KILL DEVIL HILLS, NC – September 03, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –

SimpleSide Construction OBX has issued planning guidance for property owners in four Outer Banks towns scheduled for beach nourishment maintenance in 2027. Dare County has identified Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills for maintenance renourishment in 2027, placing the current period between construction seasons as the practical planning window for oceanfront exterior work in those communities.

Dare County states that beach nourishment projects in the county are designed to last approximately five years under normal conditions, with maintenance projects necessary at the end of each interval to restore the shoreline. Kill Devil Hills last completed a project covering approximately 2.58 miles of shoreline, running from the Kitty Hawk town line to a point north of Prospect Avenue, which began June 13 and finished July 22 of 2022. Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills were nourished in the same 2022 program, with Duck completed in spring 2023.

interior view of the house with clean outdoor kitchen and a fan on the ceiling in outer banks nc 1024x682

The 2026 season illustrates what the work involves for adjacent property owners. Dare County reported that the Nags Head project remained on track for completion in mid-July, with beach fill progressing southward through the project limits, and that the dredge Liberty Island arrived in Buxton on the evening of July 30 and began pumping sand the following day. Dare County has noted that nourishment work brings temporary inconveniences including beach access closures, pipes and heavy equipment on the beach, and noise from bulldozers and excavators. Guidance issued for the 2026 season indicated that a section of beach might be closed for four to six days at a time and that construction noise, night illumination and access diversions could be expected depending on the location of operations.

For property owners planning exterior construction, the significance is sequencing rather than restriction. Design consultation, permit review and inspection scheduling each require lead time, and those stages are unaffected by shoreline work. Completing them ahead of a known construction window leaves the flexible portion of a project schedule intact.

“A published schedule is useful because it removes guesswork,” said Grant Smith, Owner and Founder of SimpleSide Construction OBX. “Design and permitting take the time they take. Knowing when the shoreline work is coming lets a property owner start that sequence early rather than compress it.”

Permitting on the Outer Banks is administered locally. Incorporated towns in Dare County issue their own building permits, unincorporated areas are handled through Dare County, and Currituck County processes permits through its Planning and Inspections Department. Oceanfront, sound and canal projects may additionally require review under the state’s Coastal Area Management Act. Because requirements differ by jurisdiction and by project scope, property owners are directed to the building department with authority over their parcel for determinations specific to a property.

Design decisions for coastal decks are governed by conditions assigned to the parcel rather than by construction activity nearby. Wind speed zone, exposure category and flood zone designation are established by location and applied at permit review. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program Technical Bulletin 8, which addresses corrosion protection for metal connectors and fasteners in coastal areas, identifies stainless steel and thicker hot-dip galvanized connectors as improving corrosion resistance and recommends that connectors and fasteners be of the same metal, with routine inspection regardless of the metal selected. The bulletin also notes that preservative-treated lumber requires particular attention when connectors and fasteners are selected.

Material selection follows the same principle. The American Wood Protection Association maintains a Use Category System that sorts preserved wood products by exposure conditions, with preservative retention and penetration levels tied to each category, and directs specifiers to confirm both the use category and the retention level on the treatment certification. Treating plants are inspected and certified by third-party quality assurance agencies. Composite and PVC decking products are manufactured to published specifications and carry manufacturer installation requirements addressing fastening and spacing.

“The materials question and the schedule question are separate,” Smith said. “What a deck is built from is decided by the exposure the lot has. When it gets built is a planning decision, and this is a year where the calendar is unusually clear.”

SimpleSide Construction OBX begins projects with an on-site consultation and a custom three-dimensional rendering, allowing design decisions to be reviewed against the property before construction begins. Grant Smith holds a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Old Dominion University and worked as a project engineer in commercial construction before founding the company.

Dare County has noted that all planned projects are subject to change, and property owners are directed to the county and to individual town governments for current schedule information.

SimpleSide Construction OBX is a construction company serving Dare and Currituck counties in North Carolina. The company provides custom deck design and construction in composite, PVC and wood decking, along with deck repair, railings, deck lighting, pergolas, porches, siding installation, window and door replacement, and outdoor living construction for residential and commercial properties.

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For more information about Simpleside Construction OBX, contact the company here:

Simpleside Construction OBX
Grant Smith
+12526453421
simpleconstruction@gmail.com
2407 N Croatan Hwy Suite A, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948, United States

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