Brock and I have been married for 7 years. We’ve purchased 5 houses, flipped 4 homes, built & sold a spec house, and built one rental house. We both have day jobs, but as you can probably tell, one of the things we are interested in and have a passion for is real estate. The real estate industry is always going to be around and it’s always growing and evolving. Homes and land typically don’t lose their value, and if you take really good care of your investment and make smart improvements, then you are likely going to increase the value of your property and build equity.
Last year, we sold our house flip #4 – the Whitehaven House. We loved that house. I thought it would be fun to share some before and after pictures. We did a lot to this house, painting (everywhere!), flooring, new outdoor living area with custom 100″ TV setup, smart home additions, new lighting throughout, total redo of kitchen, adding a fireplace to the master bedroom, and totally refinishing the master bathroom. Brock even added a craft room for me into an open space of the upstairs attic storage. Whew, makes me tired just thinking about all the work that we did to that house! Sweat equity is totally worth it!
Check out some of the before and after pictures…
The Whitehaven HouseThe day we bought the Whitehaven House. We were such babies! Notice we painted the front door – Tricorn Black from Sherwin Williams. Before of foyer – that’s our friend (& realtor) Scott. Check out those yellow walls! Yikes!Foyer after – the stain on the stair rails now match the floors. We painted most of the walls in the house Sherwin Williams Knitting Needles. Paint and matching hardwood floors really turned this space around!Formal dining – beforeFormal dining – beforeFormal dining – after. We used this space as an office since there was another dining area. We added a single and double-French doors, and painted the walls.Formal living – beforeFormal living – beforeFormal living – after. The tile walk-way around the room was replaced with hardwood floors to match the existing hardwoods. The fireplace was also painted.
Kitchen before…
Kitchen after…
The electric cooktop was upgraded to gas and was moved from the island to the back wall. Brock and his Dad built custom cabinets on top of the existing cabinets to create more storage. All cabinets and trim throughout the house were professionally refinished and painted. The double-decker counter top was leveled-off to make one big countertop with bar seating. Quartz countertops were installed throughout the kitchen, bathrooms (except master), bar, and laundry room.All new appliances were installed. The trash compactor was replaced with a wine fridge. Herringbone marble backsplash was installed. The kitchen island and china hutch from the dining room were painted the same color to tie the two rooms together. The recessed florescent lights were replaced with farmhouse inspired pendants. Old 6×6-inch tile floors were ripped out and replaced with hardwoods to match the rest of the main level. Dining Before Dining Before Dining/Kitchen BeforeDining Room – After. The old white tile was replaced with matching hardwood floors. The wood trim and moldings were painted, as well as the china cabinet. Window treatments were replaced as well as the light fixture. Family Room – Before Family Room – BeforeFamily Room – After. We debated on painting the fireplace, but I’m so glad we did! All the wood trim and wainscoting were painted. New ceiling fan, and window treatments were added. The cabinet on the right of the fireplace was re-worked since it was previously being used as an entertainment center cabinet.This was the bonus room above the garage that we turned into the kids’ playroom. It has a closet, so could technically be a 5th bedroom. The new owners who bought the house were going to turn it into a home theatre room. Powder Room – Before Powder Room – After. New flooring, paint on cabinets and trim, and upgraded counters and faucet. The kitchen actually had 2 pantry’s. The larger one was being used as an office by the previous owners. Pantry After – We converted it back into a pantry and replaced the tile floors with hardwoods. Laundry Room – BeforeLaundry Room – Before Laundry Room After – a little paint can make a huge difference! Bar – Before Bar – Before Bar After – we painted over the wallpaper in this room. It’s not very noticeable in the pictures, but we actually used a glitter paint. This bar shined! The counters, fixtures, and cabinet hardware really transformed this space. Bar – After Master Bedroom – Before Master Bedroom – After. We painted the room and replaced the carpet with hardwoods, added new window treatments, removed the TV entertainment closet, and added a custom fireplace with marble surround. This space was transformed into a luxurious master retreat! Master Bath – Before. Master Bath – After. We painted the walls and the cabinets. Replaced the sunken tub with an oversized soaker tub. Opened up the closed-off shower, added seamless glass doors and luxurious rainfall shower heads. Everything was trimmed in marble tile. We also decided to go with marble countertops – they looked nice but that was a lesson learned. Will not be doing that again as marble is too soft for use in bathrooms. Master Bath – After Upstairs Loft – Before Upstairs Loft – After Craft Room Addition. This little craft room was the perfect size for all my craft supplies. Brock even built a little desk for my sewing machine. Craft Room Addition 3rd Bedroom – Before 3rd Bedroom After – paint, new ceiling fan, and window treatments.Jack and Jill Bathroom – Before Jack and Jill Bath – After. New counters and faucet. 4th Bedroom Before 4th Bedroom – After. New paint, door hardware, window treatments, and ceiling fan. Outdoor grill & entertainment space – before.The space where we made the outdoor grill & TV area. Outdoor entertainment area – after. The custom built grill area & 100″ TV were the highlight of the backyard! Outdoor Pool Area – After Outdoor Pool & Entertainment Area Spacious, Grassy Backyard! 2nd Bedroom – Before 2nd Bedroom – After. This room was right down the hall from the master, so it was mainly shared by both boys since they were so young. At one time there was a toddler bed and a baby crib in this room at the same time! A new ceiling fan, custom bookshelves, and new paint transformed this room.
We had a lot of fun remodeling and living in this house! It surprised us how quickly it sold…we had several over-asking price offers within 24 hours of listing it. It was bittersweet selling this home…Blaise was born and brought home from the hospital to this house, Braxton learned how to swim in the pool, and the spacious backyard and swing set held lots of fun family memories!
What are some of your favorite family memories in your homes? Have you ever done any home renovation projects. I’d love to hear your stories!
This was the bonus room above the garage that we turned into the kids’ playroom. It has a closet, so could technically be a 5th bedroom. The new owners who bought the house were going to turn it into a home theatre room.
