Transforming a two-bedroom house to a three-bedroom home in a unique Houston neighborhood, home to our first-ever flip!
In a city as large as Houston, it sometimes comes as a surprise that certain pockets of the city are walkable. This home, located in a neighborhood known as King’s Row was a special house from the start. This was not only because of the unique walking-only neighborhood it was located in but because it was right next door to Jon and Mary’s very first flip house.
“With some fresh ideas and a lot of lessons learned from their experience on the neighboring home, Jon and Mary got straight to work.”
With some fresh ideas and a lot of lessons learned from their experience on the neighboring home, Jon and Mary got straight to work. To start, the outside of this home needed some cleaning and paint. Mary included the addition of shutters in the budget as well, knowing they would make the whole facade pop out from the other homes on the block.
When it came to the interiors of the home, the kitchen clearly became a space that would need significant work. As a small galley-style kitchen, Jon and Mary immediately planned to make a pass-through bar to open up the space. The kitchen cabinet doors would be replaced with glass doors, making the whole cooking space look and feel much larger than how it was originally. Upstairs, the main issue came from the fact that there were only two bedrooms. Jon’s real estate experience became very useful in this moment as the team made the decision to add one bedroom in the floor plan. The addition of a third bedroom would dramatically increase the resale value and open the sale up to a larger audience too.
In a full redesign of the upstairs, Jon decided to split the oversized master bedroom into two bedrooms, making a flex space between all the rooms, which could act as a small office or play area. Then, the bedroom on the opposite side of the house would be transformed into a master suite. The plan was perfect and would truly transform the interior of the house.
The last changes for this home were made in the house’s outdoor courtyard area. Not a true backyard, Mary decided this space should really be designed as an extension to the inside of the house. With some fresh paint and space for some plants, it could easily become a pleasant space to get together and enjoy the outdoors (during Houston’s short, non-summer months!).
As the work started in this home, the first issues arose when an air conditioning vent was discovered where a wall was supposed to go. Jon’s first response was to simply turn it into a bump-out but Mary quickly nixed the thought that a random jut-out would be an acceptable form of cover-up. Since re-routing and moving was not possible, Jon and Mary started brainstorming. Result? A repositioned closet which was practical and purposeful in terms of hiding the potential eyesore!
“More issues came up as the renovation continued, including one that led to an unexpected, five-thousand dollar expense to reroute a drainpipe.”
More issues came up as the renovation continued, including one that led to an unexpected, five thousand dollar expense to reroute a drain pipe. Despite the hit on their budget, Jon and Mary proceeded with the changes and the original idea of an open pass-though soon became a reality.
As the kitchen bar-top measurements were taken, flooring and tile was installed, walls were painted, and the finished product started to come together. In the living room, Mary used wall decals to add some color to a built-in shelving unit. She staged the whole room in blue and golden yellow colors, following the same color pattern through the rest of the house. The newly-open kitchen brought added light into the space and tied the whole room together with beautiful colors and that cozy, clean feeling that only a real home staging expert can create!
In the end, this home was sold at a greater-than-expected profit, proving that a great way to learn to flip a house is to get in there and make all your mistakes once. The transformation of the two-bedroom space to a three-bedroom space made a huge difference and the small modifications made downstairs truly changed the overall look of this home.
Looking for more details?
To see this project take place from start to finish, check out Episode 6 of HGTV's "Going For Sold". Here, you will see the process in all its glory with every detail captured on film. If you have any additional questions or you would be interested in speaking with us about your own renovation or design projects, please contact us and a member of our team will reach out to you directly!