A Suburban House Remodeled To Sell!

I know what you’re thinking with the title of this post, “A Suburban House Remodeled To Sell”.

You’re thinking this house is being remodeled on the cheap, patching and covering up issues so that it will sell to some unsuspecting buyer, aren’t you? Well, in this case, you would definitely be wrong.

I shared a bit about my contractor that purchased a flip property in this post that discussed the current real estate market in our area.

Well, today, I’m sharing some photos of that property.

I have to say, all the general contractors I have worked with who do this kind of thing on the side, and most of them do, by the way, really are the BEST kind of sellers to buy from.

Why? Because they are like me and can see lots of possibilities in a house. They like getting to put their ideas and stamp on a property even though it is their money involved. They all love a good demo and often would rather rip out and start over than tediously go in and modify things to save a buck or two.

General Contractor, Shaun Bain, and Superintendent, Gus Bruna, are remodeling this house to sell.

I think this guy is doing a great job on this house already. Shaun Bain has worked on several of my jobs in the last few years and all my clients who used him have been happy with his work.

Whoever buys this property will be getting a great house and neighbor, because he lives in the same neighborhood!

I’m so glad he asked for some design input from me on this reno. It was fun to consult with him on how to make a big impact to impress home buyers so he can sell this quickly when it goes on the market.

Want to check out the before pics? Here they are. It was previously a rental.

Before Remodel House Pics

Here’s the front of the house, with stairs up to the main level and front door. Needs a little curb appeal, right? There will definitely be some painting and a new garage door going on here.

This is the entry, below. There are a few steps up from the entry hall to the main level.

The kitchen is beyond the openings there and the stair well is centered in the house with a skylight above. The previous owner chose to highlight that area with a “bold” color choice. ;-)

BEFORE REMODEL - A red wall accented the central stair and skylight area. The kitchen was behind that wall with all the window openings.

To the right, as you come up the steps, is a curved, paneled room divider that has a fireplace on the other side, in the living room.

Boom! Kinda hits you right in the face, doesn’t it?

BEFORE REMODEL - This reminds of tambour wood from years ago. Not liking the pine wood look here and how this protrudes into the entry.

Here’s the other side of that paneled wall, with the fireplace and tv, in the living room. See the red stairwell beyond?

BEFORE REMODEL - The wood clad partition that housed the fireplace and tv will be moved to the opposite wall.

And here’s the dated kitchen with a few odd details and some black sparkle granite. (There was literally sparkles in the granite.)

The windows of different sizes and shapes will be dealt with too.

BEFORE REMODEL - Black sparkly granite and odd cabinetry will be replaced with a new more modern look.

BEFORE REMODEL - Do you think that two pulls, not four knobs, were intended here originally?

Here’s the other side of the kitchen. He planned to open up this space and make the kitchen feel bigger.

BEFORE REMODEL - This kitchen is ready for a full remodel! Sparkly granite, orange cabinets, odd colored walls, it all needs an update.

On the other side of the wall with the fridge, is the dining room. It’s very separated from the kitchen and almost feels like a bedroom in it’s placement.

The dining room is that room back in the corner there, beyond the red wall. The kitchen is enclosed with lots of “windows”.

Remodeling in Progress

Here is pic taken just after demo and new support added in the ceiling. Much more open already, except that all the different sized windows were kind of crazy.

Remodel in progress - Demo and new beams and support in the ceiling enabled removal of the walls. All the clerestory windows really bugged us, especially that little clipped one over there in the corner.

You can see, below, the sliders were removed and new 8’ tall French doors put in. A new single, taller window, without that little angle was installed .

A single French door was used on the kitchen side, to gain some wall space for the fridge and pantry. The other wall of the kitchen was removed to open up the dining room to the kitchen, so we needed some wall space for refrigerator and pantry.

Cabinets to the ceiling help capture more storage.

Remodel in progress - New 8’ high French doors add some quality and a neater look.

The two walls surrounding the kitchen were removed and new cabinets installed. The island was designed in a simpler style. As you may know, oddly shaped kitchen islands are one of my pet peeves. :-)

It will have honed black granite counters, with an overhang for seating.

That arched kitchen window was replaced also.

Remodel in progress - Kitchen cabinets have gone in with a new island. The kitchen feels so much bigger!

Here’s the wall, below, of the kitchen that will really be seen. It has the sink with the window above AND the hood/range on that wall. Those are always tough to work out in elevation when they are on the same wall. They both kind of scream for attention.

Cabinets going in kitchen remodel. The range and sink are on the back wall of this kitchen.

I loved the idea of tile to the ceiling here and open wood shelves. Doing rectangular cabinets on either side of that hood would look predictable, crowded and chopped up, in my opinion.

I just wanted a more open feel and wall of tile here will be so much more impactful. I’m really glad he decided to change out the windows in the kitchen area.

Here was my quick sketch of that wall.

Quick sketch of kitchen design with open shelving and tile to the ceiling.

So, here we are (picture below) looking from the new French doors in the living room through the kitchen bar area to the dining room.

Oooo, I can’t wait to see the space without that red! Not only is it a bad finish job with bulges in the wall, etc., but the way the red cuts in and out at the transitions at the ceiling corners really bugs me.

All those little jogs need to go away visually and they will when they are all painted the same color.

Remodel in progress - Can’t wait to see that red color painted over! Having this whole area blend together in one paint color will really help.

The kitchen is open to the dining room now. I think it will make this whole floor much easier to live in. I love the flow from the kitchen to the dining. The kitchen feels huge now compared to before!

Remodel in progress - There will be a microwave drawer in the island. The kitchen is now open to the dining room in this remodel.

More open looks from dining area through to the living room.

I wondered about even having that door there to the patio when a door is just around the corner. We could have done more storage on that wall then.

I do like seeing the deck though, from the dining room in these views. It was worth keeping.

Remodel in progress - The kitchen has been opened up to the dining room and living room beyond.

Remodel in progress - A new fireplace is going in the living room and you can see it from the kitchen and dining area now.

The stair was something we discussed remodeling. I wanted him to go in with a more open modern railing around the perimeter of the stairwell and down the stairs. That would have been a big ticket item however, and now that this much has been done, I don’t think it was necessary.

I recommended installing some horizontal shiplap painted paneling around that stairwell, as a cladding. I think it will make that short wall feel intentional and kind of add more horizontal lines to visually expand the space.

That shiplap will be repeated above the new fireplace, which will now be located on the end wall of the living room. There’ll be mounting for a tv above the fp, so you can see it from the kitchen island area too.

Remodel in progress - Living room with new fireplace framing. A tv will be mounted above and shiplap paneling will be installed above the mantel.

There’s a lot more work to be done, bathrooms are being remodeled too with new flooring and paint throughout. Lots of repair work that needed attention has been happening as well.

It’s going to feel like a brand new house!

I have really enjoyed talking over ideas and sharing design suggestions with him on this remodel. You can get to know more about Shaun Bain and what he does in this post.

If YOU are flipping a house and need a few ideas just to see what’s possible, I have a quick email consultation that would likely work for that. If you are local in The Woodlands, TX area, I’d love to hear more about your project and see how I can help.

Check out the end result of this flipped suburban house! It sold FAST!