Fixing this house up completely changed my mind about split entry and split level homes, and maybe these before and afters might help change your mind too!
This house was a special project from the beginning. We were able to get to know the homeowner we bought it from, she lived just a few houses down from our very first flip house. She told us all about the 1970s home’s history and how she wanted us to make it a beautiful house for a new family to move in. It was an honor to be trusted with this task and we were excited for the challenge!
The house had great bones and was well maintained, it just needed lots of updating. Our design goal was to make the house feel modern. 1970s split entry homes tend to seem outdated and we didn’t want that to be on any potential buyers minds. There was not a lot of demo on this project, basically just opening up the main living area and kitchen. The arches everywhere blocked a lot of natural light. By opening up the wall between the kitchen and living/dining room, we were able to make the entire space feel larger and brighter. (Click the arrows on the photos below to see more!)
When we flip houses, we always think about what our family members or friends would want to buy. This means the master bedroom gets a bathroom and walk-in closet wherever possible. There was an ensuite bathroom already, but the small shower and avocado green toilet needed to go. We managed to fit a larger tiled shower and two sinks by moving the toilet to the other wall. And to make the small closet a walk-in, we took out the hallway closet and added that square footage to the master closet. We also added barn doors for the bathroom and closet to both save space and make the master stand out a bit more.
The downstairs had been set up with a kitchen, bathroom and living area. However, we wanted this space to have the option of being a fourth bedroom so we took out the kitchen setup and added a small closet. This way a family could use it as a bonus room or bedroom.
And can't write this post without mentioning the exterior overhaul. We added some tongue and groove cedar siding to the overhangs along with black trim and garage doors. Then in the backyard we added a stairway off the deck from the kitchen so people could get to the yard.
There were of course A LOT of other changes we made to the house, but those are the highlights. Thanks for reading!
-Olivia
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