A Flippin Project
Our Experience
from a rustic remodel which engaged all my creative juices. This was our largest most involved flip house project to date. From major remodel and reconstruction, we finally closed and now a proud owner to a new family. Simply put, we love watching the whole process evolve from inhabitable to clean and curated and of course, a fairy tale ending. We hope you love your new home!
This is a collection of my experience from remodeling a rustic feel house. The property sat vacant and vandalized for many years. Position within a safe and prominent neighborhood, it was certainly the eye sour of them all. Day after day, the neighbors had to watch this once loved home, become a victim and deteriorate. We received a phone call from the owner, she had moved away and decided it finally time to do something with the property, she knew we would give it some love and love we did. I was excited to get my hands on another project! The first time we walked through the house, it was hard for me to imagine such destruction but my eyes saw past to the potential that was waiting to be unveiled. This home really had a lot of windows and open space which brings in natural light that people love. It’s just a feel good feeling. I knew that with just some freshening up, the natural beauty of this home would shine.
Before any project, I try to visualize what life was like in the past, the stories shared here. What was the purpose for this space? And moving forward, how can it be used in a modern way, either more efficiently or practical? How can I bring out the original character yet add modernized value and accents? When you begin shopping for textiles, the world has endless options and it’s quite overwhelming. I have found, it is helpful to pick a style or theme. This gives a lot of flexibility within the boundary of the style such as country cottage or rustic modern. It’s totally amazing to mix some styles as long as you plan it ahead of time. Its a balance of creating a smooth flow of your eye with interesting and unique pieces that tell a story. For this particular project we really wanted to accentuate the classic natural vibe from which the house began.
We were able to accomplish this and stay within budget by.
Refinishing the hardwood floors. I would ALWAYS recommend to keep the original floor and refinish. They just don’t make floor like this anymore. Real wood instills warmth and quality to anyone it meets. The flooring guy sanded and sealed 3 times and them finished with a “natural” sealer. This particular flooring is a mix of red and white oak. I was a little nervous that it would turn out too “busy” but instead it became the exact depth of excitement the house needed.
Go with neutral. When workin on a flip project opposed to working on my own home, I have to keep in mind who is my customer and what would they like. The exterior wood siding of this home obviously established the whole house vibe. I wanted to keep a neutral and natural pallet. We chose Asthetic White by Sherwin Williams throughout, in different sheens. This gives the space more depth without the issue of clashing of colors. I love this color because it has no contrasting undertones - green, red, yellow! It’s completely neutral. It’s also a deep white, not too bright.
Add more wood accent. To play off the rustic natural style, we added faux pine wood beams across the living room and stained them Minwax Puritan Pine, a favorite neutral based stain for pine wood. Adding this feature really was the cherry on top and balance out the all white walls from the wood.
Add a pop of color. I got to play with some color by painting the opposite side of the kitchen Halycon Green by Sherwin Williams. By painting this portion of the cabinets different from the rest, my ideas was to make it feel as though it’s a custom piece of furniture. Just another way to add depth and warmth.
Add a touch of modern. This is where you can mix styles. We used both bronze and black fixtures throughout. We used antique bronze cabinets pulls and knobs in the kitchen to add a hint of modern but added a black faucet in the sink. Upstairs, in the bathrooms we trended toward the modern farmhouse by using all black fixtures against the white vanities.
Walls and Trim : SW Aesthetic White eggshell and satin
White cabinet paint color : SW Asthetic white satin
Green cabinet pain color : SW Halycon Green - satin
Wood Beam and Shelves : Minwax Puritan Pine
Excited to get started, we hired a contractor who we knew and trusted, we decided on a budget and began demolition. This was the most involved reconstruction project we have encountered yet. From tearing out a chimney and rotten exterior siding to restricting a whole staircase, each aspect we learned valuable lessons that will carry us on to the next. Here are a few behind the scenes processes and decisions we made.
Originally, the entryway had worn out spindle stair railing and carpet. We redesigned the staircase by removing the dated molding and replaced with black metal and wood railing For the stairs, white oak stair boards and painted white wood risers for a clean modern style.
Remember, this home was in need of serious help from vandalism including paint smeared all over the wood flooring. We hired a professional to refinish the original floors because I love it so much. Anytime you can reclaim wood features it’s a good idea to. He sanded and sanded, then sealed and sanded and sealed again. After sampling, we decided to not use a stain and simply use a clear oil water based sealer which helps keep the original oaky color. *Disclaimer, water based looks better but not as durable as oil based sealer.
A good flip project is not without major set backs. I have learned to roll with the punches and accept and embrace challenges as they come. February 2021 was the apocalyptic ZERO degree weather. We walked in after the first night to discover busted pipes. It ruined the entryway ceiling, but we were able to salvage the floors! The contractor was gracious to come immediately and repair the problems caused by the freeze.
Final thoughts, we were able to list it on the market soon after. We received 4 offers within 24 hours! We accepted the highest offer at $205,000. The buyer had not yet stepped foot on the property and made the offer sight unseen. This is not ideal but were willing to take the small risk of the buyer not loving the home once they arrived. After inspections and closing documents prepared, the day of closing the buyer attends the home for his final walk-through and discovers 6 inches of water under the house in the crawl space…OUCH! Not noticed before due to the rarity of a very very wet winter. The buyer decided this was not the home for his family and we are left to place it back on the market after 30 days of waiting. Once again, we dealt with the problem of standing water by adding a sump pump to pump out extra water. We placed the home for sale again and received a full price offer immediately…thank you! We made it closing day, signed and sealed. Through out the process we significant celebrations and other moments less note worthy. But all of it wrapped in one bundle gives life to a better understanding and wisdom for those future encounters. Future encounters such as…purchasing more property. I can’t wait to share with you our next adventure coming soon.