Budget Breakdown: An Oregon Retreat Revamped for $135K Channels Nautical Wes Anderson Vibes

Kelly and Ty Milford weren’t actually house hunting when they decided to call the number on the "For Sale" sign to ask about the skinny, three-story, cedar shingle–clad charmer they’d come across on a walk that rainy afternoon. It was 2018, and the couple were vacationing in Cape Meares, one of the few secluded spots left on the Oregon coast within an easy drive of Portland.

"We were just completely taken with how beautiful, quaint, and quiet it was," she says of this enclave by Tillamook Bay, which has a population of 80. "There’s wetlands, the bay, and the ocean all in one place, dunes to hike around, a lighthouse you can walk to. We loved that we could let our dog off the leash—there was hardly anyone around, even on spring break."

Dusk falls in Cape Meares, Oregon, where the Pacific Ocean meets Tillamook Bay.
Photo by Ty Milford

Unlike many of the older, adjacent homes with weathered facades and musty, waterlogged interiors, this one dated only to 1998. After making a successful offer of $310,000, Ty and Kelly focused on making it their own. "With our kids growing up quickly, we had been wanting a place to escape the hustle of our day-to-day lives, but be near enough to Portland be able to get away for weekends to just slow down," says Ty.

"It was well built, but the walls were beige, there was old linoleum and carpet, and the kitchen and bath needed some remodel work," Ty recalls. "It clearly had lots of potential and was within our budget range, even if it needed a healthy dose of love."

The owners of a classic, midcentury-modern house in Portland designed by noted architect Saul Zaik, the pair also appreciated that this modest, 1,500-square-foot residence wasn’t too precious. "There was nothing sacred that you couldn’t touch," Ty explains. "Basically, we kind of had a clean slate to put our own touches on it."

The couple didn’t necessarily set out to act as their own general contractor for The Cape, as the home is called—nor to be the primary landscape designer and laborer. But in a less populated coastal area, Ty quickly found it sped things along and saved money to go the DIY route.

"I hired a plumber, an electrician, and a carpenter in Portland for the built-ins, and I sourced all the lighting," he says. "It wasn’t a huge space, so it wasn’t too daunting to do the rest ourselves. There were moments where it was frustrating, but not too monumental of a task."