All Forum Posts by: Benjamin Ervin

Hi, sorry I didn't realize I never came back to update this!  We ended up selling this property for $165,000.  So we didn't get full asking price, though I think had we waited we may have gotten a little more.  We made the decision that at $165,000 there was plenty of profit and we sold to some people that we know, which makes it an even cooler experience!  They are still loving their home and regularly post pictures on Facebook!  

Hey everyone, sorry for the delay in responding.  Had a busy weekend celebrating birthdays with my oldest turning 6 and middle turning 4.  

Thanks to everyone for the positivity and feedback on this project.  

To address a few of the questions I saw, this house was funded using the money regained after the sale of our first property.  So we have used the same money for both deals.  We did not use a professional interior designer.  We also did not sell this house, we moved in and it is now our primary residence.  The tile in the master bath is a very dark gray slate - I believe its either 4 or 6 x 12.  The trim for the subway tile is actually to serve as more of a transition between tile and shiplap.  

 How did you feel that turned out quality wise?  Are they chipping?  We painted windows in our first flip and it was okay.  Not great, but better than the original.  The cost of windows in a hurricane zone is just so expensive.  Wondering if your contractor had any tricks of the trade or specific paint that worked well.  

Hi, Sherry.  Yeah honestly I took an unintentional sabbatical from BP not long after that post.  My youngest son has had ongoing medical issues over the past 2.5 years (basically his entire life - he will be 3 in July) and we were dealing with some pretty serious issues at the time.  We did sell that house pretty quickly, though! We sold for $165,000 and cleared just under $40k profit.  It was a great first deal! 

Hmm, I'm not sure where you saw that we bought new windows?  Perhaps I said we'd have bought new ones if we could've gone back in time and had a do-over! We did paint those windows, not replace them.  Windows are really expensive in a hurricane zone.  We wanted to replace them on this house but were quoted about $20k to do so. 

 I am clearly not an artist or even very good at drawing a straight line, so understand this is amateurism at its finest, but these before/ after sketches should give you an idea of the floor plan changes.  

 I am clearly not an artist or even very good at drawing a straight line, so understand this is amateurism at its finest, but these before/ after sketches should give you an idea of the floor plan changes.  

Geez BP really needs to fix this sideways picture issue.  If anyone knows how to fix this, please let me know.

@Jeff Goodale and @Robert Whitfield, for us it is all about managing a very fine line between functionality, style and cost.  Trying to hit on all three of those things is tough and requires making decisions not 100% of buyers will like or agree with.  We certainly considered whether to do all open shelving in the kitchen, a mix of shelving and boxes, or no shelving.  But ultimately we decided it was cost effective and stylish to do all open shelving.  We also built a new laundry room/pantry that didn't exist before as well as added a lot of storage in the newly built island.  Here are some pics of that.  

As for the countertops, they are concrete-look formica from IKEA.  I would highly recommend them to anyone rehabbing kitchens where granite may not make fiscal sense.  We have also used butcher block before as a substitute for very expensive granite or quartz.

 Thanks, Binny. I wish she could answer this rather than me, but I'll give it a shot.  My wife is really self-taught when it comes to design.  Of course, she likes Johanna Gaines and Leanne Ford is her favorite, but she really prides herself on being able to design any style vice just the type she likes most.  Our first project was a modern spin on a farmhouse style (which is very popular in our area).  She is designing a rustic Italian style Kitchen/Living area for someone now which is certainly not her style of choice.  The key I think is her ability to take what the house will give her and work within reason on footprint when/where it can be improved.  She likes to open up a floor plan if possible, really ensure the flow is functional and desirable for an end-buyer, and obviously focus a lot on kitchens and baths for wow factor. From there she makes sure to really define the style of design - this one was Mid-Mod.  So she does a lot of research on Pinterest and other sites to figure out where to be creative, and where to stay within the rules of design styles.  And then (her superpower in my opinion lol) she finds a way to achieve those high end looks on a budget.  We buy as little as we can from Lowe's or Home Depot to ensure nothing is cookie cutter. Some items are just inevitably better to get at box stores, but for finish items we try to look elsewhere.  

Not sure if I articulated this very well or it reads more like I am just rambling, but hope this helps! Good luck!

 I don't have any photos that really detail that.  Maybe I'll sketch something up and post it later.