This is a series of posts about our latest endeavor as newbie house flippers! We give updates every few weeks on our house flipping adventures that include timelines, budgets, problems, and before + afters. If you want to start flipping houses, I hope you'll follow along with this series!
Week 1
Weeks 2 + 3
Weeks 4 + 5
Weeks 6 + 7
Weeks 8 + 9
Update
I can't believe the day has finally come where I can share before and AFTERS of the Avenue House. I'm going to post a room a week (sorry to be so slow, but these posts take a while to put together) and first up is the bath room! The bathroom at the Avenue House ended up being one of my favorite rooms in the house and honestly didn't cost all that much considering it was basically a gut. Since it was the only bath in the house (and a small one, to boot), I really wanted the space to feel as open and airy as possible. There were so many cool original details that I wanted to highlight and I think we were able to accomplish that. Here is a summary of the projects we did:
- Upgraded the plumbing to PEX
- Installed new sheet vinyl
- Added wainscoting
- Refinished the claw foot tub (just the exterior)
- Converted the tub to a shower/tub combo
- Installed a new vanity (a DIY project)
- Installed a new faucet
- Installed new sconces and ceiling light
- Primed and painted the trim, window, and medicine cabinet
- Primed and painted the walls
- Installed a new toilet
- Added towel hooks and toilet paper holder
- Added central heat/air to the room
Below photos by Maggie Mills Photography
BEFORE + AFTERS
Sometimes I forgot how this bathroom looked when we got it! It's hard to tell in the photos, but EVERYTHING in this house was an ivory beige. The walls, the trim, the doors, the ceiling - all of it. Just getting a coat (or three) of white paint made a world of difference. Here are the before and after shots:
One of my absolute favorite projects from this whole renovation was the vanity makeover. We found this vanity on clearance at Lowe's for $90. Honestly, it was very similar in color to the one in the before photos! Most vanities are 21-22" deep and since the door opening only leaves 20" of clearance, I needed something narrow. This oak one fit the bill at 18.5" deep so we added an "x" detail on the ends to create some visual interest. I used some leftover Sherwin Williams Intellectual Gray paint and I LOVE how it turned out. For less than $115 we have a beautiful vanity with plenty of storage and countertop space.
There was already a high chair rail in place and it seemed like the perfect area to add wainscoting. I figured the white paint would help brighten up this smallish bathroom and I think it was $60 well spent! The battens did take a little while to cut, install, and caulk, but I think it is little details like this that make a flip unique and stand out in buyers' minds. We were also able to bring out some original character by painting the cute medicine cabinet. The oil rubbed bronze hinges draw the eye to the mirror and highlight the original hardware.
I'm pretty sure having no shower in a house would be a deal breaker for most buyers. After some research, we ended up with this clawfoot tub shower converter kit from Home Depot. There were some cheaper versions on Ebay, but I wanted to make sure I could quickly return the kit if it didn't work. It was a little cumbersome to put together (definitely a two man/woman task) and a little flimsy, but it gets the job done! We wanted to add an upgraded shower head, but the kit does not have a standard size valve so we scratched that idea. We also painted the exterior of the tub the same color as the vanity (Sherwin Williams Intellectual Gray) and the claw feet were spray painted oil rubbed bronze. I think the tub cleaned up really well!
We added a new toilet and toilet paper holder to complete the bathroom. We probably could have gotten away with the same toilet, but to me a new toilet is an inexpensive way to make the overall bathroom feel sparkly and new, especially since we had to remove it to install the new floor. You can see the wainscoting detail a little bit better in the above photo. We had to use 1/4" thick battens so that they weren't thicker than the baseboard. If starting a wainscoting project from scratch, I'd probably go with something a little thicker like 1/2" or even 1".
Believe it or not, we scored this pretty faucet from the Habitat Restore! It was only $45 (brand new) and I think it added a nice touch to the bathroom. I try to get decent quality plumbing fixtures for flips because they are something that get a lot of use and that you don't want to skimp on.
I don't think I'll ever install another towel bar in a house ever again! Towel hooks are so much more practical and save a ton of space. How pretty are these oil-rubbed bronze hooks from DLawless Hardware? They are only $1.97 each and are SUPER sturdy. I will definitely be using these again for other projects. The dark finish ties in the medicine cabinet hardware, claw foot tub feet, and original door hardware in the bathroom.
We must never forget where we started. ;) Before and after photos are fun, but the real work shows in the "during" photos! Here are a few snapshots that I always want to whip out and show people when they say, "flipping houses must be so much fun - so glamorous!" :) :) :)
COST BREAKDOWN
Sheet vinyl - $110
Wainscoting - $60
Converted the tub to a shower/tub combo - $150
Vanity - $115
Faucet - $45
Lighting - $160
Toilet - $115
Hardware - $22
Paint - $60
TOTAL = $837*
*does not include plumbing or HVAC costs
SOURCES
PAINT
Walls - Sherwin Williams Silver Strand
Vanity and Tub - Sherwin Williams Intellectual Gray
LIGHTING
Sconces
Ceiling Light
PLUMBING
Toilet
Clawfoot Converter Kit
Faucet
DECOR/FINISHES
Sheet vinyl
Hooks
Vanity