The Best View in Morro Bay
498 Orcas Street is a one-of-a-kind coastal property in Morro Bay — panoramic ocean views, a half-mile walk to the beach, and a view of Morro Rock while cooking dinner. It's the kind of home you work your whole life to call your own!
As of late 2025, it needed work. It was abandoned, demolished, and wasting away. We saw the legacy that could be lovingly restored with enough vision and hard work. This blog follows our journey. Join us!
The walls are closed and the outside is finally starting to look like a finished house. Here’s where things stand at 498 Orcas.
The drywall is hung, and it passed the screw inspection on Monday, October 5.
This is the part the neighbors will notice. For a long time the outside of this house has been scaffolding, plywood, and house wrap. Now it gets a real skin.
The siding crew got to work this week. Before siding could go on, Logan finished the fascia boards around the top of the house. That was the last of the carpentry.
Half the house is getting siding. The other half gets stucco, which starts next.
Inside, mud and tape start right away, alongside the siding. So for the first time we have two crews going: one inside finishing the walls, one outside closing up the exterior.
Once the siding is mostly done, the stucco goes on. Inside, after mud and tape, come paint, flooring, cabinets, bathrooms, and tile.
Thanks for following along!
It’s been a while since my last update. Here’s where things stand at 498 Orcas.
We passed our mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and insulation inspections. These aren’t the pretty milestones, but they’re the ones you can’t skip. Everything behind the walls gets checked and signed off before the walls close up.
The drywall screw inspection is next. Once the drywall is hung, the inspector checks the fastening before taping and finishing can begin.
We’ll keep you posted as the drywall goes up. Thanks for following along!
I spent a few days on site last week. Got to hang out with the carpenters and carry some heavy stuff!
The foundation anchors are placed to support the new headers holding up the first and second story floors.
Those headers will hold joists that hold up the (currently missing) south wall.
Once the walls are up, we add sheer walls (a thin layer of wood) and the house has a dry shell.
It’s been over a year since it’s had a dry shell!
This week we’re also making final design decisions and ordering lots of items: fixtures, tile, cabinetry, flooring,
We’re planning to start rough in electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. These are not “pretty” updates but will lead to some amazing pretty photography soon.
We’ve got our first bank reimbursement and planning the second. We’re working closely with the contractor to get a timeline of draws …
The big news this week is plans are approved and materials have been delivered on site.
The guys are working hard every day getting the south wall reinforced and built.
Now progress will become more rapid.
The big news this week is – we got the permission to proceed!
Interior preparation is almost complete. We took out the rock pebble floor that the original owner loved so much but we don’t feel translates well to the modern style.
We framed out new window openings in the bedrooms.
Materials have been ordered and will be delivering in just a few days.
The first item of business: build out the south wall. Install massive windows. Get a “dry shell” inspection and rough in plumbing and electrical.
We’re ramping up speed now!
We cleared some permitting hurdles, inspections, and budget redesigns this week.
We fine tuned the bathroom sizes, which affects the interior wall placement. Also, architectual design and permitting costs have
One other piece of good news: the scaffolding company has been renting out a massive slice of inventory for over a year. I was sure they want their scaffold back!
We finally got in touch with them and confirmed that all is well. We are taking over the lease from the previous owner until we can complete the load-bearing wall, and (eventually) the stucco or siding.
Things begin in earnest here pretty soon. Keep in touch!
