Found 48 blog entries tagged as searchthegulf.


Ono Harbour · Ono Island

Ono Harbour at Sunset

Salt air. Marsh grass. Pretty boats on still water. Soft peach light over the harbour—my sanctuary on Ono Island, so close to Orange Beach.

Ono Harbour Homes Walking the Dock
A Favorite Corner of the Island

Ono Harbour is one of my favorite neighborhoods on Ono Island.

I am Meredith with Search The Gulf—a homeowner and real estate advisor here. Many nights after I get home from work, this is where I go to decompress. I come for the salt air and the marsh, for the pretty boats resting in their slips, for the soft sunsets and the coastal birds, and for the quiet that settles over the water when the day finally lets go.

It reminds me of South Carolina, where I was born and…

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Ono Island Home Building & Structural Resilience

What Is a Continuous Load Path—and Why Does It Matter on Ono Island?

How the roof, walls, floors and foundation are connected so a coastal home can act as one structure during high winds.

Ono Island Home Building and Construction Continuous Load Path

When I first walk through a beautiful Ono Island home, I notice the architecture much as any buyer might—the roofline, the quality of the light, the way the windows frame the palms and whether the rooms feel gracious rather than merely grand.

Then another part of my mind begins asking quieter questions. How is that roof attached to the walls? How do the upper walls connect to the floor system below? What carries those forces into the foundation? If the wind pulls upward on one side of the…

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Ono Island Buyer Guidance & Coastal Home Care

Salt-Air Corrosion: What Ono Island Buyers Should Inspect

How to look beyond the pretty view and understand what coastal air may be quietly telling you about a home.

Salt-Air Corrosion Ono Island Gulf Coast

The first thing most buyers notice on Ono Island is the beauty: the palms moving in a soft breeze, the changing light over the water and homes that seem designed for long afternoons outdoors. I notice those things too. I still feel grateful for them every day.

But as an Ono Island homeowner, real estate advisor and lifelong student of coastal design, I have also learned to look at the little things—the screw beneath an exterior light, the edge of an air-conditioning cabinet, the fastener at a railing post and the…

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Orange Beach & Ono Island Marine Construction • Boat Lift Guide

Four-Post vs. Elevator Boat Lifts: A Marine Construction Guide for Orange Beach and Ono Island

A practical waterfront real estate guide to lift design, boat compatibility, water depth, canal width, capacity, costs, maintenance and big-water exposure.

Four Post Lifts and Elevator Boat Lifts Ono Island Gulf Coast Orange Beach Alabama

Along the Orange Beach waterfront and throughout Ono Island, a properly designed boat lift can be just as important as the home itself. For a serious boater, the dock is not simply an amenity behind the property. It is where every boating day begins and where the complete return-trip sequence ends.

The right lift can make boat ownership feel effortless. The wrong lift—or one that is undersized, poorly positioned…

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HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BUILD A HOME ON ONO ISLAND?

Ono Island Home Building Construction Price Per Square Foot

One of the most common questions I hear from buyers considering Ono Island is simple on the surface, but very layered once we begin looking at the details:

“How much does it cost to build a home on Ono Island, and what is a realistic price per square foot?”

My honest answer is that most custom homes on Ono Island are not priced like standard inland construction. This is a coastal, gated island community in Orange Beach, Alabama, where many buyers are building with long-term durability, waterfront lifestyle, boating access, elevated design, and storm resilience in mind.

For 2026 planning purposes, I would generally begin conversations around the following broad ranges,…

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Waterfront Ownership Guide

Dock Maintenance, Insurance, and Permitting on Ono Island and in Orange Beach, Alabama

By Meredith Folger Amon, Licensed in Alabama and Florida

When I walk a waterfront property on Ono Island or in Orange Beach, I never look at the dock as an afterthought. I look at it the way I look at a kitchen, a roof, or a floor plan. A dock is infrastructure. It affects how you use the property, what upkeep may be coming, what insurance questions you need to ask, and what approvals may be required before any major changes begin.

This is one of the most practical companion topics for anyone buying or owning a waterfront home. If you have a pier, lift, covered slip, fish-cleaning station, utilities at…

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Coastal Living | Market Perspective

Southern Living’s Top 20 Beach Getaways for 2026, and Why Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Continue to Shine

South's Best 20 Beaches Orange Beach and Gulf Shores Alabama

Southern Living’s latest ranking feels especially meaningful to me because so many of these places are part of my own story, from my South Carolina roots to the Gulf Coast lifestyle I love sharing today.

Article Focus Southern Living Beach Rankings Featured Market Gulf Shores / Orange Beach Written By Meredith Folger Amon “I was born in Hilton Head and spent my college years in Charleston, so seeing Gulf Shores and Orange Beach ranked among the South’s most loved beach destinations feels both personal and well deserved.”

I always enjoy seeing a…

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TOP FEATURES TO LOOK FOR IN A GULF COAST HOME WITH CANAL BOAT ACCESS

Gulf Coast Canal Homes with Boat Access Meredith Folger Amon

Top features to look for in a Gulf Coast home with boat access often appear in the first few listing photos and in the MLS notes, so start your search by scanning images and descriptions with purpose. Look for dock type, visible pilings, any stated canal depth, seawall material, and whether a private dock or boat lift appears, since those clues indicate whether the property is boat-ready. Also read seller disclosures and HOA rules for riparian-rights or easement language that can restrict slips, dock repairs, or overnight mooring, and treat leaning pilings, missing permits, undocumented soundings, unusually high flood insurance premiums, or reports of shoaling at a canal…

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MODERN GULF COAST LIVING ROOMS IN 2026: THE EVOLUTION OF COASTAL LUXURY

Ono Island Luxury Homes and New Construction

When I walk through some of the most beautiful homes along Ono Island and throughout Orange Beach, I am always paying attention to how living rooms are evolving. Over the past few years, I have noticed a distinct shift in design. The coastal living room of 2026 is no longer about obvious “beach décor.” Instead, it is about architecture, light, and materials that quietly reflect the lifestyle of living near the water.

This new approach to coastal interiors feels more refined, more architectural, and far more timeless than the overly themed beach interiors of the past. Designers are moving away from clichés like rope accents, anchors, and seashell motifs in favor of…

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THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BOATING IN ORANGE BEACH, ALABAMA AND PERDIDO PASS

By Meredith Folger Amon, Licensed in Alabama and Florida

Perdido Pass Boating Orange Beach Alabama

When people think about Orange Beach, they often picture beautiful water, salt air, and the easy rhythm of life along the coast. What I have learned from living and working here is that boating in Orange Beach is both a lifestyle and a responsibility. Friends, neighbors, and homeowners here know that a great day on the water usually starts with a little preparation, local knowledge, and respect for the conditions.

Perdido Pass, in particular, deserves that respect. It is one of the most important gateways between the back bays and open water, and it can change quickly depending on tide, traffic, wind, and…

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