My first DIY outside my house: Beach condo renovation

For the first time ever, I’m taking on a project outside of my own home.

Friends of mine decided to go in together and purchase a beach condo on the Isle of Palms in South Carolina. The best part, they asked me to help them update this 1980’s charmer.

Ocean view taken from the balcony of the condo.

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The efficiency of this beach condo is the best of tiny home living in a community that adds so much to do. When you think about it, being in a beach town you really just need a place to grab a quick bite, take a shower and a place to rest. The remainder of the time you’re out and about enjoying the beautiful weather.

The before

This particular beach condo is a 490 sq ft studio with built in bunk beds for additional sleeping quarters .

Beach condo with built in bunk beds on the left. Storage under the bunk beds.

Move in a little further, for a beach condo you have a great sized bathroom, a full sized kitchen, living area, and a balcony. Most all of the beach condo units have a sleeper sofa in the living area to accommodate additional guests.

Large beach condo bathroom with shower in background, toilet, and sink on the right. — Main bathroom with a lot of space.

Main bedroom in the beach condo with bed to the left and stripped bedding. Walls are creamy yellow color and green curtains. — Main bathroom with a lot of space.

There is so much potential for this little 1980’s beach condo and my friends have a vision I cannot wait to bring to life. Between paint, shiplap, new flooring, updated electrical, updated fixtures, this little gem is going to get the glow up she deserves. We were able to get a lot of great ideas from an updated beach condo unit that was currently on the market, but most of the inspiration came from their own wish list.

hallway looking from the front door. Painted green paneling on the top and painted white on the bottom. The right side of the hall has built in bunk beds with storage under the beds. Brown flooring. — Hall looking in from the front door and built in bunk beds.

Hallway to kitchen on the left and living room straight a head. Brown flooring leads changes to dark carpet in the living room. — Hall looking in from the front door and built in bunk beds.

The future

For a while my friends plan on enjoying this as their own getaway with the idea of renting the beach condo out in the future when they’re not here. Any updates we do have to keep durability in mind for future guests. While at the same time bringing the style and functionality up to today’s standards.

Standing in front of the sliding glass door looking into the living room. Couch to the left, island with chairs straight ahead and white kitchen cabinets beyond that. — There is a lot of potential in this adorable beach condo.

I cannot wait to take you along this journey as I renovate their beach condo and I am so thankful for friends who are trusting me with their investment. Taking on a project outside of my own home is exciting and a little bit nerve wracking. But to be perfectly honest, after the year that we’ve had, I’m excited for the challenge.

Best,
Brooke

Here’s a look at projects that I’ve done similar to this one!