Owning a home by the ocean has been a lifelong dream of mine.
Growing up in San Jose, many summer days of my childhood were spent with my Grammy taking me over Highway 17 to spend long days together at the beach. Her love of the sea was passed along to me, and it was during those trips where some of my best childhood memories were formed. My love for her and the sea became intertwined and permanently engrained in me.
My dream of having a home by the ocean was born during those early salty summer days- I was desperate to not ever have them end. If only I could stay and not have to to go home at night in a cold, wet bathing suit! That, I decided, was when life would truly begin.
It started as
a dream.
My Grammy was in real estate and in addition to her love for the sea, she taught me the three most important words: location, location, location. She said to always try and find the worst house you can find in the best neighborhood you can afford, and so I set my sights on Pajaro Dunes.
When we found The Tortuga I instantly knew it needed to be mine, and we set out on the two+ year journey renovating it to the crown jewel it is today. Of all the things to love about it (of which there are MANY!), my personal favorite was discovering the “hidden room” behind a false wall in what is now the bunk room. The previous owners did not even know it existed! It was a moment straight out of a REM sleep dream! We decided to convert the abandoned room into an en-suite bathroom. Take a look at some of the before and during renovation pictures below.
