The Outer Banks - all of the new construction

There's not much to say about most of these houses because they're just plain ugly. They do not fit in with the character of the area - they have no sense of place. They could be from anywhere, nothing about them says "Outer Banks" the way a Nags Head cottage does. They are also ridiculously expensive because they're so large and a lot of them have upscale appliances and finishes - which is exactly what I do not want in a beach house, personally. Give me a beach shack any day!

Have fun boarding up those windows for a hurricane...

There's too much to pick at with this house, so I'm going to keep it simple. Look at that lawn. Really, at the beach?  It's supposed to sandy and full of prickly spur things and cacti.

While this isn't as large and tacky as some of the others, it's still not pretty.

 

I have to end my rant on a good note, which includes this new construction below. The design is nice and simple and reminiscent of the vernacular style. My only complaint - the vinyl or fiber cement siding - it should be a natural cedar shingle. 

The Outer Banks - The Nags Head Cottage

 Last month my family went down to the Outer Banks for a week. The Outer Banks is one of my favorite beaches, the Kitty Hawk to Nags Head area in particular. Driving down the beach road there are many reminders of the small beach town it used to be, and still somewhat is. There has been a lot of new construction in the 1990s - 2000s and most of it, sad to say, ruins the character of the Outer Banks. The construction of the earlier decades is not as offensive because it is more modest in size and was constructed with a natural, unpainted wood siding, instead of the brightly colored vinyl (and possibly some fiber cement siding) that is more commonly built today. And while the houses of the 1970s and 1980s aren't terrible, the historic cottages of the late 19th and early 20th century are my personal favorites.

The Nags Head Cottage was one of the predominant vernacular building types in the area, and now there are not many left. These houses were built with broad overhanging eaves over wrap around porches to take advantage of the sea breezes, but protect itself from the harsh sun. The houses were all sided in a natural cedar shingle. Keep in mind these houses were built before the advent of the air conditioner, when houses were built specifically to their surroundings. The hurricane shutters provide protection from hurricane winds when necessary, but shade the windows from the sun, while still allowing light into the rooms. The beach houses of today, with the ridiculous amount of windows (without hurricane shutters) and decks (not porches because there is no roof) are built knowing there will be two or more air conditioning units in the house, so there is no need to worry about allowing for a good breeze through the house.


Below is a classic Nags Head cottage. Unfortunately I didn't get a good shot of a row of them, it's a bit difficult to stop along the beach road.

 

Other vernacular cottages:

A good row except for the obvious one that stands out..

 

One of my favorites

We drove past some newer construction that was built in the historic style, it's too bad more people don't build this way...

Notice the depth of the porch and the roof?

Another good example of newer construction:

These are all some good examples of the vernacular style of the area. It's sad to say I found it easier to take pictures of houses I hated than houses I liked....which I'll save for next time.