific/Climatechange/changepi.html

[Chuysmom]

I have a friend who lives on Beach Road. Her house is lovely. She keeps it very clean and washed regularly. When nail heads start to rust...she paints them...the screens eventually need replacing but I have to say it looks pretty good. She has plenty of the jalouse windows in one room and those are a bear to clean just because they get coated with the sea residue regularly. It's not all doom and gloom. The first clients I talked about lived right on a bluff over the water so the pounding of the ocean spray really effected them.

Carrie

http://www.sapphiresoap.etsy.com
http://www.septemberspirals.etsy.com

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future..." Galadriel LOTR

[csgray]

We lived in a 5th floor condo in Hilo for a couple of years, our lanai looked directly out over the water with an incredible view across to Richardsons. That experienced cured me of ever desiring to own ocean front property; rent yes, with someone else paying for the endless maintenance, but never will I own a place on the ocean. The appliances were brand new when we moved in and needed replacing 2 years later, same for the custom sized screen door frames, all the lania furniture, the bathroom exhaust fan, dining room light fixture and a bunch of the light plugs. A friend of ours who is an electrician does a lot of rewiring of near the ocean phomes, he said the salt air just trashes the connections between outlets and wiring, even the ones with the special outside covers. Our personal electronics also had extra issues that the repair people said are common if you live near the ocean.

You pay more to buy a place by the ocean, and then even more just to keep living there, in constant maintenance expenses and replacing stuff.

Carol

[SandyS]

We have been living across the street from and about 40 feet above the ocean for about two years now. When we chose our home designer we picked someone that was familiar with the environmental conditions on our area. He had many suggestions on materials to use to help our home to withstand the rigors of being near the sea. Long time residents of our neighborhood also shared many suggestions for us.

Even with using aluminum roofing, plastic trim, Hardiboard siding and some stainless steel hardware we still battle the salt. Our two year old vinyl screens have already been replaced as they turned out only to be vinyl clad steel, which rusted from the inside out. Our new refrigerator has been repaired twice. We are now big believers in extended warranties. My windows always need washing. We keep our television covered when not in use.

We live in a pretty sunny area with nice trade winds. I have noticed very few mold problems. Of course we are in the tsunami zone and have had to evacuate twice since we have lived here.

Like most things in life, living near the ocean is a trade off. Each morning when I awake and watch the sun rise over the ocean from my lanai, when I watch the fishing boats cruise by, when watching rainbows over the Pacific is my usual dinner entertainment, when I watch dolphins and whales play outside my front yard, I count my blessings and can’t imagine living anywhere else.

[bduvall]

Thanks everyone! I think SandyS identified the true dilemma, whether the priceless benefit to my soul to experience that kind of beauty every day is worth the effort and expense. I think I have to go with Sandy but at least I'm going with eyes wide open.

[csgray]

If at all possible rent a place on the ocean first, truly experience the trade offs and then decide if it is worth it to you in reality, or just in theory. I am very gad we rented oceanfront for almost 3 years before we bought our house because I discovered that the trade off wasn't worth it to me, but that I wanted to be close enough that I could easily get down to the ocean every day.

Carol

[Chuysmom]

Sandy, your lovely post was inspiring...you have to get priorities straight sometimes and if these amazing things are worth the maintenance...you've done well. People drawn to the water well prepared have a more positive experience I'm thinking...at least no surprises, right? Blessings to you and your dolphins and whales...they are magical for certain.

Carrie

http://www.sapphiresoap.etsy.com
http://www.septemberspirals.etsy.com

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future..." Galadriel LOTR