Have a trip down to “the Shore,” and you’ll most likely be greeted by salt spray in your hair, summer sun blinding your eyes and endless lines of visitors. Though, you are not even thinking about some of these things, if you are like me. You are thinking about the homes.
Forget the amazing fish and ship rides around the bay. Forget about the custard. I want to walk the sidewalks and ogle the dozens of houses up and down the tiny towns along the shoreline. Join me as we check out the beachfront beauties below.
Amy Renea
The Jersey shore was littered with shacks, shanties and beach cottages, but the tides have turned. Now, the actual estate along the shore is hot and high priced, along with the houses that stand upon it tell a story of luxury and wealth.
Amy Renea
That pricey property means that new houses here extend up instead of out. Most new construction within the little sea towns takes the kind of duplexes, some as large as four tales. This specific house is a luxurious three-story duplex.
To maintain the homes from looking like cookie-cutter rectangles, architects are forever coming up with new ways to differentiate their creations. Trim, stone and clever porches and roof lines specify this one.
Amy Renea
Constructed on a double lot, this newly constructed building makes the most of the vertical distance. Notice the deep slate-colored roof lines across the facade that break up dull seas of sandy siding.
This house also copes well with the condition of “prominent garage” by making both garage doors a design element.
Amy Renea
Some houses ditch run-of-the-mill windows for clever sea-inspired “portholes” to provide a sense of place. The roof lines add interest.
Amy Renea
Are their colors. From bright blues and greens into salty whites and brilliant corals, the colors say “beach” all the way.
Amy Renea
These large and luxurious beach houses are sometimes thwarted by the absence of a real yard. The distance is so limited that many homeowners hotel to landscaping with stone rather than plants so that they could spend more time around the bay or swimming the tides.
Amy Renea
The stones are picked to coordinate with the house colors. I have never in my entire life seen so many varieties and colors of gravel.
Amy Renea
Obviously, there are always a few who deck out their little strip of land with salt- and drought-resistant plants. This walkway brings a breath of life into a side entrance.
Amy Renea
These homeowners didn’t need to stop at a small garden to specify their distance — they also went daring using a brilliant blue-purple front entrance.
Amy Renea
A couple straightforward evergreens enhance the facades of those houses, drawing attention to their expansive height instead of those garage doors that are notable.
Amy Renea
Beach houses are sometimes put on an angle to create more of a yard area. This house sits around the corner of a narrow city street. The angled front doorway and entrance call a hello to passersby.
Amy Renea
Corner houses also have a little more of an opportunity for plantings across the long, narrow side yards.
Amy Renea
Naturally, the shore has not been taken over entirely by new construction. There continue to be older houses that hark back a few decades to the way things were once fishermen ruled town. Standard features of those beach houses include enormous, twining decks and clever awnings and skylights.
Amy Renea
Look hard enough and you might stumble upon a genuine beach cabin. Exotic planters cheer up this tiny little house in a sea of multistory beach houses.
Amy Renea
Look even more difficult and you’re going to run across beach houses which are still sided in wood. The look is beachy, yet architecturally striking — a joyful surprise amid all the contemporary houses.
Amy Renea
The most desirable houses here sit across the bay or the oceanfront. A hallmark of those bayside dwellings is a beautiful deck on every level to take advantage of each piece of that pricey property. You literally could dive off the decks and go swimming with the crabs if you choose.
Amy Renea
Whether you go to the Jersey shore for the sea or to gawk at the latest in architectural design, keep the eyes open for design ideas. They abound here and are constantly evolving.
Amy Renea
And do not forget to enjoy the sea breezes, the salty spray from the waves along with a boat ride on the bay. Those are other reasons you arrived, right?
Tell us : Have you been to the Jersey shore or a different beach town with beautiful houses? Leave a comment and tell us what motivated you most!
