THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 30, 1995 TAG: 9504270132
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Real Estate
SOURCE: Chris Kidder
LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
We've been following the Shedlock house for six weeks now, from the Nationwide Homes factory in Martinsville, Va., to its oceanfront lot in Nags Head. The house, a combination of modular and stick-built construction, is an investment property for Lois and Tom Shedlock, their daughter Marlo, and a family friend, Scott Noble.
The house was scheduled for completion before Easter. Sun Realty, the Shedlocks' rental agency, booked renters for Easter week. But Betsy Taylor, their Sun agent, was told 10 days beforehand that the house would not be finished. She was able to offer the tenants another house.
Everything worked out fine, says Taylor. ``At a more crucial time of year, I might not have had anything comparable available,'' she says.
The next renters are booked for the week of May 6. The builder, Rhodes & Son, General Contractors, of Kitty Hawk, should be finished in time. Approval problems for the in-ground swimming pool have been solved and Rhodes' crews went back to work on the house last week.
Easter weekend, Tom Shedlock, a painter by trade, had just sprayed a plaster-like compound in small globs onto walls then troweled it off leaving a random texture. The result is called a knock-down finish.
The knock-down finish was a last-minute decision, made when the house was put on hold because of the pool. Tom preferred the plastered look of knock-down and his partners decided the uneven texture would hide wear and tear in hallways and living areas.
Another factor in their decision was the cathedral ceiling built on-site over the great room. While all the factory-built walls had smooth finishes, the cathedral ceiling was knock-down. Without crown molding or something to break it up, says Lois Shedlock, it just didn't match.
Bedroom and bathrooms walls were left with the factory finish. ``I might want to put a faux finish or wallpaper on those walls,'' she says.
While knock-down finish walls will hide some nicks and scrapes, most homeowners choose knock-down because it's cheaper. Knock- down wall surfaces also hide construction imperfections and that allows dry-wallers and painters to work more quickly.
Nationwide Homes, builder of the modular units that make up the home's two upper stories, can do knock-down or flat finish on walls for the same price. ``I didn't know it was a choice,'' Lois Shedlock says.
Tom Shedlock is happy that he's doing the wall finish himself. After creating the knock-down finish, he's applying a primer sealant that creates a cement-hard base coat. Then he will paint.
Less paint is required to cover the sealant, he says, and the hard finish makes touching up damage practically invisible. ``Most homeowners don't want to spend the extra money,'' he says, ``but this is my house and I'm doing it right.''
Building an environmentally-friendly house was also important to the Shedlocks. Last week we talked about some of the energy- efficiency measures they took, including the installation of a roof-top wind generator to power the home's two 50-gallon hot water heaters.
Inside the house, Marlo Shedlock wanted to use carpet made from recycled soda bottles. Since Nationwide didn't offer this carpet line, carpeting was installed on site.
As all rental property owners must do, the Shedlocks must more than please themselves. They've done a good job of laying out and furnishing the house for renters, says Taylor, who has been involved since the house was listed with Sun last September.
Lois Shedlock says her first concern was building a house that would offer the best payback. ``We had to have the seven bedrooms,'' she says.
``Bed sizes are real important,'' Taylor says. The biggest beds possible for adults and combination bedding for by adults or children is ideal. The Shedlock house will have two kings, four queens, and a three-tier bunk-trundle combination that sleeps four children or two adults comfortably.
The game room, which also serves as a second living room, is an important feature in a house this large, Taylor says. ``You have to give people space to get away.''
An oceanfront house with a private pool won't have any trouble renting in-season, Taylor says. Adding extras that increase rentals off-season is the trick. She recommends fireplaces and hot tubs. The Shedlocks have installed one of each.
Having the house well-equipped is a must. The Shedlocks' four televisions, two VCRs and two stereo systems are not overkill for a house sleeping 16 people, she says.
Taylor has told Lois Shedlock that the kitchen must have enough pots and pans, dishes, glass and silverware to serve 16 - twice. People on vacation won't always want to wash dishes after every meal. If they don't have what they need, they won't rent the house again.
Too much of her business depends on repeat rentals and word-of-mouth, Taylor says. ``I tell my owners to make the house as comfortable as they can make it.''
Until recently, comfort in an Outer Banks rental cottage almost never included linens. Renters were expected to lug their own from home or rent institutional towels and sheets at the beach.
Linens are the only thing Taylor thinks the Shedlocks should consider adding. ``When asking $4,000 a week for rent,'' she says, ``linens are not too much for renters to expect.'' MEMO: Chris Kidder covers Outer Banks real estate for The Carolina Coast. Send
comments and questions to her at P.O. Box 10, Nags Head, N.C. 27959.
by CNB