We are nearing the final design stages of my latest client project: a rustic farmhouse-inspired basement that is elegantly wearing three hats: family room/ playroom/ and office.
The space was divided by arranging the sofa and television-watching area so that the office and playroom are still integrated, but are each separate spaces. Now it’s time for the fun part: shopping and decorating!
The design elements in this article include affiliate links. I may earn a small amount if you choose to shop through these links. Thank you for you support and for helping me continue to bring you great design to customize spaces in your own home! ~Alyssa
My client, Michelle, loves to recycle and repurpose things, and she is planning to build some of her own pieces for this room (LOVE it!). I’ll share examples of what will complete the space here, in case you’re not quite as handy.
For your reference, here is the original Design Scheme for the room. A vintage Coca-Cola sign, and an existing red wall in the stairwell served as the inspiration for the design. Tan and navy are the core colors in the room, and red accents will pull it all together.
Behind the leather sectional sofa in the room, we are installing a tall, narrow, pub table with barstools. This will tie the space together, keeping the social flow of the large room, while allowing the sectional to create defined spaces for different purposes. Michelle’s father will likely build her this table, but here is my favorite example and different barstools that would go in the space:
Linen pillow covers and cozy blankets will soften the dark leather couch and keep the color scheme consistent through the spaces. A crate or basket filled with blankets next to the couch is a great way to make the space inviting and cozy! Michelle has a blanket ladder that will also be a great home for everyone’s favorite movie blanket.
The office space will be anchored by a large industrial desk. A supportive (and handsome!) tufted office chair is stylish but very functional. A tall coordinating bookcase brings visual height to the office area. Coordinating pieces are a great investment because they will move easily with you and work together in other homes.
The play area connects the office and living spaces. I like that aspect of this design because Mom, Dad, and kids can all be enjoying the space together, but doing different things without competing for attention or space. The vintage Coca-Cola sign that has inspired this design will also help tie in toy storage pieces that often come in primary colors. By adding some more sophisticated accessories to the play area, the kid space will flow seamlessly with the rest of the basement!
I’m so excited for this basement installation. Stay tuned for final pictures of the completed space.
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This month, I have had the privilege of working with my friend Michelle to design her basement. The process has involved digging into how her family uses the basement, what items need to remain in the space, and how she wants the space to feel when they are using the room as a family.
Originally, the basement was a large space, with finished walls and lighting- but no purpose or personality! It turned into a dumping ground for toys, and housed a comfy sofa and television, but was not the favorite destination for anyone in the family. This photo is a panoramic view of the space.
When designing a new space, start with FUNCTION. In this basement design, the room needed to serve three functions:
Family room where they lounge, watch movies, and socialize together
Playroom for her 2-year-old son so he has a dedicated space for toys while mom is working around the corner
Office space for her husband to have his computer, a great office chair, and storage for books, games, and personal items.
Next, take INVENTORY of the items that must stay in the space. In this project, the sectional sofa is new and non-negotiable. The TV also is staying in the room, as well as the toys.
LAYOUT is the most important component for me when I start designing a space. The layout of the room helps direct the people in it towards the areas they need to go. Layout can create social areas, work areas, and play areas- simply through the placement of furniture.
In this room, I knew we needed to add a desk and position the couch in a way that separated the room into smaller spaces. By putting the couch next to the support post (a feature in SO many basements!) we effectively have created two separate “rooms” within the large room.
I use a 3D room planning software to plan the layout of the room with accurate dimensions so it is easy to visualize furniture in the space (before you haul it across the house!).
This is layout proposal #2. The sofa fits perfectly in this layout, and still divides the room effectively.The first layout proposal for the sectional sofa. In reality, this didn’t fit like we wanted, so it was time for version #2!
It took two attempts to get the layout for this basement right- but the final layout is great. The sectional sofa fits on the right-hand side of the room, creating a designated space for lounging and movie-watching. The playroom space is visible from anywhere in the room, yet kids will know exactly where they toys go (and where they don’t!). The desk is tucked in around the corner to the left, creating a distraction-free work space with room for a bookcase and office supplies, but it is still integrated with the flow of the room.
Michelle and I had a great time working on the design scheme for this space, and now that the layout is finalized- it’s time to go SHOPPING!
In my Complete Room Design services, I offer layout, design scheme and mood board creation, and shopping list services that set you up for a successful design implementation (that stays IN YOUR BUDGET!). We start by discussing your needs, brainstorming a plan, and then you approve the layout and design scheme before I send you the final shopping list.
The Mood Board for this design was inspired by an old Coca-Cola sign that Michelle has, as well as her collection of cool items to feature in the design: an old saxophone, a candle holder from her wedding, and toy storage pieces for her son.
Using the Coca-Cola sign as a jumping off point, and wanting to tie in the current red paint on the staircase wall leading down to the basement, we landed on a navy/cream/brown color palette with accents of red. Keeping the red limited to accents in the room will prevent the space from feeling like an American flag!
Michelle likes rustic, farmhouse inspired design touches, so those will be brought in through pillows, wall art, and accessories.
I know what you’re thinking: A profitable home improvement project??!?! Stay with me for a minute. Home improvement and renovation projects can be expensive, intimidating, and complicated- but if you PLAN them the right way, you can feel confident that they will pay off in the end!
This 6-step planning guide walks you through my framework for planning every home improvement project I have ever attempted. This guide applies to DIY projects and major contracted renovations the same. If you walk through the steps (in order!) you can feel much more confident that you will be satisfied with the results of your project, as well as assured that you have invested money in your home in the best way possible. Today we will cover the first 3 steps, and follow up with the final 3 next time!
Step 1: Determine Your Home Value
Before starting a new home improvement or renovation project, let’s chat about your home value (and why that matters at all!). When you improve or change your home, you have the potential to increase (or heaven forbid, decrease!) the marketable value of the property. A new kitchen, improved curb appeal, or updated wall and floor coverings can all increase the amount of money you can ask for your home when you are ready to move. They also impact the appraised value of your home, in the case that you’re not moving but are more interested in re-financing a mortgage for a more affordable monthly payment.
The work you put in to your home can directly affect the equity you have in your home (how much the home is worth vs. how much you owe on your home loan).
You can use a simple tool like Zillow.com to get a rough estimate of the value of your home, as well as the potential added value of different home improvement projects in your local area. Look up your address on Zillow.com, and find the “Price this home” link near the estimated home value. By following the prompts, you can view similar recently sold homes in your area, as well as adjust the homes that are being used to estimate the value of your property.
You can also use a Realtor to help you determine the market value of your home, and gain insight into how different projects will impact your value. Before I start any big home improvement project, I check with my Realtor-friend, Laura. (Hi, Laura!!!) She sold us our current home, counseled me through our major renovation, and she will list this home to sell when we’re ready to move in the future. We have a great relationship, and I trust her insight and advice! (Go find a Realtor-friend. You won’t regret it!)
2. Determine your project budget
Next, let’s ensure that the budget you are planning for your project is in line with your projected home value once the project is complete. In other words, be sure you don’t invest more in a project that it is worth to you!
Zillow.com also provides estimates for the value you can add to your home by completing various projects. While these are not perfect dollar amounts, they are a good place to start if you have never calculated how much value a project can add to your home.
As a rule, I try to keep the cost of renovation projects as FAR beneath my desired home value as possible! I see this as a way to make our home ownership journey as profitable as possible. If I can add $10,000 of value to my home and the project only costs me $8,000- I go to sleep knowing that I’ve earned the future-me $2,000! My house is a real estate investment, and I hope to see a profit when it is time to move. (And in the meantime, I get to enjoy living in my updated space!) Win-Win!
For your project, set a max budget based on the added value you hope to gain as a result of your work, rather than looking at the financing you have available at the time. This will keep your budget on track and help ensure your project is strategic and profitable in the end.
Check out my Pinterest board all about ways to Add Value to Your Home!
Step 3: Inspiration
Yay, now for the fun part! I know it is tempting to start here, and you probably already have lists of boards and bookmarks of gorgeous home spaces that inspire you. (I know, I have those lists, too!) But I strongly encourage you to start with steps 1 and 2 before you commit to a specific project. At least once you should determine your home value and get a clear understanding of how different home improvement projects will impact the value and marketability of your home.
There are so many places to get inspiration and step-by-step guides for every flavor of home improvement project you can imagine. As you may have guessed, Pinterest is my favorite, as I am a visual AND a verbal learner- and I like to be able to read posts and sort through images at the same time. I also like that Pinterest helps me find articles that are very popular with other homeowners, as I like knowing that the advice I read is vetted before I pin it!
One last chunk of advice here: try to keep your design plans in line with the style and the “feel” of your home, as well as with popular trends in your area. Remember: the ultimate goal is to improve BOTH the life you live in your house now, AND increase the value of your house for your future sale or refinance. (Unless you have loads of cash to waste, or you plan to live in your house FOREVER- then do what you want!…. but neither of those situations describe my personal home ownership philosophy!)
What to look for when you buy a fixer upper (and a free house hunting worksheet!)
House hunting can be one of the most exciting and the most stressful tasks in your life. You get to consider lots of different types of homes, maybe in a new neighborhood or a new city, where you imagine creating memories with friends and family. New beginnings are important milestones in our lives; however, this experience can also feel incredibly overwhelming. You might feel like there are a million details to consider, lots of moving parts, and the persistent stress that you will never find the RIGHT house, in your budget, where you can be completely confident in your purchase (and what a huge purchase it is!!!).
As you may have read before, (and I’ll tell you again and again!), I urge you to seriously consider buying a fixer upper when it’s time for you to buy your first home or your next home. There are SO MANY benefits to buying a less expensive house and investing your budget in upgrades and improvements that make it your own. When you split your budget between purchase and improvements, you have more control over your budget, you can customize your home, take more pride in it, build equity in your investement, and improve the value of your neghborhood (to name a few!).
So, you’re ready to start shopping for a fixer upper? Awesome! Congrats, and don’t stress. I’m here to help! When you’re starting your home search, there are some basic qualities to consider to help you find the perfect fixer upper for you. I created a worksheet to help guide your home search- you can download it now (or at the end!) and follow along:
At the most basic level, a house performs multiple functions for you and your family. Sleeping. Cooking. Eating. Resting. Working. Playing. When you are looking at new homes, keep track of the square footage when you walk through them, and compare the feel of the spaces inside different homes you have visited. Unless you are prepared to manage a massive renovation project that includes an addition, square footage inside the home is probably not something you will be changing about this house. Do you have an idea of roughly the amount of space you need for the life you want to live? It is helpful to have a rough idea of the square footage that wil work for you when you are house hunting. This helps your realtor show you the most appropriate homes, and it helps you compare apples to apples.
Location
It’s true what they say: Location! Location! Location! This is the one thing about your house that you really can’t change. I advise strongly against falling in love with a house before you really understand the location. It won’t matter if you have the perfect house if you hate the location or don’t feel safe in the neighborhood. Some questions to consider:
What is the school distrcit (if you have kids or are planning to have them someday!)?
What is the community like? Is there a neighborhood association? If you attend an open house- consider walking the neighborhood and chatting with anyone you meet outside, or ask other house hunters at the open house what they know about the area.
What types of amenities are closeby? What is in walking distance? Biking? Drving?
What will your commute to work be? To the gym? The grocery?
How do the nearby house values compare? Use a tool like Zillow (or your realtor!) to check out the trend in home prices over the last few years. Are they increasing? If they have been rising or steady, you can feel more confident that you’re investing in a good area. If home values are falling or stagnant, ask your Realtor for advice, and maybe consider another area.
Is this the “right” location for you? Drive around the area during the day, and also at night. Do you feel safe? Is this a place where you feel like you could “come home?” The “right” location means something different to everyone. Just be sure to not ignore the surrounding area when you are considering a house!
Quality of big ticket items
There are several “big ticket” items on a house to pay attention to when you are hunting for a fixer upper. These are things that can obliterate your renovation budget before you even get started! Be sure to ask your Realtor, and absolutely discuss with the inspector after you have an offer accepted, for their professional opinion on any and all repairs that need to be made. Here is a list to help you assess a home on your first walk-through. These items are included on the House Hunting Worksheet for you, too!
Look out for the following (as applicable to your area):
Foundation (are there cracks? Water? Does it appear level?)
Evidence of water damage (Brown spots on the ceiling? Sagging wallpaper?)
Age and quality of roof (Do the shingles look new? How many layers are there?)
Sloping floors (Inside the house, do the floors feel solid and level?)
Sagging ceilings (Can you see any areas where there is sagging/unevenness?)
Windows (How old are they? Do they seem to insulate well?)
Heating/Cooling systems (How old are they? Do they work?)
None of these items on their own is necessarily a deal-breaker, but (depending on the purchase price of the hosue and your planned renovation budget, they may be outside the scope of your project.)
Layout of the space
This is something to consider as you walk through the home: Does it “feel” right? Not everyone has the same knack for spacial awareness, but try to imagine your family living in the space. Ignore the colors, the finishes, the ugly carpet…. How would you LIVE in this home? For example: my family spends most of our time in the kitchen and living room, cooking, eating, and playing with my young children. I knew we needed a large kitchen with room for guests that had great visibility into the living room. When we looked at houses- If the kitchen and living room were on opposite sides of the house, I immediately knew that it woldn’t work- no matter the size of our renovations. This is a less tangible quality of houses- and may be something you can’t quite put your finger on- But don’t ignore it! If a house has the right “feel” and you can imagine the life your family would lead in the space, it has great potential as a fixer upper.
Scope of general renovations needed
Finally, let yourself dream about what the house will look like when you have ompleted renovations and you’re ready to move in. Make a simple list of the projects you would like to complete in order to make that dream a reality. Some items to consider including:
Floors (what kind? how much?)
Walls (what treatment?)
Windows (how many to replace?)
Light fixtures (how many?)
Kitchen
Change layout
Refinish existing cabinetry
New cabinetry
New appliances
Bathrooms
How many?
New layout?
Update fixtures
Very basic upgrades (faucets, etc)
Floorplan
Will you want to move/remove any walls?
Are there structural changes involved?
Are you adding non-structural walls?
While you may not know much about construction or renovation costs right now, this general idea of what you would like to accomplish in a home will be very helpful when you are at the point of disucssing your plans with a contractor (before you actually buy the hosue!). If you know the work you want to complete in a house, you can get estimates of the cost of renovations and be confident that you’re making the best purchase for you and your family.
As you look at more homes, keeping track of the same information for each home will let you compare them and make the best decision for you. Using this checklist will also help you to use your time walking through a house the most efficiently and effectively- looking at houses can be overwhleming and all the hosues start to blur together. This checklist will help you stay organized from the start and keep track of it all!
Are you considering buying a fixer upper? Are you worried that it is….
Too risky?
Too much work?
Too much of an inconvenience?
Too stressful?
Too messy?
I’m here to tell you that, in my experience, it is DEFINITELY worth it to buy and renovate a fixer upper, and that you CAN handle the project! You can read all about my story of home renovation and see the Before & After photos of our current home on the About page.
Consider this post the pep talk I would give you if we went out for coffee to chat about all things fixer uppers and renovations (my favorite coffee topics!).
Need a pep talk before buying your first fixer upper? Here are 20 reasons you should take the leap! – Click to Tweet!
Here are 20 reasons you should consider a fixer upper when you’re ready to buy a new home, in no particular order:
1. You’re the boss of your money
When you find, buy, and improve a fixer upper- you are deciding how you want to spend your money at every step of the way. From deciding on your maximum purchase price for a distressed home (you can usually bargain for these!), to choosing your mortgage program and shopping for the best rates, to selecting your finishes on cabinetry and appliances: you are in charge of every penny that you invest into this home. If you are on a budget, or a control freak about your money (good for you- I am, too!) then a fixer upper is a great way for you to feel empowered in your home ownership journey.
2. There are lots of tools to help you stay organized
It is true that buying and renovating a fixer upper is a complex process that will take time, perseverance, and attention to detail. BUT- there are so many resources available to help you manage this project every step of the way! When you commit to managing this process, you are investing in your future (and your finances) in a big way. It is worth a little extra management and organization on your end to create the home of your dreams. Here are some great printable and online tools to help you stay organized: (NOTE: These are NOT affiliate links. I just want to show you some awesome tools available to you right now!)
One of the biggest things I hear that scares people away from a home renovation is how much time it will take, and that they don’t think they are willing to endure the experience. All I have to say to them is that time will pass anyway. Depending on the scale of your project, it might take 1, 3, or 6 months to complete. In half a year- do you want to be living in a new home that is customized to you and your family? Or will you look around and wish that you had gotten around to improving your home- still living in the imperfect space that you are in right now? As with any big undertaking, home renovation takes time. But it will not last forever! Next year will be here in less than 12 months, and we all have the same 12 months to accomplish something.
Here is a peek into the construction process of the kitchen and dining room in our fixer upper! You can accomplish a LOT in 6 months!
4. A fixer upper can fit into any size budget
No matter what your home purchase budget looks like- there is a way that you can accomplish a home purchase AND home renovation project within that amount. If you have $100,000 to spend on a new home- instead of looking at homes with listing prices between $90-$110,000… start your search looking at homes listed for $75,000! A higher purchase prices does NOT always mean you’re buying a better house. Houses are listed according to market value, as well as the value assigned them by the current owner. When you begin looking at homes in a slightly lower price bracket- all sorts of options arise! At a lower price- you might find a larger house than you thought you could afford, but with fewer bathrooms, or maybe a kitchen from the 1970’s. Or you may discover a smaller home than you were looking for, but in a better neighborhood. When you look for homes that are NOT move-in ready, you will likely have less competition as a buyer, and more room in your budget to dedicate to improving the house. The way you allocate your budget will be unique to the property and the cost of improvements it needs, but any size budget can be split between home purchase and renovations.
Less than a year after we purchased our fixer upper and started renovations, we now enjoy a kitchen that before we only dreamed of!
5. You deserve to live in your dream home
Let’s be honest, buying a home is likely [one of] the largest purchase[s] you will EVER make. We’re talking about tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on ONE THING! I don’t know about you, but there is nothing else in my life that I will invest so much money in as I have in a home. We finance it, insure it, clean it, improve it, and hope to create equity in our homes.
You get one life to live; you deserve to live in a home that is PERFECT for you and your family. – Tweet this!
Maybe that home is a converted vintage camper (which would be an awesome investment and follow the same philosophy of buying a fixer upper that applies to any other home!), or maybe that is a run down farmhouse, or maybe it’s a converted loft space in a city. No matter where you live- your home is the base camp for your life, and you deserve for it to be a direct extension of your values and your style.
6. It’s worth it!
The end result of buying a fixer upper and renovating a home is a priceless thing. You get to come home to a place everyday that you know inside and out, a home that you have customized to meet the needs of your family, a home that you can truly call your own! Any stress or inconvenience is temporary, and the satisfaction and joy of living in YOUR house will last as long as you call it home.
7. You get to customize the life you want for your family in your home
Home design and improvement are about so much more than construction and renovation. Managing a fixer upper and making improvements to your home gives you the chance to really dig in to what you need in a house, discover what functions your house performs for you and your family, and make those things a reality through intentional and smart design choices. For example, my family likes to keep shoes out of our house, and in our last home the entrance to our home opened directly into the living room. There was ALWAYS a pile of shoes by the door to trip over. When we designed our fixer upper, I made sure that we prioritized space for a mudroom with lockers, a bench, and a tile floor for wet shoes. This space (a simple design choice!) has completely reduced the stress associated with our back door, and makes me happy every day! When you make design choices in a home renovation, you get to create a home that really works for your lifestyle.
We now have a mudroom that perfectly meets the needs of our family. (This was originally a dysfunctional entrance to a poorly designed kitchen.) See the little shoes all tucked away? =)
8. There is no better time to make improvements to your home
When you are already moved in to a house, the amount of inconvenience a renovation causes is even greater. There is dust, mess, workers in your home daily, and a disrupted schedule for everyone in the house. When you renovate a home before you move in, you have the chance to take care of LOTS of projects without the inconvenience of living through a renovation. My suggestion would be to complete AS MUCH work as you can before you completely move in to the house. We saved our basement renovation for last on our current home. We hadn’t decided if we would hire it out or DIY the big stuff…. Now we have been living in our home for one year, and we are starting to feel settled. I know the basement needs to be finished, but we will have to drywall, paint, and tile to make the space work for our family- that means hauling all the materials through my brand new dining room and kitchen to get to the basement! (Arrgh!) The renovation will TOTALLY be worth it, and we are glad we ultimately decided to DIY the space- BUT it would have been SO MUCH EASIER to complete the project before we finished the rest of the house and moved in.
Excavating 90 year old pipes and updating the laundry plumbing was the first step in our basement renovation. Buying a fixer upper lets you take care of big projects before you move in, and make the space perfect for you starting at Day 1.
9. Build equity in your home: Short term gains
This is probably my favorite and most compelling reason to tackle a fixer upper. By buying a house for less than market value and making key improvements to the space, you can increase your equity position in the house and make a considerable profit when it comes time to sell and move. For instance: You buy a house for $100,000 and invest $50,000 in renovations (update the kitchen, paint, flooring, and add a mudroom). Now your home appraises for $200,000, and you have roughly “earned” $50,000 by investing in your home. You can then refinance to a more competitive mortgage program, or even access a home equity line of credit to finance another project. Nowhere else, other than our fixer upper, have I ever been able to increase my initial investment by that amount in just one year!
10. Long term value and investment
No matter what house you buy, let’s assume you plan to live there for at least five years. If you buy a house at the top of your price range, there is likely no money “left” to invest in renovation projects. Houses rarely just improve in market value by large spikes all by themselves (unless you score big and land in a hot growing neighborhood RIGHT before it gets hot! Don’t count on this.) At the end of five years, your home will probably be in about the same condition as it was when you bought it, give or take some small projects along the way. You may get your money back, plus inflation, if your neighborhood has decent competition and your neighbors haven’t radically renovated their homes in the meantime! If you buy a fixer upper and make the *right* improvements for your home and for your neighborhood- your home will continue to increase in value and keep pace with (or outpace!) your neighbors’ homes now and into the future.
11. You can access special mortgage programs to achieve your goals.
Are you concerned that you have be able to buy a house, but you’ll never be able to finance a renovation? Don’t fret- that’s just not true! Now, I can’t say that financing a purchase+renovation is the right choice, or even an available choice, for EVERYONE; but I can tell you that you have more options than you probably know when it comes to financing a fixer upper. For instance, there is a federally insured home mortgage program called the FHA 203(k) mortgage. It is designed specifically to help entry-level home buyers afford to buy a home AND finance renovations to make the home perfectly yours before you move in. This is the program we used in 2015 to finance our home purchase and renovation. Every county in the USA has a maximum borrowing limit, and all you need to know to get started is your max borrowing power and how you can allocate those dollars towards your fixer upper! In Chicago, for example, the max amount is $365,700; in Grand Rapids, Michigan it is $271,050. As long as your purchase price + renovation budget = your max amount or less, You’re All Set! This program also only requires a 3.5% down payment so you can use your cash for other necessities during your moving process.
Yes, I know I am simplifying this a bit. But it does not have to be as complicated as you may have been led to believe. There are LOTS of components to consider when you are financing a home purchase. Many programs are largely overlooked, and I want you to know that you have options! Your mortgage lender MAY NOT tell you about all of them, or be familiar with them, so be sure you ask a lot of questions and advocate for yourself at every step.
If you have more questions about financing, don’t hesitate to send me a note to let me know that you want to know more!
12. Get into a better neighborhood/school district
By looking for a house on the lower end of your budget, and potentially buying the house that nobody else wants (that’s what we did!), you can find a home in a nicer neighborhood that you may have considered before. Or you might be able to move into a school district/county/you-name-it of your dreams without paying as much for the move-in-ready property next door.
When you house hunt for a fixer upper, let yourself be creative and flexible. You don’t have to find the PERFECT house to buy, you just have to find a house that WILL BE perfect!-Tweet this!
You can rely on a friend, your Realtor, or even our Facebook group to bounce around ideas and share your plans for a potential home purchase.
13. It is a great learning experience
There is no doubt about it, I know so much more about construction, home design, home ownership and home maintenance, and even my personal project management skills today than I did two years ago! If you are the type of person who loves to learn, then renovating a fixer upper is just the experience for you. At every step of the project: you will learn about your home, about the types of skills needed to improve and maintain your home, and the different professionals who make career from working on homes. You will also meet so many different people in your area who help you through the process- consider this one of the best networking experiences you can find!
14. More proactive home ownership experience
If this is your first time owning a home, you will quickly learn that there is ALWAYS more work to do around your home. Home maintenance can be a large job, and it doesn’t help when you feel like issues keep “surprising” you around every corner. During a renovation project, if you are as proactive and involved as I suggest, you will learn about your home from the studs to the foundation. There is no other time when you can learn so much about the walls and roof that protect you than when you have things “opened up” during a renovation. You will learn about things to look out for and what is “normal” in your home from the professionals who you work with during your renovation. You can also call on the network you develop when things go wrong or when you have another project to start! This is your home, and you should be the expert.
15. More confidence in the construction and maintenance of your home
After our feel more confident in the electric, plumbing, insulation, windows, gas lines, appliances, and structural support in my 1925 home than I would in a brand-new property. I have seen INSIDE the walls, I know what types of pipes my water is coursing through, I know the electric outlets are all wired correctly, and I have seen the massive support beam that holds up the second floor! I know my home inside and out, and I feel prepared to continue to take care of it for years to come.
16. Pride of Ownership
When you have participated in the creation of something, there is an entirely new level of ownership and pride that comes with that experience. After completing a renovation project on a distressed home, you can enjoy an increased level of pride in having accomplished something truly awesome! Not only will you have a house that is updated and beautiful, you will have created a place to welcome family and friends to make memories with you that uniquely suited for them. You can be proud of your accomplishment and feel great about the home that you have created.
17. Improve the value of your neighborhood
Often, a home that is well-suited to be purchased as a fixer upper is dragging down the market values of the other homes in the area. When you buy a fixer upper for a value, spend your time and energy improving the inside and the outside of the property, and live in the home as a responsible homeowner- you improve the values and the appeal of the ENTIRE neighborhood! There is proof that neighborhoods with well-maintained homes encourage higher levels of care for all of the other homeowners in the area- improving the safety and the quality level for the entire neighborhood.
I know that this isn’t the most important perk to every home buyer, but I appreciate the chance to choose the finishes in my kitchen, bathrooms, floors, and walls. The colors and textures that surround you in your home create a space that reflects your personality and is unique to you and your family! By purchasing a fixer upper and spending time and money upfront to improve the home- you get the chance to update as much as you like, to JUST the right colors and textures, often for MUCH less than if you were to make improvements 1 by 1 later on in your time in the house. If shopping for so many items for your home is intimidating, (or sounds like a chore!)- don’t worry! You have help 😉 Check out my design and home renovation management services to help you every step of the way.
19. You don’t need to overpay for an imperfect finished product or someone else’s design choices
This was one of the most appealing perks of buying a fixer upper for me and my family. When we were house hunting, we continually found homes that were at the top of our price range which had been updated in the last 10 years, but they just never *felt* right. The kitchen design was impractical, or the bathrooms were in our least favorite colors (so. much. brown), or there was new carpet installed on top of old hardwoods (we love wood floors!). It felt like a wasteful purchase to pay top dollar for elements in the home that we would want to remove or change. When you buy a distressed home, you can be sure that you are not wasting any of your home buying budget on the current finishes in your property- you pay the minimum amount possible for the home (since you hopefully won’t have competing offers!), and then use the rest of your budget to update it according to YOUR preferences.
20. You have lots of support. You’re not in this alone!
At times, I have felt very discouraged and isolated by the (American) stigma to not discuss money, investments, or real estate in a community setting. These topics, like church and politics, are seemingly only appropriate to discuss with your significant other, or with a professional. We are a very private culture when it comes to personal finances, and this isn’t always helpful when you are starting out or considering taking a calculated risk in your real estate ventures or your investment plans. In fact, our tendency to not talk about money makes it even harder for new home buyers to feel confident in their choices because they have no one to talk to! Luckily for you, we found each other, and you don’t have to do this alone! I have a Facebook group where all of us can candidly discuss home buying and renovating, and I’m here for you, too! I am officially welcoming you to this home improvement community where home buyers and homeowners just like you are working together on our fixer upper journeys to create the homes of our dreams. You CAN handle a fixer upper, and I will be by your side, all the way 😀
If you have checked out the progress pictures of our fixer upper (on the ABOUT page!), you have seen the original state of our 1925 Tudor in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The home had been rented for almost a decade and was in SERIOUS need of attention. It was NOT move-in ready, and I was pregnant with a three-year-old in tow, and so we spent 4 months before we moved in undertaking a major renovation project to inject style, function (and love!) into this forgotten gem of a house. Here is a quick glimpse at the kitchen cabinets (falling off the walls), sunroom with leaking windows and moldy carpet, original master bathroom (it was SO TINY!) and main living room. The home screamed potential, but just wasn’t a good fit for our family…. YET.
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I’m so glad you’re getting started on improving the life and the value of your home!
Hi! I’m Alyssa Turner Cairns. Welcome to my site- where I hope you find inspiration, motivation, and education to help you create the home of your dreams! I believe that you deserve to live in a space that is perfect for you and your family. I’m looking forward to seeing your projects and working with you in the future!
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The old kitchen was converted into a mudroom, half bath, and dining space. Function was the name of the game when I designed those spaces, and style took a backseat. The dining room ended up being a VERY narrow space due to the placement of the back door, the refrigerator in the kitchen, and the plumbing components we needed to hide in the walls. We relocated the half-bath so it is tucked away out of nightlines from the living space, and added a wall to create the mudroom. That space is a lifesaver and one of my favorite places in our house.
You can see how the dining room has one small window and opens at one side to the stairway as well as the entrance to the mudroom and back door on the other side. The radiator forces me to keep the table offset in the room for the safety of our diners. This room is also open to the kitchen. It just felt like a big hallway with a table plopped in the middle.
While the function of the mudroom and half bath are perfect for our family- I just wasn’t in love with the dining room! I love the chandelier, the exposed banister we added, and the windowsill trim. It was time to take it further and get inspired….. You can check out all of my inspiration links as well as some great tutorials on my Dining Room Style Pinterest board.
Introducing: Board and Batten! This is a traditional wall paneling look that usually involves boards (large panels on top of your wall) and battens (the strips that cover the seams and hold it all together). When I asked my contractor for a quote – he came back with an estimate for over $4,000 to finish the dining room and the kitchen island. (NO THANK YOU!) Back to the awesome resource that is Pinterest and the experiences of other home improvement DIY bloggers.
This isn’t a DIY Tutorial blog- there are countless ways to achieve style in your home that fit your budget, your home, and your skill level. Thanks to the tutorials from other bloggers I have saved on my board- I decided on a plan. I opted to skip the panels because our walls are in pretty good shape, and go for a faux-board-and-batten by adding the trim pieces and painting it all white.
Thanks to the stories of the bloggers I have pinned, I knew some complications to look out for and a general idea of the look I wanted to achieve. (I still spent WAY too long at the home improvement store trying to decide on the material that would be the best for our home!)
Ultimately, I chose to use pine boards in several widths that would mimic the look of our original window sills and trim in our 1925 home. We have tried to stay true to the original details of the house throughout our improvement projects, and the dining room was no exception! I had to use dry wall screws to attach the pine boards to the wall because nails were NOT going to work- our walls are not 100% straight, and the pine was so hard and brittle that it pulled away from the walls almost immediately. I compensated for gaps with liquid nails, sandable putty, and silicone caulk, and covered everything in 3 coats of paint! (whatever gets you to the finish line is OK by me!) I opted for WHITE semi-gloss paint because I want to be able to scrub it in case it gets food/paint/crayon/chair scuffs on it (which it will!).
The whole project costed LESS THAN $200, and took me 4 days- 2 of those days my husband was able to watch our kiddos, the other two I relied on preschool and a play date to help me steal away a few hours to work 🙂 I also had to go to the store 4 times, which added some hours to the total project time. In the future (when I apply this same treatment to our kitchen island!), I will be much quicker at the store, I’ll save time figuring out what hardware will work best, and I’ll be more confident with my saw cuts. Here’s hoping my next board and batten adventure is even quicker and just as satisfying.
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I am SO happy with the finished product. Our dining room has the foundation of the farmhouse/1920’s style that we want to be consistent throughout the space. My next details will be to paint the walls a darker shade of gray (likely Sherwin Williams Dovetail), swagging the chandelier over to the left to create a larger walkway on the radiator side of the room, and adding an upholstered bench (where there are folding chairs in the photo) for more comfy seating against the wall. The room feels bigger, more grounded, and so much more intentional than before. Bye-bye hallway, HELLO gorgeous formal dining room!
Have you struggled to help a room figure out its purpose? What room in your house needs a quick injection of STYLE to make it really come into its own? Share with me in the comments, or head over to our Facebook Group and show us your Before&Afters!!!!!
If you’re looking for some guidance and support as you work through home improvement projects- check out the FREE course: Design the Home of Your DREAMS. This course will help you get super clear about what you NEED and WANT in a home, and show you how to make a plan to make your dream home come true. Enroll TODAY!
When you walk through your front door, do you fall in love with your home again every time?
Or, like many of us, do you just rush in, trip over the pile of shoes by the door, throw your keys on the cluttered kitchen counter, and sigh because your house is just another frustration in your already busy and hectic life?
i understand, and i want to help you love your home!
Before I had the experience of managing a home renovation and planning a major home improvement project- I felt the same way. I didn’t know what was wrong with my house, and it seemed like I would never figure it out. Over the last few years, I’ve focused intently on what it means to optimize my home for myself and my family- and I want to help you figure it out, too!
Because I have a background in education and teaching, I wrote you a course! 😉 Each module includes an activity to help you understand your home in a new way, and by the end of the course- you should have a clear definition of what HOME means to you, a list of the minimum requirements you have in any house, and a direction to go with your design plan that will make you obsess over living in your home.
We’re all in this together!
This course is also supported by a free Facebook Group where we are chatting about all-things-home-improvement, and sharing before and after stories of our latest projects! Come on in and join the discussion. I can’t wait to see what you’re working on!
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