Flip House Under Contract

Just one week on the market and we have an accepted contract!  Now I know these things sometimes fall out so keep your fingers crossed.

Diana

Non Traditional Christmas Tree

Pinterest is sooo bad.  It shows you pretty things that you become obsessed with and must have!  Such is the case of this years Christmas "tree"

 Saw it on pinterest and showed it to husband.  Husband says he could make it and off to Lowes we go.  Husband spends several evenings in the barn in freezing weather to make and paint it.

 Set it up in living room.  Figure out the wiring.  Then the fun begins.  More trips to the barn to get Dept 56 houses and several hours later............

 I have been collecting these houses for years but displaying them has always been an issue.  They take up so much room.  The collection outgrew the 4 x 8 table I had been using a few years ago.  So the last few Christmas' they didn't get put out.  Made me sad.  But now I have this great 5 tiered tree to put them on with room for more!

 Used a package of batting and one of stuffing too.

 Santa is saved for the top.  Here he is with his reindeer taking off from the north pole.

I guess I would call this a pin win!

Thanks to husband.

Diana

Flip House on Market!!!!!

Yeah!  We finally are done with our flip.  You can see the listing here.

Now comes the wait..........

Flip House Breakfast Room

The other day I showed you pictures of the galley kitchen.  It opens into a pretty nice size breakfast/mudroom with a built in breakfast bar.  We finally got all the molding done and tools cleared out so here is the finish room.

 I love all the cabinets!  I got the stools at Wayfair for a really good price.

 This tall cabinet is a broom closet with lots of storage.

This cabinet has a coat rack and shelves.  Again, lots of storage.

So where do we stand on the overall project?  A few paint touch ups and two thresholds where the wood floors transition to other floors.  Then we are working in the basement for a few days.  Oh, and I have to clean windows and do a lot of dusting.   Then finish staging.  So maybe the house will be on the market in a week if we really push it..  Keep you all posted.

Diana

Want to Change the World?

I've got to tell you about a new way my family is celebrating this holiday season!

Each year we look for some way to bring the light of Christ into Christmas by finding a charity or cause that blesses others.  This year we are going to do a service advent calendar that my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has made available called.....

.LIGHTtheWORLD

Each day you can find an act of service for that day, starting December 1 (today) through December 25, and also watch a beautiful video available HERE.  You can print out the calendar if you want. The acts of service are based on Jesus Christ's teachings and example.  Today's challenge was

 JESUS LIFTED OTHERS' BURDENS AND SO CAN YOU

(I'll warn you the videos are very touching so have some tissues ready)  You are also given examples of things you could do or choose something you think of yourself.  Either way it is a great way to remind ourselves each day to follow our Savior's example and turn outward during this time when so much emphasis is placed on material things.  It doesn't have to be some huge thing that you do, just a little kindness that lets someone know they are a person of value.  I hope you join the millions of people that will be changing this world, one act of service at a time!

Flip House Kitchen

The kitchen in the flip house is almost done!  Just a little molding and touch up painting and it is complete.

This view is from the breakfast room through the galley kitchen and into the foyer.  We put down a floating floor system in a rich medium wood finish.  It was a bear to do because of all the cuts but now it looks so good.

 Just in case you forgot what we started with......dark cabinets, carpet on the floor, filthy appliances, stucco walls and cheap counters and back-splashes.  

The ceilings had grease spots and the ugly florescent lighting cast a sickening glow on an already depressing room. 

But now here is the sink area and the new stainless dishwasher.  All the appliances are brand new and really pretty.  We also replaced the side door at the right of the photo.  New sink, faucet, hardware......pretty much everything  was replaced except the cabinets.....those we just painted white.

The stove, microwave and fridge all match the dishwasher.  We tiled the back-splash with simple white square tiles.

We carried the wood floors all the way through to the dining room in the back of the house off the breakfast room.

 The dining room just needs some molding and a little touch up paint.  I hung the curtains yesterday.  For a treat we are eating our lunch in here everyday......It's a nice break from the work that still needs to be done.

 

 Here is the living room with a few of the staging items already in place.  Still more staging to do but until the last of the jobs are done, there is no hurry.  We still have to finish molding, paint some outdoor trim. put transition floor molding and thresholds in.  We also have some outdoor lighting to address, the basement needs painting, and the half bath down there needs some work.  Then some general clean up. After that we will call the realtor and get this cutie on the market.  

Flip House So Close To Being Done!

The last two days have seen so many changes at the flip house!  Today the carpet guy came and did the living room, two bedrooms and the hall.

 Here is the room all emptied out.  The padding and carpet strips were the only things in the living room.

 The third bedroom waiting for carpet.

 Same situation in the second bedroom.

 And hall.......

 We got all the cabinet doors back on today too.  Here is a pic of the cabinets during the job.  We painted the dark brown cabinets white.  The door knobs were ordered online and were so much cheaper than the big box store.  And they are really nice too.

 We were really excited to get the microwave in!  It took a little time but it wasn't hard at all.  Some how having an appliance installed feels like we are on the home stretch.

 While we were working in the kitchen, the carpet guy was working too.

By early evening he was done and I spent a bit of time vacuuming.  So much fuzz!  It kept clogging up my little vacuum.  I couldn't resist bringing in a few of the pieces of furniture we will be using for staging.  I thought it would be a tight fit for the larger pieces but the room swallows them!  Looks like I will need to come up with a few more pieces.....

We also worked on the counters and dry fitted the new stainless steel sink.  So this is what still needs to be done....Floor molding in all the carpeted rooms, trim on one more door in the kitchen, trim off a little off the bottom of a door that won't clear the carpet, lay the wood floors in the kitchen, entry way and dining room, touch up paint, and tile back splash.  Then we will move into the basement and finish a few things outside too.  So excited to be so close to the finish line.

Diana

Flip House Living Room Update

We have been working in the living room of the flip house.  Yesterday we got the last of the molding finished.

 We finished off the build in cabinet.

It looks so much better than before....

.

Close up of the fancy molding we used in the living room/ entry way.

 We were so pleased with the big picture window.....

In case you forgot what the living room looked like before.

 We are even making sure the closets look as pretty as possible.  This one is in the entry way and is really deep.  If you look close you will see that there is a double rod for hanging coats.

 The front door and corner windows in the entry.

This is what it started out looking like.  Old molding mixed with cheap new molding was a real mess. 

We are waiting for the carpet to be installed and then we will put in the floor molding.  Then the living room, 2nd and 3rd bedrooms and hall will be finished.  (The bathroom and master are already completely done, except for a good cleaning!)  Next we start in the kitchen.  Excited but a little nervous that we can make it as pretty as the rest of the house.  We plan on painting the cabinets white. putting in new counter tops, new laminate floors, (in the dining room and entry too) new sink and of course new wall finish and paint.  Will continue to update the flip until we finally list it for sale.  It is getting close now..........

Diana

Danish Modern Chair Makeover

I recently got these Gunlocke office chairs at an auction for $5.   I couldn't believe they went for so cheap!  Fast forward a few months and I finally got around to redoing them.

 Even thought the vinyl fabric was in pretty good shape I couldn't leave them in that ugly color......

 forgive the blurry photo.......but here is the chair reupholstered in a grey herringbone fabric.

This picture is a little better.  I cleaned up the wood and spent the better part of last Saturday tearing off the old fabric and putting on the new.  We are going to use these chairs in our flip for staging and then our younger daughter is getting them.  That is if I can let them go!

Diana

More on the Flip House

Last post I said I would show you the fireplace after it's makeover.......well here it is!

 I painted the metal with a high heat paint in a matte finish.  The knobs were polished and the vents at both sides were cleaned and reattached.  Then I scrubbed the clay tiles til all the years of grime were gone!  Looks so much better.

 We then cleaned up the old sconces which I loved.

 We took off the chalky red shutters and painted the new front door and garage door a battle ship gray.  I didn't realize the gray I chose would look this "industrial" when I bought it but it is growing on me.......

 We were going to replace the iron work post but now we kind of like it so it stays.

 the old garage door.  Notice how the paint on it matches the meter box on the right.......totally not what I was going for!

 Speaking of grey, here is the finished master.  The floors are original.....well, not the stain and finish, that's new.  Aren't the windows cool?

 We finally got the built in doors to fit!  That wood is super hard.  We broke a lot of screws getting the hinges attached.  But now it is sturdy and once we get the molding and glass shelves on, it will be so pretty.

 Ignore the floor, the carpet is ordered......here is the hall.  That was a lot of molding to install.  Six doorways and a linen closet!

 Here is another view of the fireplace wall.

 And another.

 And the entry way with a fridge in the middle of it.

 New ceiling fan in the living room.

 Entry way light.  Kind of boring but the budget won out over style this time.  Plus it matches the new fan.

 Love this fireplace!

 In between coats of paint I have been putting together furniture for staging.  Here is the cute little dining set and the couch......both from wayfair.

 It is hard to see but the wall behind the sawhorse just got a coat of the gray paint we are using through out the house.  We painted the fireplace wall and all the molding white.  I love how crisp and clean this color combo is.

Same paint on the huge picture window (sans molding) wall.  I haven't cut in the edges or corners yet.....I am hoping my husband will do it, he is much steadier with that paint brush!

Well that is pretty much where our flip is at the moment.  Ron installed a new breaker box in the basement to replace the old fuse boxes today while I painted.  We will install really nice molding the living room in the next few days........and then put in new plugs, switches and covers.  The molding is much fancier than what we used in the rest of the house but it is the first room you see when you walk in so I think the extra money is worth it.  A lot of extra money!  

And in case you have forgotten what this bright pretty house used to look like.......

Here is a shot of the kitchen as it looks right now!  Dark, grimy and just plain ugly.

Give us another week or three, a few gallons of paint, new flooring, counter tops and stainless steel appliances, and you will see a totally different kitchen.  I promise.....

Diana