These words seductively sung by Patti Page in 1957 still resonate with Kermit and Jeanne Eaton, who have been coming to Cape Cod together since their honeymoon 51 years ago. So it comes as no surprise that in their pursuit of a new Cape cottage, they wanted something reminiscent of their early visits. When the Horne cottage in Chatham came up for sale, they knew it would be the perfect getaway. “I fell in love with the place when I saw the original wooden clothesline out back,” says Jeanne. Built in the early 1930s, the weathered shingled cottage had not changed much over the years—tongue-and-groove knotty pine walls, wide board floors, and exposed beam ceilings that had mellowed with age gave the interiors great character.
Although the house had these quaint cosmetic charms, the building was structurally unsound. The sill was rotted, the two wings that were later additions had detached from the main structure, and the chimneys were crumbling. Kermit and Jeanne went in search of an architect and builder who could restore the old cottage without losing its Cape charm. “We drove around Chatham looking at homes that we wanted to emulate and ended up knocking on the door of Ned Collins,” says Kermit. The couple told Ned that they were just looking for ideas on how to salvage their old cottage—not knowing Ned had been practicing architecture for over 50 years—and he offered his services. “Ned had renovated an older structure for his own home and understood our desire to preserve the cottage,” says Kermit. “We sat down and explained to Ned what we were looking for in the renovations.” The footprint of the cottage, including the garage, is only 1,900 square feet, so they wanted to optimize the living spaces as much as possible. They also wanted to reconfigure the layout a bit and open up the space to the views and create larger bedrooms. “Originally the house had four bedrooms—the size of cubby holes,” says Kermit. “We opted to change the house from a four-bedroom to a three-bedroom to allow for more space.” Ned suggested opening the small galley kitchen to the dining area and beach views. He also designed lots of built-ins for the small quarters such as bookshelves, window seats, and a china cupboard in the main living area, and a bed and desk in the downstairs guest bedroom/office. The flat-screen television is tucked away behind a cabinet above the living room’s fireplace. The architect reconfigured the staircase leading up to the master bedroom and a guest room to better accommodate the open spaces, and he also brought the stair design up to code. Dormer window openings were also adjusted and made larger offer better views.
Once the design was in place, Kermit and Jeanne looked for a local contractor. Their lawyer suggested Rick Roy of Rick Roy Construction in Harwich. “Rick is one of the most honest men I have ever met,” says Kermit. Rick assessed the condition of the structure and quickly surmised that the house needed a lot of work. Rick needed to raise the house above the floodplain to bring the structure to code, create a new septic system, replace the unsalvageable wings, add insulation, and rebuild the chimneys. And this was all before adding the new cosmetic touches as well as updating the kitchen and bathrooms. “We really wanted to save as much of the original structure as possible,” says Kermit, who asked that all the doors, floors, beams, and beadboard ceiling be saved in the renovations.
The new septic system was placed at the back of the house under a raised deck that resembles a boat dock. The Eatons also wanted to preserve the natural beachscape that surrounds the house and had no less than 30,000 plugs of eel grass planted on the property, which will help with sand erosion during storms. The couple also wanted to save two old cedar trees in the front of the house, which had to be moved to accommodate the restoration of the house.
Today Kermit and Jeanne love to come for long weekends to walk the beach, swim, or just hang out and do puzzles on rainy days. When their sons Garrett and Darryl are visiting, lobster dinners are a priority. “We love just to come and sit and take in the view, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the house,” says Jeanne, who still uses the old clothesline around back to dry linens and beach towels. The Chatham Historical Commission is thrilled, too. The couple won a Chatham Preservation Award in 2009. The Chatham Historical Commission explains, “The house represents an endangered species in Chatham right now. These places built in the 1930s and ’40s are being torn down and lost forever.” Kermit and Jeanne have chosen a more noble path by preserving a piece of old Cape Cod for future generations to fall in love with.