All Forum Posts by: Cody Caswell

 This is great and we definitely encourage it to everyone! However it's just impractical for most flippers unless they're doing it at mass scale. We also find that most flippers are working with contractors who are not quite large enough to get deals from distributors.

Yes! We are currently buying in Austin (primarily flips). We also design projects for investors all across the US! Flips, STRs, and new developments.

The days of using Kitchen and Bath companies for the cabinets and countertops in your flips are over. There are just too many options available to go directly to the supplier!

Companies like DL Cabinetry and J&K Cabinetry ship RTA cabinets nationwide for a fraction of the cost of Kitchen and Bath companies. Plus, there are so many retail outlets where you can shop for countertops almost directly from the quarry. You just need the labor cost to install both of these - but even combined with the labor cost, it makes so much more sense to do it this way.

Kitchen and Bath companies are a wonderful resource for homeowners, and I'm sure some out there give super fair prices to investors! However, we've found that for the most part, shopping directly with these suppliers will save you so much money. They're pre-finished RTA, and it's usually only ~$100-150 per cabinet to install. VERY affordable!

Quartz is a little tricky, but for the most part, a slab of Calacatta will cost somewhere around $750-$1,250 depending on the grade and thickness. After the labor cost to install, it's so much cheaper to go this route rather than using the Kitchen + Bath company for materials and labor. At the end of the day, they're usually buying the products from the same outlets that you can!

Our goal for the projects we flip and the projects we design for other investors is to figure out how to get the same look at a fraction of the price. Curious to see what everyone else sees around the US. Is this accurate for your area as well?

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

You're correct that getting every detail involved right from the start is critical! It was my biggest problem as a GC. Having a rock solid SOW can prevent many of the issues that arise during any project. Every little thing in the project should be in writing, even down to the door stops :-) See my tile spec sheet below ...

Two problems with your post though - 

1) In my experience, most problems come from the customer changing their minds constantly. I've done a lot of projects with 40 Change Orders or more, I mean $5k, $10k, $40k COs! The Contractor is wrongly blamed for job over-runs when it is usually the clients fault. (In my experience. I know there are bad Contrs out there)

2) Also in my experience, the customer should not be involved in picking up materials, ever. Waste of time, huge room for error and zero reason for a customer to do this.....any Contractor worth his salt will have better pricing/quality/selection on the big stuff and will have guys on his crew that can do those dreaded 'parts runs' for the little stuff.

 Yes we definitely encourage everyone to STICK TO THE PLAN when renovating! It's easier for an investor to stay committed to the plan and avoid change orders than it is a regular homeowner. Investors typically want to stay within the original budget.The only way to do this is to stick to the plan and avoid COs!

I disagree with you regarding materials, however. We source and purchase all finish materials for our projects (lights/plumbing fixtures/etc). I think this totally depends on the investor and how many projects they are doing in a given year. If the investor is actively involved and can stay on top of materials, roll with it! Especially if you're doing enough volume to get good discounts on products. However if you aren't doing mass scale, we definitely suggest letting the contractor handle material purchasing.

Every flipper has found themselves at Lowe's for the fourth time in a single day, picking up yet another piece of material for a project. Most investors choose materials on the fly, right as their contractors need them. "Time to install lights? Great, I'll go to Lowe's today to get them!"

The problem with this is that:

1. You're wasting hours of your time driving and walking around stores looking for the right lights to fit in your project when you should be looking for more deals.

2. Your project will never turn out as good as it should because you are subject to what the stores have in stock at that very moment.

3. You're adding days to your rehab because your contractors are waiting on materials.

So, how do you fix this? One word - Preparation! There are two items that you need to completely solve this problem for your rehabs: properly built Design Boards and a Finish Schedule. After doing an audit on my time and realizing that I spent over 40% of my time shopping for materials, I knew I needed to find a better solution. So we created our system of fully designing homes before we ever swing a hammer on a project.

First off, the Design Boards. You've probably seen some of these before - basically, it's a visual representation of all of the materials that you'll be using for each room inside of the house. Plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, flooring, cabinetry - everything you are using for the project should be found on these design boards. These serve two purposes:

1. It ensures that each room will flow throughout the home. Using design boards, you can directly see the light fixtures contained in the kitchen next to the lights going over the vanities. If something is off, you'll be able to notice it BEFORE you ever order the products!

2. It gives visual confirmation of the project plan to everyone involved. If you contractor has a question about what tile is installed where, just check the design boards. No more getting your phone blown up with questions!

Next is the Finish Schedule. This is the true organizational and budgeting tool that every investor should be using for their projects. Essentially, the Finish Schedule is a spreadsheet that contains all of the product links, SKU numbers, quantities needed, and installation locations for every single piece of material that goes into your project. Once this spreadsheet is built out, there should be no more questions about the game plan for your rehab. Your contractor should know where to buy the materials, what quantity they will need, the price of them, and where/how they will be installed throughout the project. The Finish Schedule serves two vital purposes:

1. Holds the contractor accountable. If something gets installed incorrectly or in the wrong location, you have proof that it was their fault, not yours. The Finish Schedule should be so detailed to ensure that every question the contractor has, should be answered. If they mess something up, it's because they didn't check the Finish Schedule!

2. Allows you to STOP wasting time at Lowe's and Home Depot! Since you already know what materials are being used and you have the list right on your Finish Schedule, you just simply click and order. No more going to three different stores looking for the perfect faucet!

I know these can seem like a lot of work to create, and frankly, they are! We built over 70 of these for our clients last year alone. However, we have found time and time again that 10-20 hours of preparation on the front end can save you 50-60 hours during the renovation.

One of the areas we see investors needing the most design help in is bathrooms. Bathrooms are one of the most important areas of the home, so it is extremely important to get them right and make them stand out! A stunning bathroom can (and will) certainly make you stand out against the competition!

After designing 100+ projects in 22 states across the US, we've come across almost every type of home, ARV, and target buyer. However, even though every house, market, and buyer may be different, these few design elements work literally anywhere.

1. If you have double sinks, use double mirrors and a vanity light above each mirror! No single, long vanity lights or mirrors! Using the appropriate amount of lights and mirrors is a pretty low-cost way to really make the space feel custom.
2. Unique tile installation patterns such as vertical stacked or herringbone. These will catch a buyer’s eye in any market, and it's no extra material cost to do so! There may be a slight upcharge for labor, but it will be worth every penny.
3. Furniture-style vanities. These give bathrooms that extra-custom touch. I mentioned these in my last post, Design Trends for 2025. These are becoming very affordable from retailers like Home Depot and Floor and Decor, and they really set you apart from builder-grade homes!
4. Use these tips when designing your next flip - I hope they help!

As an investor trying to sell your flips, choosing design elements that the majority of homebuyers will love is important. However, that being said, it's just as important to make your flips and developments stand out from the crowd! Since house flipping has become so popular over the past few years, it's never been more critical to give your projects that extra *POP* that homebuyers will notice as they're swiping through Zillow. 

Each year, new design trends enter the market, and some others exit. Here are the newest trends we see entering the market for 2025, from a company that designs 50+ flips for investors nationwide.

1. Wooden, furniture-style vanities. This trend has continued since 2024, and buyers absolutely love them. White Oak color and Walnut color are the two main ones you want to focus on, depending on the rest of the design in the house! Giving something fresh to the bathrooms rather than just matching the kitchen cabinets really gives the space a custom feel.

2. Greige cabinets - think Gossamer Veil (SW 9165). The warmth that greige brings into a kitchen gives the space that "homey" feel. Buyers are falling in love with this!

3. Zellige tiles. These are extremely popular right now and can be used in showers or on backsplashes. Pro tip - Home Depot has a tile from Ivy Hill that looks exactly like Zellige for a fraction of the cost. Just the different brand name lowers the cost dramatically!

4. Champagne Bronze fixtures (NOT brushed gold). The gold color of Delta faucets, in particular. The yellowish brushed gold has had its cycle and has worked its way out. Buyers are loving the softness of Champagne Bronze, and we are using that color for lights, plumbing fixtures, and cabinetry hardware.

We find that these elements work no matter where you're located in the US, and no matter the ARV! Curious to see what other design elements you think will enter the market in 2025. Let me know in the comments!

Our company has designed over 100 flips for Real Estate Investors in 12 states, and one of the biggest mistakes that we see our investors (try to) make is always going BOLD with the design! Let me explain...

Houses naturally have an aesthetic to them when they are first built. Roof lines, window styles, and masonry/siding all play into this natural flow, and the biggest mistake you can make when designing your flips is not following the flow that is already present! Lots of investors simply want to go "bold" on all of their projects by using sharp color contrasts, busy tiles that catch your attention, and modern lighting that looks like it belongs in a hotel. I'm not saying that this isn't right for SOME houses, but it's definitely not right for all!

Check out the photos of this house we just designed in Central Texas. This home was located in a zip code that is notorious for its ultra-modern design (though those homes are still sitting for sale). We wanted this client's project to stand out, but a bold and modern aesthetic just didn't match the house. It may have looked good in photos, but something would have felt off! 

The house was naturally a transitional design with its arched windows, shutters, and white stone. Rather than try to make a round peg fit into a square hole (i.e., blend a bold design with a transitional home), we decided to highlight its natural style and create this simple yet showstopper design!

Nothing in this house just "pops" out at you. There are no crazy tiles, the countertops don't have aggressive veining, and there are no crazy accent walls in the living room. But, this house went under contract in 3 days for $20k over ask, with multiple competing offers, in an area where the average days on the market for newly renovated flips is 100+ days! The number one comment from all potential buyers was the design. Comments like "this area has nothing else like this" and "it just flows so perfectly from room to room" confirm that following what the house called, not what the area called, worked! Design matters in today's investing world, and it's so important to get that design right on your projects.

This is just one example of how bold designs are not always what's best for your flips! We have tons of other case studies just like this. What you should do is determine what story the house is already telling with its design and add onto it from there. We're here to answer any design questions you have - comment below and let us know what your favorite element on this project is!

Hey Robby! Great to meet you.

We source from four primary suppliers: Lowe's, Home Depot, Floor & Decor, and Amazon. Furniture is another story; we have tons of suppliers. However, for building materials, we get 99% of them from the four mentioned!