Well it’s time to show you the final result – here’s our new front door!!  I’m smitten.

When we first bought our home in the fall of 2008, we were less than thrilled with the peachy-pink paint and frilly iron bars on our front door, and the sheen on the interior of the door was almost as blinding as the gold, shiny flocked wallpaper.

It improved dramatically during the renovations that we did to the house – the peach paint was scraped and sanded off and the door was stained a rich brown, and the inside of the door was painted a crisp white.

The door looked a whole lot better, but it still wasn’t great.  We didn’t love the dated, curvy lines of the door, and it wasn’t in very great shape – it let in air through little gaps in the wood and it was really starting to deteriorate.

We like to try to do an update to our home every time that we do a flip – the trades are a little more flexible with their pricing when we already have them booked to do work on the flip.  Last time we replaced the windows, another time we made some changes to the lighting, and this time we swapped out the front door!

I’ve really been looking forward to this update – the front door was one of the few “grandma” things that we still had going on in our house, and I couldn’t wait for something new!

Obviously, the first thing the door guys did was remove the old door – it came out in sections, with the door being taken out first and then the sidelites.

Things looked much worse before they started looking better.  I was a little concerned that the big notch in the wood floors wouldn’t be covered by the new threshold.  Luckily, it was.  :)

It was a rough day, supervising the job while I enjoyed the sunshine flooding in and worked from the couch!

The door guys picked up the door that we had selected from Seconds & Surplus – that’s where we’ve gotten the front doors for all of our flips, and we’ve loved all of them.  We originally fell in love with another door there but after we waited a few days checking measurements it had been sold (that’s the risk of a surplus store – they’ve only got what they’ve got, and no more).  We wound up finding the exact same door there, but it was in a higher grade of wood (solid walnut versus mahogany) and had upgraded glass – it was pricier than our original choice, but we really love it!

The new door is slightly taller and skinnier than our old door, so they had to make some slight modifications to both the door and the opening in the house.  We had checked everything out with the door guys before we bought the door, so they were prepared for the changes that needed to be made and they got right to work.  From what I gathered, they made the door slightly shorter, added some additional framing and casing around the door, and removed some unnecessary trim above the door opening to make the new door fit like a glove.

I knew I was really going to dig the door as soon as they started installing it.

It sat there, installed yet unstained and very unfinished, until our painting crew started work on the flip – then they took a turn at our house (over the course of 3 days!) to painstakingly stain the door and paint the new, wider casing.

Even the unstained front door looked better than the old one, and we got some compliments from the neighbors.

But once it was stained?  True love.

We stuck with our tried and true Dark Walnut stain by Minwax, with polyurethane in a satin finish.

We like that the door has an updated, more streamlined look as compared to our original, frilly door, but that it still looks traditional and fits in on our little ranch-style house.

We also really love the slightly obscured glass, and the fact that all of the glass is up high at the top of the door – the couch that we sit on all the time is in direct view of the front door, so we like having some privacy from the post man and everyone else that comes to the front door.

It doesn’t hurt that we’ve had buckets and buckets of rain lately (perhaps you heard about the tornadoes?), so the lawn and flowers are really popping out and helping our new front door make the house look snazzy.

Have you made any long-awaited changes to your house lately?  I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally be able to check “new front door” off the list!!

So far we’ve seen the great room (staging sources here), the dining room (staging sources here), the jack ‘n jill bathroom, the laundry room and the master bedroom (staging sources here) – so of course it’s time for the master bathroom!!

When we bought the house we could tell that the master bathroom had lots of potential since it was pretty large, but the layout was terrible and incredibly choppy.  The space was split into 6 rooms!!

You can see the original layout of the master bathroom in the floor plan below – 3 closets, a “wet room” with the shower/tub and toilet, a room with the sinks, and another room with a makeup vanity.  Talk about choppy!

To take full advantage of the footprint of the master bathroom, all of the walls had to come out (except the shell of the 2 connected closets, which were combined into 1).  The makeup vanity turned into another closet, and the original third closet turned into a huge walk-in shower!  (See how we came up with the new layout here).

Take a look for yourself at how it all turned out.

After the great room, I’m most envious of this bathroom (in particular the jetted tub).  What are your favorite features?

Okay, this is pretty much how things looked the last time we talked, right?

The bamboo floors are all dirty and nasty in these pictures, but today the flip was cleaned from top to bottom so they look oodles better (sorry, no pic of a clean flip yet!).

Lighting has been installed . . . loving how this sleek pendant looks in the dining room!  We originally ordered a pendant with a drum shade but I fell in love with this linear version – no worries, the drum shade went into the master bedroom.  :)

The patio is in the process of being scored and stained – hence the caution tape.

Can we pause for a moment and talk about how awesome my mom is?  Look at these leaded glass panels she made for the kitchen cabinets!!!  We asked for the same style as the panels she made for our house, and we think they really add something special to this kitchen.

Oooh, and the pendants were hung in the kitchen!  Remember the debate over how many pendants to have, and our saga when each different pendant we fell in love with was back-ordered?  Well, all that drama is behind us now and we’re super psyched over these pendants.  As you can see, we went with four of them and they’re basically a mercury glass look (more so when the pendants are on).  They bring a splash of black/dark gray to the kitchen that breaks up all of that white – something I didn’t realize it needed, but it looks great!

We discovered a little seam in the drywall on the ceiling near the fireplace, so the drywall guy whipped up this little plastic cocoon while he fixed it.

Here’s the drum shade in the master bedroom!  Personally, I like to sleep with a fan on in the bedroom, but I like the elegance the chandelier brings to the room – hopefully buyers will, too!

The master bath is finally finished!

I’m debating whether I like the shower or the tub better -  the shower is actually huge, which you can’t really see in this picture, but it extends about two feet further to the left behind the closet.

Mmmm, I think I would like every wall to be tiled in this marble/onyx mosaic tile.

Ooh, and the chevron patterned tile in the jack ‘n jill bath!!  Every time I see it I swoon a little bit more.  Each piece of tile was hand cut!  It boggles my mind.  In addition to every wall being tiled in that mosaic tile, I want every floor tiled in this chevron pattern.  Pretty please.  :)

And dual flush toilets!!  We’re feeling so very eco-friendly.  :)  Oh yes, and we plan on doing this, too.

The front door!!  I’m so glad we went ahead and replaced the old one.

This is the door after its first coat of stain – I’ll have to show you a picture later of how it looks now that it’s totally stained and sealed – soooo gorgeous!!

Oh, side note.  The new front door handle has now been installed.  I know this because we went by the flip late last night to turn on the alarm and we couldn’t get in.  Why would that be?  Because the guys installed the handle and then locked the keys inside.  Oh yes, good fun for all.  We thoroughly enjoyed the two hours we spent with the locksmith at 10:30 at night.

Anyhoo, we got new shutters, too!!  Even though it’s not even remotely architecturally correct, I decided to add shutters on either side of the bay window.  The nerve!  I think it looks better, but hopefully we won’t have any architecture buffs scoping out our little rancher.  :)

So that’s the latest update!!  How’s it looking to you?

Even if a home has all the bells and whistles, it still might be a terrible investment for you, or you might not enjoy living in it.  Here are some things you should look for when making an offer on a house:

1. A great layout or a layout that can be changed.

Very few things affect the way you live in your home like the layout.  We have passed on more beautiful homes than we can count because our future kids’ bedrooms would be on the other side of the house, or the master bedroom was in a tiny converted attic, or the wall couldn’t be taken down between the kitchen and family room because it backed to a fireplace.  Try to see past all the glitz and glamour of a home to feel how the layout would actually work for you (or a future buyer).

2. All the systems are in good basic condition.

Buying a house is expensive, period.  If you can, find a house that only needs cosmetic updating – since you’re unlikely to get your money out of replacing those leaking pipes.

3. The house has features that are important in that neighborhood.

Is the house in a family neighborhood where big backyards are a must?  Does every house on the block have an attached garage?  Even if these features aren’t important to you, the fact that they’re found in every house indicates that they’re important to most people in the neighborhood – as well as the people that will eventually be buying your house.

4. It’s in a good location.

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times – 90% of real estate is location, location, location.  But what does that actually mean?  The bottom line is that you should buy the worst house on the best block in the best neighborhood that you can afford (so long as that house doesn’t sit on the intersection of train tracks and the highway).

5. No prior renovations have been done (if you’re planning to do your own renovation).

If you’re a flipper, you don’t want to pay for someone else’s renovations – those renovations will cut into your profit (because you’re likely paying a higher price for the house), and you might have to re-do those updates because they’re outdated, done incorrectly, or are simply unattractive.  Scour neighborhoods for homes advertised as “needing updating,” “one-owner homes,” or “with original features.”  Those are the diamonds in the rough.

What considerations were important to you when buying your home?

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Hardware was installed on all of the doors . . .

I love these levers!!

The shower glass was installed – it totally changes the look of the master bathroom!

We also switched out the glass door on the shower in the 3rd bathroom – it was pretty nasty before, and looks soooooo much better now:

We didn’t go completely frameless on that door because we didn’t think it was worth the added cost, and I’m happy with that decision because this door looks great!

The last thing I saw before I left (to go on our annual shopping trip with my mom, sister and aunt) was this:

Woohoo!! I’m loving the 1 x 2 subway tile – it’s interesting but not too interesting next to the granite – don’t want too much competition!

And while I was gone Jason was sending me lots of updates, so I didn’t feel like I was missing too much of the action. He hauled over all 5 zillion of the boxes of bamboo so they could acclimate, and had a little help opening all the boxes from the tile guy’s kiddos – too cute!

And speaking of Ben, our tile guy, he’s been working magic with some travertine in the jack ‘n jill bathroom:

I saw it last night and the entire bathroom is almost finished – I’m dying over it!!

Is everything looking like you thought it would? Did you have a fab weekend, too?!?

P.S. It was a blast reading your comments on the Saturday Style post – thanks so much for your feedback and lovely words, I was so nervous about how that post would be received since it’s a big departure from the main discussions on this blog. You guys rock!!

Anyhoo, all of the counter tops have been installed!!!  We used 2 different companies for fabrication – one gave us a great deal on remnants for the bathrooms but were really high for the kitchen counter tops, so we used another company for those.

Here is the bar in the kitchen getting a few custom, on-site tweaks:

Sorry for the blurriness, but didn’t the island turn out gorgeous?

The back wall of kitchen cabinets:

A close-up of the granite (we went with the Kodiak, in case you’re curious):

Now on to the bathrooms – they’re all polished Mexican Noce travertine, and I’m really in love with them!

Here they are in the Jack ‘n Jill bath:

And being fitted for the master bathroom:

The counter top is pretty dusty, but you get the idea!

And the tile is finally starting to come together.  All of the trades have been in each other’s way, so it’s been slow going.

More travertine on the floor . . .

And that’s it for now!  Painting is supposedly finishing up tomorrow, with the bamboo floors going in on Friday.  Hmm, who wants to bet that doesn’t happen?  :)

I thought I’d start this series at the very beginning of the renovation process.  Before you buy the house, dream of the renovation, or pick up a hammer you have to plan.  Yes, it’s a four letter word and all that entails, but it’s an absolute must.

To me the most crucial part of planning a big ol’ remodel is constantly keeping in mind that above all it’s an investment.  Whether you’re flipping a house or buying your forever home, your renovation is doomed from the start if you sink money into the house that you can never get back out.

So here’s my tip of the week – make a good investment up front, when you buy the house.

How do you do that?  Here are a few pointers:

1.   Don’t overpay for the house.

It’s easy to fall in love with a house and get swept away with that “I have to have it” feeling.  Before you begin negotiations with a seller, set a limit on the amount of money you’re willing to spend on the house.  To come up with that “top number,” either do research on your own or talk to a realtor about what comparable homes in that neighborhood are selling for.  And if you’re a flipper, it’s especially important to avoid spending too much because you won’t have the benefit of time to naturally increase the value of the home.  When we buy flips, we know the absolute maximum amount per square foot that we can afford to pay and we use that as our benchmark – anything below that is a good deal.

2.  Be educated about what your renovations will cost.

I will talk more about this in later posts, but if you know from the outset that you will be renovating all or part of the home it is in your best interest to speak with a contractor about costs associated with the construction or, if you’re planning on doing the work yourself, then you should do some intensive research on what you can expect to pay for materials, fixtures, permits and any labor that you might need to hire out.  Do all of this research before you put in an offer.

3.  Have a solid idea of what the home can ultimately sell for.

What are renovated homes in the area selling for?  If you don’t know the answer to this question then put on the brakes and do some research.  It’s imperative that you know the value of the product you will eventually be selling.

4.  Keep in mind hidden expenses.

When you’re calculating the net profit you will make once you sell the house, keep in mind the hidden expenses such as realtor fees, carrying costs (mortgage, interest, PMI), closing costs, homeowners insurance, taxes and utilities.  It’s especially important if you’re flipping a house to keep track of these costs since they eat into profit very quickly.

Next week’s tip of the week . . . How to Pick the Right House.

We began by taking out the big, dead tree, and always planned on sprucing up the landscaping. But time went by and we realized that after all of the spiffing we were doing on the inside of the house, the outside just wasn’t going to measure up without some drastic measures.

So we decided to replace the dated shutters and French country front door (that is eerily similar to our own front door).

But, the price had to be right for the new front door – those suckers can be expensive, especially with sidelights!

We hit up one of our favorite haunts for affordable home renovation goodies and found tons of gorgeous doors – but they were all out of our budget. Feeling dejected, we wandered down one last row and found it – a beauty with sidelights that was . . . wait for it . . . on closeout!!

The sidelights even had beveled glass – be still my heart.

We weren’t sure if it would fit in the current front door opening so we asked our trim carpenter to scope it out – after a quick check he gave it the go ahead, but said the door would need some modifications to fit in the opening. Even after that added cost, it turned out that the door was still a fabulous deal so we bought it.

The trim carpenters had to cut off about 5 inches (total) from the sidelights and an inch and a half from the height of the door & sidelights.

Didn’t they do a fabulous job?

We are absolutely thrilled with how it changes the look of the house, and we can’t wait to get a coat of stain on that puppy!!

We need a better system.

The cabinets were being primed!!! And when we left, we got a glimpse of all of the interior doors being delivered:

Progress, I tell ya!

This morning before work, my mom snuck over there and snapped a few shots of how the flip’s looking right now:

The kitchen cabinets . . .

The shower in the jack ‘n jill bath . . .

. . . with an accent made out of the backsplash tile we had left over from the last flip.

And the master bathroom!

Let’s hope today brings just as much progress!