The Homebuilders’ Home

When Todd and Colleen Tanck of SeaCoast Homes built their own home, they also built the perfect lifestyle, combining craftsmanship, creativity and comfort in an award-winning waterfront haven.

When the Brunswick County Parade of Homes judges made their rounds in 2023, few expected a $1.4 million house at 2805 West Yacht Drive to outshine a brand-new $3 million oceanfront estate. But that is exactly what happened. The home not only claimed Best Island Home, but also showcased something even more remarkable: It was designed, built and is lived in by the same people.

Todd and Colleen Tanck, the husband-and-wife team behind SeaCoast Homes on Oak Island, are the creators and the homeowners. For them, the house is more than a residence; it is a living portfolio of what happens when craftsmanship, creativity and personal vision converge.

“As the builder, we built a top-quality house,” Todd says. “As the owners, the house has everything. It’s a reflection not just of us personally, but of us as builder and designer.”

Set on an oversized lot with sweeping views of the Intracoastal Waterway, the couple designed every angle to capture the water and maximize an outdoor lifestyle.

“This home, as with all of our homes, was designed for the lot,” Todd says. “With the ICW views, we wanted to make sure the living room and the master are all facing the water, with a big deck and a huge, screened porch. Because of the larger backyard, we were able to create an outdoor oasis with a pool, outdoor bar, retractable shade, grassy areas and lots of landscaping.”

That blend of functional planning and site-sensitive design has become their hallmark, but this house also gave them the freedom to experiment.

In fact, the home began as a speculative build. Midway through construction, however, Todd and Colleen could not let it go. They fell in love with the design, made custom upgrades and claimed it as their own.

One of the unique features was raising the ceilings to 10 feet in the main living areas, which allowed them to use 8-foot solid custom doors and taller windows with transoms. Natural light floods the interiors, accentuated by Colleen’s refined sense of style.

“I built the house,” Todd says. “Colleen made it a home.”

The kitchen is the heart of the house. A dramatic space that blends elegance with utility, it features a massive 13-by-5-foot marble island with waterfall edges, complemented by a full marble slab backsplash and sides around the range. In total, the couple installed five slabs of marble, transforming the space into what Colleen calls the home’s “wow moment.”

Floating shelves with built-in lighting replace traditional upper cabinets, giving the room a light, modern profile, while a sous kitchen in the pantry offers practical prep and storage space.

“We really wanted to make this a showpiece,” Todd says. “When you walk in the front door, the kitchen is what strikes you first.”

The couple’s love of experimentation also shines in their use of lighting, such as toe-kick lights in the kitchen, pantry and master suite. Shower niches are illuminated with subtle LED strips. Even the ceilings feature details that play with light in unexpected ways.

While Todd focused on structure and systems, Colleen guided the design direction. She describes their shared philosophy as coastal elegance, an approach that feels timeless and neutral but polished with touches of luxury.

“I tend to decorate more monochromatically,” she says. “A lot of what we do is spec builds, so I wanted something that appeals to a large audience but still feels custom. For me, that always includes a little bit of bling, anything shiny or glittery. I love to reflect the light in every room.”

That purposeful touch shows up in unexpected places like the French factory chandelier found on a trip to Georgetown, seahorse door handles from the Philippines in the master bathroom, and shimmering surfaces that catch the coastal light.

One of Colleen’s favorite rooms is the guest bathroom, a bold departure from traditional coastal palettes. It includes black and brass tiles, which is the anchor of the space.

“I always want the half bath to be a surprise,” Colleen says. “It’s the one room most guests will see, so I want it to be memorable. The black and gold was a risk, but people really love it.”

The thoughtful detailing continues outside, where form and function come together in spaces made for coastal living. French doors connect the main rooms to expansive porches, while a pergola, privacy screening and thoughtful landscaping define the outdoor areas.

For Todd, the front porch is especially meaningful.

“It feels like a treehouse canopy,” he says. “It’s one of my favorite places in the house. In the morning, it’s where I have coffee. At night, it’s where I want to sit with a drink and a cigar. You’ve got the boats going by on the ICW, the fans moving the air, and it’s just amazing.”

Even as the home overflows with custom finishes, its foundation is rooted in practicality. Spray foam insulation creates a tight envelope and adds strength. A whole-house dehumidifier ensures comfort and energy savings, while impact glass keeps the home quiet and secure.

Accessibility was also built into the design with an elevator prep, wider hallways and blocking for future grab bars — all things that include what Todd calls a “home you can mature into.” A whole-house generator and water filtration system round out the infrastructure.

For Todd, decades of experience have shaped the way every inch of this house came together. He once designed and built a tiny “park model” home, and that lesson in economy taught him that every square inch matters.

“A quarter of an inch can make all the difference,” he says. “Don’t do a 4-foot hallway if a 44-inch hallway works just as well. Those inches can give you the space for a full refrigerator instead of a smaller one. We take every square foot seriously.”

That attention to detail helps explain why the home feels larger than its 1,925 square feet. Visitors often guess it is closer to 2,400.

It also reflects a lifetime in the business. Todd has been building for 41 years, since he was a 19-year-old painter asking questions on job sites. Colleen, a lifelong design enthusiast who devoured Architectural Digest as a teenager, joined him full-time about a decade ago.

Together for nearly 40 years as a couple, they have built not only a business with six employees and a showroom for clients, but also SeaCoast Homes, the Oak Island company they continue to grow and shape through projects like this one.

This house, however, is not just another project. It’s their own dream realized.

“We know we’re not going to get back what we put into this house,” Todd admits. “But that’s not the point. For us, it’s about experimenting, playing with ideas and creating something extraordinary. And as homeowners, it’s a joy to live in.”

The couple’s vision and craftsmanship speaks to their skills as professionals in the home-building arena.

Colleen summed it up best: “This house epitomizes Coastal Elegance. It’s upscale, it’s personal, and it’s ours.”

And for Todd, the reward comes not just from the award, but from the daily experience of living in a space they crafted with their own hands.

“It’s a phenomenal house,” he says. “I love everything about it. This house was about having fun and creating something special.”