I'm a blog slacker, but if you know me at all you already knew that. The house has actually been done for a couple weeks now and it is currently listed for sale so that'll give you an idea about how long I've put this off.
It was near done for a while actually, but that would have made for monotonous posts. We were doing yard work (well, the Husband was doing yard work), I was painting, touching up paint, mopping, installing hardware, cleaning gutters, planting stuff...etc.
It's lovely! I would live here if I didn't already love our house, property and neighborhood so much! Being able to walk to get coffee and not have to live in an apartment or townhouse is such a luxury on this island...who wouldn't want this house?
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for:
 |
| Front BEFORE |
 |
| Front AFTER |
We painted the house & trim white, painted the door emerald green, got 2 new large windows in the living room, cleaned the roof and took out a bunch of trees/shrubs that were blocking the front of the house.
 |
| Dining Room BEFORE |
 |
| Dining Room AFTER |
 |
| Dining Room AFTER |
We took off all of the paneling, opened up the wall to the kitchen, sheet-rocked over the brick that had a bizarre, small opening into the living room. Everything got a fresh coat of paint and the entire house got new trim.
 |
| Kitchen BEFORE |
 |
| Kitchen AFTER |
 |
| Kitchen BEFORE (after a little demo) |
 |
| Kitchen AFTER |
 |
| Kitchen AFTER |
We put in new tile, new soft-close cabinets and drawers, reconfigured where the fridge was and added more cabinets, installed a granite counter top, removed sliding doors and added a single, glass panel door leading to the back deck. We also added can lights and removed the soffits.
 |
| Living Room BEFORE |
 |
| Living Room AFTER |
 |
| Living Room BEFORE |
 |
| Living Room AFTER |
We had the floors refinished, painted all the brick bright white, added white trim and 8 can lights. We also put in 2 new windows in this room for better insulation.
 |
| Bathroom BEFORE |
 |
| Bathroom AFTER |
We pretty much gutted this bathroom. We replaced the floor and shower tile, removed the soffit and giant, old cabinet. We took out the old mirror and added something more manageable. We replaced the bathtub and all the hardware and installed a water saving toilet.
 |
| Small Bedroom BEFORE |
 |
| Small Bedroom AFTER |
We painted, added all new trim and doors (throughout the house), replaced all the baseboard heating (throughout the house) with a smaller wall unit and added a new light.
 |
| Large Bedroom BEFORE |
 |
| Large Bedroom AFTER (before cleaning) |
We painted, new trim, new doors, etc. We took out the French doors that were leading to a window well and made a solid wall to accommodate a large bed.
 |
| Rec Room BEFORE |
 |
| Rec Room AFTER |
 |
| Rec Room Kitchen Area BEFORE |
 |
| Rec Room No Kitchen AFTER |
We took away the kitchen and incorporated it into the small bedroom making it a very large bedroom. We removed the hallway door to the bathroom giving the large room an en suite. We put in new carpet, paint and trim and added can lights.
 |
| Laundry Room BEFORE |
 |
| Laundry/Bathroom AFTER (before painting window trim white) |
We added a toilet, moved the sink over, painted the pipes and wall storage and cleaned and double-strapped the hot water heater. We also added energy efficient appliances and 2 new lights.
 |
| Downstairs Bedroom 1 BEFORE |
 |
| Downstairs Bedroom 1 AFTER (that was the kitchen area) |
We merged the small bedroom and kitchen to create a "master" of sorts. New paint, carpet and trim. We also added a walk-in closet with pocket door.
 |
| Downstairs Bathroom BEFORE |
 |
| Downstairs Bathroom AFTER |
We gutted the bathroom totally. Removed the window, added a double shower, new floor & shower tile. Added a new vanity, mirror and hardware. The shower floor is river rock and it's AWESOME.
 |
| Downstairs Bedroom 2 BEFORE |
 |
| Downstairs Bedroom 2 AFTER |
We cut the concrete to make a legal window, moved the door, painted, added new carpet, lights and doors. We also created a cool nook under the stairs...this would be a cool kids room for sure.
 |
| Backyard BEFORE |
 |
| Backyard AFTER |
We moved the hot tub and giant, awful shop/structure. We pressure washed the patio, deck and swing set. We planted plants and trees and painted the deck & small shed.
So, we changed pretty much everything in this house. Yikes!
My advice:
1) Get your act together when it comes to listing a flip. This is now business. You aren't selling the home you live in to buy another home to live in...this is about making money. If you do list, your team should understand that time is money.
2) It wouldn't be the end of the world to keep a "flip" as a rental. I don't want to be anyone's landlord, but you only have to own the house for 6 months before you can take your profit out of it. So, you can keep it, get a big pay day after 6 months and then own an investment or sell it and get one big pay day and not have to be a landlord. Good luck making that decision.
Thoughts??
