Category: projects

The time has finally come! Over a year later and it is finally finished and on the market. Remember when I talked about how frustrating real estate investment can be in the Abigail  post? Well, this project comes in at a VERY close second. After several contractors- either stealing from us, not showing up, doing work that wasn’t up to our standards- we finally brought in our most trusted crew. You know who you are. Sorry, when you find the good ones you can’t tell anyone else. They had to spend a lot of time re-doing what was already done (and paid for)…and the finished product is of course, amazing.

This is probably one of our most dramatic transformations yet. It went from this small, neglected, ugly box looking structure to a charming home with a welcoming front porch that just makes you want to walk inside.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE BACKYARD:

AFTER BACKYARD:

BEFORE LIVING ROOM:

AFTER LIVING ROOM:

BEFORE KITCHEN:

There used to be a wall between the kitchen and living area- that you can see on the right side of this picture. That was removed and the peninsula was added making a wide open floor plan with PLENTY of counter space, as well as bar seating.

AFTER KITCHEN:

BEFORE KITCHEN:

AFTER KITCHEN:

BEFORE HALL:

AFTER HALL:

BEFORE HALL BATH:

AFTER HALL BATH:

BEFORE BEDROOM 1:

AFTER BEDROOM 1:

BEFORE BEDROOM 2:

AFTER BEDROOM 2:

BEFORE BEDROOM 3:

AFTER BEDROOM 3:

BEFORE BASEMENT PART 1:

AFTER BASEMENT PART 1- NEW MASTER SUITE:

NEW MASTER BATH:

BEFORE BASEMENT FAMILY ROOM AREA:

AFTER BASEMENT FAMILY ROOM AREA:

I just love how this one turned out. The exterior will never get old… 🙂

So it’s been a bit silent around here lately. This summer has been a whirlwind with vacations, the kids out of school and of course working on houses! We bought this house at the beginning of summer just a few months ago….and we did most of the work ourselves- well mostly Josh. Finding good contractors has been difficult lately- we’ve had some terrible luck. So, we decided we would do the work. After all, we did kind of miss doing it. Not anymore– HA! It’s tough though when you both have full time jobs and 2 kids in activities- where is the time? Well, weekends and late nights is what it’s been. It’s been extremely difficult and time consuming, but fun and rewarding as well. Josh has worked his butt off and I’m very proud of how this turned out.

EXTERIOR BEFORE:

EXTERIOR AFTER:

LIVING ROOM BEFORE:

LIVING ROOM AFTER:

FAMILY ROOM BEFORE:

FAMILY ROOM AFTER:

DINING/KITCHEN BEFORE:

DINING/KITCHEN AFTER:

KITCHEN BEFORE:

KITCHEN AFTER:

HALF BATH BEFORE:

HALF BATH AFTER:

MASTER BEDROOM BEFORE:

MASTER BEDROOM AFTER:

MASTER BATHROOM BEFORE:

MASTER BATHROOM AFTER:

BEDROOM 1 BEFORE:

BEDROOM 1 AFTER:

BEDROOM 2 BEDROOM:

BEDROOM 2 AFTER:

BEDROOM 3 BEFORE:

BEDROOM 3 AFTER:

HALL BATHROOM BEFORE:

HALL BATH AFTER:

NEW BACK DECK:

What do you think? We had fun with the shiplap and probably my favorite, the hexagon tile floors- did you spot them in the bathrooms?

On to the next one…yes, we just closed on another house that Josh is planning to do most of the work on himself. Guess this one must not have been so bad after all. I just hope to see him before midnight for the remainder of our summer. Maybe I’ll be able to get some before pictures posted soon. I haven’t even seen the house yet! 🙂

This post is a LOOOOOOONG time coming. I don’t even know how to put into words how thankful I am to write this post. You know how I’ve said flipping isn’t easy?? Or really just real estate investment in general. Well, this one right here proves it!

This was our first spec house…but this isn’t a “builder grade” house. This is a custom home with so many excellent qualities and design features. But man was it a pain in the butt. Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of our control, this house took almost a year to complete. This was definitely the most frustrating experience we’ve had in real estate investment. We didn’t think we would ever see the end, but it’s finally here! It turned out amazing and that is because some of our most trusted, loyal contractors pulled through for us in the end! We truly appreciate everyone that stepped up and worked their butts off to get this finished. And thank you to the awesome couple who bought this home. They waited patiently as we finished things up and they love it as much as we do!! I hope they enjoy it for many years to come.

To my surprise closing day was actually bittersweet. I am so thankful to have it completed and sold, but I will kind of miss it… especially when I look at all these beautiful pictures. We’ve got a huge open floor plan. You walk in the front door and can see it all- the living room with vaulted ceilings, dining space, gorgeous kitchen and breakfast nook…that is if you can take your eyes off the whole back wall of windows overlooking the backyard. The living room features a floor to ceiling custom built ethanol burning fireplace. The kitchen offers a huge island, stainless steel appliances and    elegant quartz countertops. The master suite is a peaceful retreat including an en suite bathroom with luxurious features from the custom tile shower to the inviting jetted tub. All bedrooms have walk-in closets and the laundry room is HUGE with plenty of room for folding and organizing. An extra storage room off the 2 car garage is ideal. The covered front and back porches are perfect for enjoying the summer evenings! Oh, man, I am getting a bit homesick (ha!). I better stop there as I could go on and on about this awesome house. I’ll let you enjoy the pictures now!

Even with this less than perfect experience, this won’t be our last spec house. Stay tuned…

We’ve had this house for quite awhiiiiile now. I feel like I am always saying that?! This was supposed to be a quick one. I mean, it was going to be a COMPLETE rehab, but mainly cosmetic and it was supposed to become a rental property. My husband, Josh, said he was going to do most of the work on this one. We had a lot of other houses going on at the time so our contractors were busy elsewhere. So he was going to take this one on- you know, like the old days. Well, that didn’t end up happening (WHO KNEW??).

We decided to do a lot more work than originally planned. We ended up adding a master bathroom (it only had 1 to begin with). That meant we had to relocate the furnace, water heater, washer/dryer hooks ups and electrical panel. So in other words, this became much more than what Josh was capable of doing. So….it sat for awhile until our contractor was able to get to it. But the finished product is MUCH MORE than I ever imagined it would be. We put a lot more money in it than originally planned and it turned out so great we couldn’t help but sell. It sold through word of mouth- never even had a chance to get it on the market.

Ok, I won’t keep you waiting any longer. I know you’re dying to see those shutters I made! 🙂

EXTERIOR BEFORE:

EXTERIOR AFTER:

New windows, new front door, new shutters!! Makes all the difference!

LIVING ROOM BEFORE:

LIVING ROOM AFTER:

KITCHEN BEFORE:

On the other side of this kitchen wall is the living room. We made this a half wall to open it up to the living room (as seen below).

KITCHEN AFTER:

A LOOK FROM THE KITCHEN INTO THE LIVING ROOM:

We added this bay window which brings in so much natural light. LOVE IT!

BEDROOM BEFORE:

 

BEDROOM AFTER:

MASTER BATHROOM:

 

HALL BATHROOM AFTER:

Unfortunately I can’t find the before picture of this bathroom. It was pretty ugly, I promise.

 

HUGE DETACHED GARAGE:

 

NEW BACK DECK:

The pictures just don’t do this one justice. One day I will have a better camera and therefore better pictures! Thanks for looking!

 

Our newest completed project! This house….it has been a roller coaster. I can’t believe it is finally done and SOLD. We’ve been involved with this house for almost 4 years- from realtor, business partner, to owner. We bought this house from someone who attempted to flip it, but it didn’t work out for them. Because as fun and easy as it seems…flipping is NOT for everyone. It is stressful, frustrating, exhausting and trying. You have to know your numbers or you can get in way over your head. But when you know what you’re doing it can really pay off and be extremely rewarding!!

So back to this house–it sold before it even hit the market. It is not our typical flip. Since we bought it off someone that had already started the renovations, we didn’t get to pick out a lot of the finishes. Most of the cosmetic issues had already been addressed…and we got to address the structural issues (the not-so-fun part)! Therefore, we only have a few “before” pictures. Here is our finished product….

EXTERIOR BEFORE:

The house originally had a VERY large living room (the big picture window) and only 2 bedrooms upstairs. During the renovations a 3rd bedroom was added upstairs- hence the 3 windows in the after picture.

EXTERIOR AFTER:

I hate this weather right now. It doesn’t do much for my pictures. Seed and straw is down–waiting for the grass to grow!

LIVING ROOM BEFORE:

 

LIVING ROOM AFTER:

 

 

 

KITCHEN BEFORE:

 

KITCHEN AFTER:

 

KITCHEN/DINING AFTER:

BATHROOM:

 

TWO BEDROOMS BEFORE:

 

TWO BEDROOMS AFTER:

 

BASEMENT:

 

BASEMENT BATH:

We’re so happy for the new owners of this house! They are a great couple ready to start a family and we hope they enjoy this house for many years to come!

On to the next…