It’s been a while! You may have seen the recent posts about the church we bought that we plan to turn into a wedding venue! Here are photos of the “before”. You can also go to the wedding website to learn more about its past history and our future vision! Click here to visit Melrose Abbey.
Me proudly excited about starting the biggest renovations.
This one is, so far, the largest house I have worked on! Here are some facts about it:
Built in 1921
Over 5300 square foot
8 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms
Ran as an elderly caregiving facility (aka nursing home) for decades
Left abandoned for at least 12 years
The original owner’s name was John, from Virginia, and moved exactly 100 years before I, Johnny, moved from Virginia. Little bizarre!
The main objectives are to:
Completely demo and clean out the property
Convert the property from a nursing home to a duplex (separate in-laws on the third level)
Take out the kitchen from the basement (barely a kitchen) to the main floor
Open up the walls as it’s currently broken into too many small bedrooms
Save and restore the wood trim on the railing, original front door, and fireplace mantle
Completely update and rehab the property with a high-end kitchen, bathroom, flooring, and more!
Photographer: loveandtheory.co
There is a new wave of interior designs ideas and trends that are very different to what we have gotten used to fro the last several years. Neutral, grays, and minimalism aren't necessarily what's in. Bolder and riskier moves are taking over and here are 4 interior design trends that are making a comeback!
Read MoreWhen I started selling homes as a real estate agent, I noticed a strange trend with the buyers I was showing houses to: People were willing to pay more for houses that looked pretty but lacked the important and expensive upgrades that were hidden behind the walls, such as good insulation, electrical system, and plumbing. Buyers had the ability to convince themselves to buy what looked pretty on the inside and neglect what’s on the inside or tell themselves that they will take care of those things later.
This happens so much in the real estate business that many rehabbers have built a career on what they call “Lipstick Rehabs”. This is when you go into a house and make cosmetic updates that make the buyers fall in love. All it takes is a fresh coat of paint, newly finished floors, new modern fixtures, and stainless steel appliances. The problem with that is that eventually, the new homeowners have to start dealing with what’s hidden behind the makeup and many start falling out of love with what they thought they wanted. This trend of buyers going after what looks good from the outside taught me a great lesson; I did exactly the opposite of what others were doing.
The parallel of a house’s condition and the human soul has taught me a valuable lesson on vulnerability:
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