Before you remodel a waterfront house

The water is the client you cannot fire. Openings, lanais, and finish specifications have to take salt, wind, and glare. A beautiful inland kitchen copied onto a bay house will not age well.

Flood and insurance are not interior-design problems, but they decide whether you should remodel at all. If the house has reached the end of honest renovation, the work belongs with Gulf & Key Construction, not with a prettier version of the same envelope.

We have done waterfront interiors on St. Armands and in a gulf-front tower. The photographs are of openings that work, millwork that can take the light, and outdoor rooms that are part of the house.

Bring the elevation certificate, the HOA rules, and the budget you will actually spend. We will tell you remodel versus rebuild before anyone draws a mood board.