THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 19, 1995 TAG: 9508250878
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: About the Outer Banks
SOURCE: By Chris Kidder, Special to Real Estate Weekly
LENGTH: Long : 120 lines
Earlier this year, I wrote a series of articles about ``Neptune's Secret,'' a modular house built at the Nationwide Homes factory in Martinsville, Va., and erected on the beach in Nags Head. The seven-bedroom, five-bath vacation rental cottage welcomed its first guests in mid-May and it's been booked every week since then.
The Armour family - three generations plus a brother and his family and a neighbor's son - 18 adults and children altogether - rented the house for a week in early August.
With temperatures soaring above 90 every day, the Armours were getting their money's worth out of the cottage pool. According to Betsy Taylor, the Sun Realty rental agent who manages the property for its owners, about $500 of the $4,250 weekly rent is attributable to the pool. It was worth every dollar, said Jean Armour, the grandmother who gathered her family from New York, Ohio and Virginia to enjoy a seaside vacation.
The Armours vacation together ``about every three years,'' said Chris Armour, one of Jean's three sons. Chris and his family live in Williamsburg while he's stationed at Langley Air Force Base nearby.
While Jean and Her husband, Larry, were visiting Chris last fall, they made a quick reconnaissance trip to the Outer Banks, picking up rental brochures and seeking out potential cottages for this summer's trip.
In the 1970s, when her boys were children, said Jean, they vacationed on the Outer Banks regularly. In those days, they stayed at the Villas in Nags Head or in Colington Harbour. The family came back in 1989 and rented a large house in South Nags Head. But with the addition of wives and children, the family had outgrown the old accommodations.
The Armours wanted as many bedrooms with private bathrooms as possible. With five families sharing the house, they needed multiple living spaces. They needed something convenient to attractions and shopping.
With two infants, being on the oceanfront was paramount. Trying to cart all the baby paraphernalia, along with toys and towels for older children, between house and beach would be exasperating, said the mothers.
The family originally planned to stay in Duck. ``I'd like to stay there,'' said Chris, who lives close enough to visit the area more frequently. ``From what I've seen, you get more for your dollar up there and the beaches aren't as crowded.''
But Chris was overruled when the family took the two-lane road to Duck and the lack of family recreation facilities into consideration. ``We weren't sure what the traffic situation would be,'' says Jean. ``We didn't want to spend our time in the car.''
A swimming pool wasn't part of the family's initial wish list, explains Jean. ``We didn't know private pools were available until we started looking through the brochures.'' But once they realized they could get one, it became a prime requirement.
Jean quickly found out that most houses with pools were north of Kitty Hawk. She was delighted when a rental agent told her about ``Neptune's Secret.'' Although it wasn't pictured in the rental brochure, she knew the area well enough to picture its location and she rented it sight unseen.
When the family arrived, they admit it wasn't love at first sight. ``If we'd seen it first, we might not have rented it,'' said Chris. ``It doesn't have any curb appeal.''
Several family members pointed out that the house looks plain. ``It's a beach house,'' said Larry. ``You don't necessarily expect landscaping but you expect something. Maybe shutters on the windows. Gingerbread. Something.''
``Curb appeal doesn't matter to me,'' said Jean's sister-in-law, Marjorie Corell. ``The floor plan works. That's what counts.'' And once inside, the family's disappointment changed to delight. Even Chris, the group's outspoken nay-sayer, conceded that the house ``works very well.''
The family liked almost everything else about the house. The location, near Jockey's Ridge, within walking distance to miniature golf and other attractions, close to major grocery stores, and right on a fairly wide stretch of beach, suited the diverse group.
Furnishing a rental cottage is an art. What vacationers need and want is a special blend of convenience and luxury. On most counts, Neptune's Secret's owners (advised by their rental agent and an interior designer) scored high marks.
Lois Shedlock, one of the owners, had made energy efficiency a priority for the house but had expected that quality to be lost on renters. Not so. The Armours were interested in the wind generator that ran the water heating system and they were amazed at how comfortable the house stayed in spite of the high temperatures outside.
The biggest failing in the house, according to the Armours, is its ground-floor game room. ``There's no place to sit,'' said Jean, so calling it a second living room is a misnomer. The ping pong table is nice and the kids use it, the adults said, but they'd really like a sofa or some easy chairs.
Keeping the pool clean is a concern for both renters and owners. Because town building codes restrict ground coverage on the oceanfront, much of the area around the pool could not be paved. With several children using the pool, it gets sandy fast.
The owners have been trying to arrange a mid-week pool cleaning (the pool is always cleaned weekly), an added expense no one included in the financial projections for the house.
The biggest aggravation the Armours encountered with the house was arriving after hours on the road and finding no paper products in the house. ``Not even one roll of toilet paper,'' said Marjorie. ``We planned to shop after we got to the beach,'' added Jean. ``It was very inconvenient.''
Other suggestions for improvements included adding an outdoor clock and thermometer near the pool, putting an alarm clock in every bedroom. Several family members thought windows in the third floor great room should have blinds or curtains. Reflecting light made watching television difficult.
Because a friend had tipped them off to my series of articles, the Armours had read all about the building of the house before they arrived at Nags Head. They realized the owners didn't have time to finish some of the ``gingerbread' details that add curb appeal to a large house. Problems were minor, they agreed.
The family seemed hooked on trying new vacation places, so Jean doubted that they will come back to Neptune's Secret in the future. ``But I would rent this house again,'' she said. ``We're having a great time here.'' MEMO: Send comments and questions to Chris Kidder at P.O. Box 10, Nags Head,
N.C. 27959. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by Vicki Cronis
The extended Arm;our family finds that the spacious living room at
Neptune's Secret accommodates them very nicely
The swimming pool proved to be popular with the Armour small fry
by CNB