The latest house we’ve finished is ready to share. There are so many before and after photos of this one that I’ll be sharing them over the next two weeks. This house had been vacant for a number of years before it crossed my path.
I came across a listing on a site for local investors one day in April. This house was located in a neighborhood where we’ve worked on a couple of other houses before successfully. In fact, the last one was just a couple of blocks north in this location.
There were immediately some very unique characteristics of this house. One is that it is a rambler in a neighborhood of 1 ½ story houses. Second, it was a large main floor from a square footage perspective at 1500 square feet. Third, the lot size is typically 40 feet wide and this lot was 70 feet wide, nearly double the standard size.
The prior occupants of the house had been there since the 1940’s. While the house was mostly empty of personal items when we walked through there was a lot of deferred maintenance in this home and years of the home being vacant didn’t help the condition.
When it came to the layout there were some definite good points. There were 3 bedrooms and 2 baths on the main floor, the floor plan was able to be opened between the kitchen, living and dining room and the lower level was unfinished. Simply by finishing this space the livable area was nearly doubled in size.
There was an extensive list of “to do’s” on this project so we’ll start with the exterior.
- The roof
- The exterior
- The windows
- The concrete walkway
- The driveway
While the first few items are pretty typical of a renovation the last two items are less common.
Here’s a view of the exterior when we purchase the home and when the renovation was complete.
The roof was replaced and the exterior was painted. With the changes to doors and windows painting the brick allowed for the repairs to be made while maintaining the appearance. There are a few key details that contributed to charm which we retained. One is the trim detail around the front door and the second is the metal stamped mail slot with the address. Those items couldn’t easily be replicated.
The windows were also original to the house which meant replacement was the best option. Adding energy efficient windows is a top priority for home buyers, especially when purchasing a renovated home. Especially when you are changing room configurations and eliminating windows, replacing them can make a lot of sense . Especially if they’re non-functional and deteriorated. The cost to salvage them can be comparable or higher than installing a new window that is double paned wile lowering energy costs.
The main floor layout allowed for keeping the existing bedrooms, though there was some re-configuring. Here, you can see the three bedrooms before and after. The third photo, and largest bedroom, including an en-suite bath, were created by moving them to the front of the house and using some space from the hallway and living room.
Make sure to check back next week to see the rest of the space, including the kitchens and baths. Not only were there significant changes but I used a few new design elements that may become new favorites.
Ready to take that next step when it comes to flipping?
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Amber
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Love before and afters?
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