Need: We wanted a yacht brokerage office for the historic district of Wanchese/Manteo located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a few miles from Oregon Inlet. Wanchese is a fishing village which has been infiltrated by "Sporties" as the old-timers call them, complete with their million dollar yachts, world class boat builders, and, of couse, yacht sales offices. We preferred an older Outer Banks structure that has seen lots of use and, while functional, has been the subject of frequent hurricanes, floods, blowing sand, and exposure to the elements. As my wife said, "This isn't Williamsburg."
Special Needs: Bluewater Yachts is an existing business, our son worked there and the owners are long-time friends. Viking Yachts, in our opinion, the finest production yacht built in the USA, is a major line that Bluewater features. We own an older Viking (Assurance) and interior and exterior signs and wall coverings feature family members and Assurance.
The structure has to be stored for at least six months thus the final assembly and "punch list" has not been completed. The main building slides over the interior, the porch has not been attached, etc. This can best be done when we are ready to install the building along with others in the village.
Structure: Carolina Craftsman's Savage Boat Brokers ($99.59) appeared to fit our needs. This was our first experience with this manufacturer.
Construction: Laser cut walls, stripwood, roofing materials, Tichy windows, and chimney. This is a basic kit but requires at least a moderate skill level to construct. Instructions are incomplete and we found the overall quality of the kit to be less than desired. We did a lot of additional and unexpected work. My wife said, "Don't buy another one of these."
Most of the construction was done while at Hatteras, NC this summer. As we neared completion, the building was lacking at best. We decided to ride up the beach, take pictures of similar structures, and decide what to do. Fortunately there were plenty of similar structures to visit. Major changes were made, some expected, others near the end of the process. Changes included:
Raise the building by setting it on pilings
Add front porch including steps, extended roofline, etc
Add rear steps and ramp so could access rear doors
Add signs, pipes, meters, etc (primarily Berkshire Valley)
Add interior partitions
Wall coverings (from family photos)
Furniture (primarily Westport Model Works). Front porch furniture is typical of the locality.
People (Artista outside and Model Power (Nassau Hobbies) inside
Interior and Exterior LED lighting (Evan Designs inside and front and Korber rear
Comments: We have found that photos are the best means of reviewing a diorama or parts thereof to see what needs tweaking. It is important to take the pictures at the angle that the structure will be viewed from. (In several of the photos below, we used a lower angle to better show certain features. Imperfections are visible that don't show from the proper angle.)
Many of the photos are taken from 3-12"; the structure will be viewed from 2-3 feet. Remember this when you take photos. Closer up means everything shows but much of it won't be seen at a distance. Perfectionists beware. Practical people touch up what can be seen, not everything the photo makes plain. (I was told to put this here).
Usually we have a plastic bag with plenty of items that will be added when we are getting ready for final installation. In this case the bag contains seagulls (they go where the white areas are on the roof), a weathervane, ramp, steps, porch connections, etc.
This particular structure took a lot more time and effort than we had budgeted. It will look nice when installed and our son was pleased with the use of pictures, etc. But we are glad to move on to Roger Peterson's Mayberry Courthouse.
