Field notes from
the coast.

What I wish someone had told me before we built: bring your own agent, plan for selections, never skip the pre-drywall walk, and check the coastal basics if you are building near Wilmington, NC.

The national average is about nine months from permit to completion. Here is our own build, date by date from our photos, plus what tends to stretch a build near Wilmington, NC.

From a pencil sketch to a finished craftsman home: every stage of our new construction build in real photos, from the snowy lot to the keys, plus what changes when you build near Wilmington, NC.

We’ve lived through a kitchen remodel, camped in a basement kitchen, and rented during a new build. Here’s what worked, what didn’t, and a chef’s survival kit.

A culinary-school grad’s kitchen layout checklist after three remodels: tray cabinets by the stove, counter-to-ceiling cabinets with drawers inside, plug molds, a pantry outlet, make-up air and a hutch-style baking cabinet.