Lauren Frazee recalls one of the first nights she spent, pre-renovation, in her newly-purchased cottage in Ingramport, a seaside village with dreamy ocean views of Nova Scotia’s St. Margarets Bay. That night, a thunderstorm blew in a window, and the Grade 3 teacher momentarily thought, “What have I done?”
Today, Frazee and husband Graham, a driller in the offshore energy industry in Saudi Arabia, are on the other side of a total transformation. Gone is the leaky, creaky small two-bedroom yellow cottage they bought. In its place is an airy, bright, stunning cedar-shingled home that they call Sea Pointe Cottage. It’s where the couple can sink into creamy linen chairs and gaze out floor-to-ceiling windows at the ever-changing hum of the bay, happy with their choice to follow their hearts to the coast.
From the start, they wanted an airy coastal vibe; something simple that didn’t detract from the views.
“I always thought it important to let the landscape around you dictate the style. I felt it important to really fit the environment and look like it belonged to the area,” says Lauren.
“It’s at the very end of the peninsula … the last house on the peninsula, that everybody calls the point. That’s where the name, Sea Pointe, came from. It’s completely surrounded by the sea. No matter what window you look out, you can see the ocean. It really captured us.”
Suburbs for sea
The Frazees’ journey began almost three years ago when they were living in a new two-storey home in Tantallon, N.S. They loved their home but wanted to trade Halifax’s suburbs for the sea. Growing up along Nova Scotia’s Northumberland Shore (she’s originally from Pictou, he’s from Merigomish), they both loved water activities and wanted to live near the ocean.
After two years listing the home in a dry real-estate market, they took it off the market, only to have someone approach them privately.
“When opportunity knocks, you should probably take advantage,” Lauren recalls.
They did just that, but didn’t have anywhere to go.
What they did have was an eye on potential Airbnb rentals, including the Ingramport cottage. They decided they’d buy it, fix it up, and live in it while they looked for a permanent home.
“Everything happened really quickly,” Lauren recalls on that time in July 2020. Their house sold, they bought the cottage the next week, and by the end of the month, Lauren and the couple’s dog, Shoei (who died in 2022), moved in.
Graham was away for work, so Lauren packed up the house, sold it, and moved to the cottage, which he hadn’t seen yet in person.
“The property was the wow factor, but the house was a disaster. It had been vacant for years. The ceiling tiles were hanging down from the ceiling, water was leaking, I had buckets everywhere.” Still, it had potential — particularly the old beach stone fireplace, which was something they knew would be a focal point.
“I always had this vision in my mind of what it could be. Now that everything is said and done, I think we made the right decision,” says Lauren, who has long been interested in design, growing up watching her parents buy and restore Victorian era homes.
Her penchant for design led to a new side hustle as she shared their progress on Instagram (@seapointedesign). People reached out for advice, and she found she enjoyed helping.
Rebuild needed
The plan to get the 1,200-square-foot cottage on the market quickly wouldn’t fly, they soon realized. It needed more than a reno. It needed a rebuild.
The cottage had been built in the 1960s and pieced together with add-ons over the years. The sunporch had rotted, and the roof needed restructuring. Graham and Lauren created their own design and contracted Comprehensive Construction as builders.
The rebuild took about a year so they couldn’t live onsite as planned. With rental properties scarce, they bought an 11-metre camper, put it on the lot and lived there for seven months. “It was an experience,” Lauren laughs.
As all good stories go, they fell for the area. “We love the community, the people, the small-town feel … and decided to renovate to stay.”
Most of the main floor layout stayed the same, save for removing walls to open the space. Since a new roof pitch was needed, they opted to add a half-storey to gain extra space, adding a bedroom and bathroom, and leaving open space to create vaulted ceilings in the living room and kitchen.
They chose cedar shingles for the exterior. “A home on the coast called for that shingled look,” says Lauren. “It looks really natural. It looks like it was always here.”
Inside the cottage, the walls are all white (Pure White by Sherwin Williams) and accented throughout with design inspiration from natural elements such as wood, stone, glass, and neutral colours.
To maximize the breathtaking view, they incorporated floor-to-ceiling windows in the back of the house, which faces the ocean — a perfect spot for sungazing and storm watching.
The crisp white walls provide backdrop for local artwork, including a special piece by Lunenburg County artist Patty Lively depicting the same shoreline they’re on, a gift from Lauren’s parents. Maritime folk flair shines in pieces from Jodi Isenor of Crooked Tail Folk Art (also local to St. Margarets Bay), a little green fox they named Rupert and a navy blue whale they’ve called Wallis.
Added character came when a staircase in the home’s centre needed structural support. They were thinking a reclaimed barn post until Lauren and Graham spotted a large, weathered log while walking their beach. Both had the same thought — the driftwood would be perfect. Lauren says the construction crew rolled their eyes a bit at first, but after examining it, they agreed it could work.
While their views enchant, Lauren says the appeal is also about how the property makes them feel, with air scented with wild roses and evergreens.
“We hear the waves; we see the waves … It’s like a sigh of relief,” she says. “It instantly calms us. It’s kind of powerful.”