Creekside Charmer
March was a crazy month for a number of reasons so I am a bit late in sharing this most recent flip we just finished up. This was a house that was initially listed by a wholesaler but the pricing was higher than what worked for the renovation budget. We waited a few weeks and eventually we were able to agree on a purchase price.
When I walked through this house, as with all potential projects I walk through, I zoned in on the areas where I know we are likely to see the highest return when we list the home for sale after the renovations. Those areas were: the kitchen, the upper level and the lower level. Here’s a view of each of those spaces and why they had potential.
The Kitchen
With more space here than usual in a house that is this age and in this neighborhood, I knew we had something to work with. The wall between the kitchen and dining room was able to be opened so we could design the kitchen with a peninsula. I also wanted to create an open floor plan that provided a great view from the minute you walked through the front door all the way through the kitchen to the back yard area.
The Upper Level
While this area was kind of finished, there was also quite a bit of opportunity for an upgrade. There’s not a ton of home buyers who are looking for a house with a wide open space and a surprise tucked away in the corner. That space became the new master bath shower in case you were wondering.
The unfinished lower level
With the size of this house there was an opportunity to add value by finishing the lower level. Adding a family room, bathroom, bedroom and a laundry room rounded out this house and maximized the spaces and all the rooms. Plus…this bar area fit perfectly in this small niche by the laundry room.
Here are the other larger items I knew we needed to include in the budget in addition to the items above:
- Roof
- Exerior paint
- Furnace and A/C
- Electrical upgrade throughout
- Plumbing upgrade throughout
The additional items we included in this project were:
- Renovating the main floor bathroom
- Restoring the hardwood floors and adding new hardwood flooring through the kitchen and back hallway
- Creating a custom mudroom in the back entry
- Repairing all walls and ceilings as needed
- Painting all walls and trim as needed
This was an extensive renovation but fortunately the footprint of the house remained the same. There was no need to build an addition or extend the size of the house. The combination of unused spaces, original spaces in need of new life and a desirable location made this a perfect candidate for a stunning update.
This was a significant renovation and although there was a lot of work done the footprint of the house remained the same. The combination of unused space with a desirable location made this house truly shine.
Let me know which elements and spaces are your favorites.
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