A ‘Shake’down on how Salt Air can affect your Coastal Home

The 3rd Element to consider when living coastal: salt air

Exterior Lighting ‘sprinkled’ with too much Salt Air

A beautiful home a block from the ocean, had a ‘Salt Air’ problem. Although built one year ago, the exterior lantern was corroding at a fast pace. My new client loved her previous fixture but the damage from the salt air was too far gone.

I then contacted a favorite lighting professional, Jim Gardner . I knew he would help us find the best option to replace the damaged fixture. He suggested we look into two companies because Jim said “The products are solid brass or solid copper, so there is no chance of rusting or metal failure.”

We selected an onion style lantern and eventually secured the fixture from the wind that whirls through the front entry.

The Door  Hinge ‘Shake’down

Another day I noticed an interesting condition at a clients’ home. I was there to open up the house for the plumber. The homeowners were away and they needed to have a bathroom fixture checked for leakage.

I looked in a closet for a rag (in case water spilled where the plumber was working). I found a rag, but I also found something going on with the door hinges. There was evidence of a rusty corrosion showing up on the brushed nickel plating of the linen closet hinge. I checked the other doors in the house and yes – corrosion was everywhere.

The home was less than ten years old. Most of the time, the house is either air-conditioned or heated. True, the house sits only steps from the ocean, but I was surprised to see the damage the salt air had on the interior door hardware.

For my coastal clients I always suggest looking for interior hardware that is solid brass or stainless steel.

Any questions? Send in your questions and look for our next blog post about living near the water – how to handle the sand and often a lack of shade.