Katy is a single mom with three kids whose big dream was to build a tiny purple beach house on Tybee Island in Georgia.
She says, “I purchased a disgusting wreck of a house by the water in 2011 and tore it down to build a tiny, 850-square-foot house on the lot, salvaging as much from the original as I could.”
Take a look at how it turned out!
Katy’s Tiny Purple Beach House
It may be small, with only 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths, but you wouldn’t know to look at it.
The purple (Pantone Sweet Lavender) helps it make a big impression from the street. Since the photo above was taken, she painted the exterior doors purple, too (Pantone Dewberry):
It was finished earlier this year. “The whole process took me about 2.5 years because I had to save up money, and I’m a single mom of 3. This was — no joke — the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do.”
“But I knew — KNEW — that I couldn’t live my life without ever reaching for adventure. I hope any other single mama out there who is struggling to survive will read this story and have hope.”
Before she could even get it fully furnished, however, circumstances forced her to put it on the market.
She “made a mad dash to get the house furnished and staged” for the listing photos.
She says, “I literally threw together whatever I could get my hands on.”
The sliding doors at the top of the stairs lead to the laundry room:
“There are a couple of other cottages on the island that are very small, but this one is definitely unique since it’s built to code. The architect who designed it is Mark Cadman in Savannah, and he is a total genius.”
Katy says, “It’s been a long, hard, stressful three years. I lost my job suddenly, right before the house was done. But in the end everything has worked out, and this place is everything I imagined it would be.”
The house has 884 square feet.
She says the whole family loves how the house turned out.
The iron bed is an 1880s antique painted with “Viper blue” car paint.
I found Katy’s story and her determination to follow her big dream inspiring, even though things didn’t turn out the way she hoped.
For more information about 11 Naylor on Tybee Island, check the listing.
Visit her blog Mom and Her Drill, where she promises to share her “next big project” with us!
Okay — last p.m. I was online ‘cottage-shopping’ on Tybee Island!
Meanwhile, I really love this beauty + wish its owner well.
Please notice the vintage-style kitchen appliances she chose — they’re the Artistry collection from G.E., + I totally want them!
HA — I blogged about said-same a little over a year ago!
https://redbirdv.wordpress.com/2013/11/03/awesomely-awesome-ge-artistry-appliaces/
I love those appliances, too, Kay! I hope they bring them out in more colors soon. Last I heard they were working on it!
They’re not that easy to see in person, but I did find them at a larger appliance store in Joliet, IL (near Chicago). Seems to me I saw the stove at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Right now they are available in black + white. I want white appliances this time, for something semi-unique!
What an adorable cottage! I love everything that she’s done. To me, this is the perfect beach cottage. I do hope circumstances change, and that this lady and her children are able to keep and enjoy the place.
I so hope that Katy and her family can keep their special home. Tiny houses are fascinating to me, so much fun in a small space.
What a darling house! It looks so much bigger than my year-round house, which is only 10-square-feet bigger than hers!
Charming! Love how bright and sunny it is, and the colors are downright fun. I hope everything works out for her.
I’ve been following Katy’s blog for a few years and have seen what an amazing job she does with some pretty impressive projects (the custom cabinetry she built for another single mom was top notch!). I, too, am hoping and praying she can keep her dream cottage!
She will surely make a pretty penny off it if she has to sell.
Beautiful home! I really hope Katy & her family will be able to enjoy it.
love all of the white with the restrained use of bright colors..the red bathtub, the turquoise pulls on the kitchen cabinets, etc.
hate she has to sell it, but great job on decorating and staging!!
So adorable, and it’s amazing that it was decorated so quickly. I hope she gets to keep it!
Love it, but I hope she gets to keep it.
I do, too!
Tybee is one of my favorite places in the whole world (Jekyll and Cumberland Island, both also islands off Georgia’s coast, are also favorite places). If I had the money, I’d happily buy this house and rent it back to her below cost for as long or as often as she’d like, if I could use it for a few weeks each summer. It’s just so cute! I love all of the color!
I love tiny homes like this. It reminds me a bit of Marianne Cusato’s work or Ross Chapin’s. My dream home is probably Ross Chapin’s Madrona, so tiny houses really make my heart sing.
I’ve spent a lot of time on Ross Chapin’s website, looking at his tiny house designs. Love ’em!
I have shown this home a few times to clients, and let me say, these pictures do it no justice. It’s absolutely beautiful ! She did an amazing job on the layout and design while keeping a real Tybee cottage feel. I’m in love with that sink too! Great, great home.
How fun that you’ve seen the house in person! I’d love to take the tour myself. Wish I didn’t live so far away, darn it. 🙂
I love Tybee Island and hope to spend time there again. My favorite room in this house, believe it or not, is the cute little bathroom. So simple and claw foot tubs get me every time.
I follow Katy’s blog! She is remarkable!
She IS remarkable. I always get excited when she has a new post with updates to share. 🙂
Like everyone else: I hope she can keep it. It is adorable. I love the colors.
Tybee is an amazing place. We were fortunate to visit two years ago and would love to return. Katy’s tybee cottage is perfection. I hope that she can keep it. I can’t wait to visit her blog…..our dream is to have a small beach cottage someday…..we visit Cape San Blas, Fl……but Tybee would be amazing as well!
Oh thank you for featuring her! I hope she gets to take it off the market soon, all her followers want to see her make it her own….