Feeling Blue

I'm definitely not your standard house flipper.  Most house flippers would rip out an ugly blue bathroom and replace it with something neutral.

I spend hours ripping out blue tile only to plan on installing new blue tile on the floor.  I swear, I have a reason, though!  One of my goals with this house is to stay true to the history of this 1960s house, while also making it modern and chic.  Blue is a part of this house's story and I kind of dig it.

It all started with the floor tile.

Once I ordered the tile, everything else just started to fall into place around it.

1.  Portfolio vanity light from Lowe's

2.  Light gray paint above white board and batten.  The board and batten serves 2 very important purposes: 1- the scale of it will help the room feel larger, and 2- it will cover up the damaged walls from the old tile and bad renovations.

3.  Threshold shower curtain from Target with just a touch of blue.  This ties the room together and adds a pop of print.

4.  IKEA HEMNES cabinet and sink (I'll fancy it up with different knobs, naturally).  This is not as deep as most standard vanities which is ideal for this space.  Also with legs that raise it up off the floor, it gives the illusion of more floor space, and therefore a larger room.  When I'm done with this bathroom, it'll feel 3 times bigger than before it met my sledge hammer!

5.  The tile.  Oh, the tile.  I'm kind of in love with it and I hope whoever buys the house from me gets it too.  I ordered these EliteTile Retro mosaics in light blue from Wayfair.  The bathroom needed blue in it still... it told me.

I'll be doing the floor tile and board and batten install myself, but the contractor needs to take care of a few things before that happens.  He should be getting started this week, so I'm hoping that next week I might be able to dig in on the bathroom finish work!

So what do you think... am I crazy to bring blue tile back?

Grover: Week 4

I hope you enjoy these weekly updates as I learn to navigate through the business of flipping houses.  Check out  more about this flip, Grover, or check out posts about our last flip HERE. Even though I feel like I'm crawling on this flip, I guess if you compare it to the last, I'm a bit ahead.  With Frankie at this point, I only had demo done.  With Grover, yes, I have demo done, but I also started some finish work.... and it felt good!

All 3 bedrooms have nice new white paint on the ceiling and 2 of the bedrooms already have new lights!

My paint strategy is ceiling, trim, then walls last.

I have determined, however, that ceiling painting is dangerous for me.  I apparently have the habit of not looking where I'm going and getting into trouble.  Last time it was stepping in the paint tray, this time I somehow managed to catapult the stirrer and paint UP my leg.  That takes talent (or a complete lack of grace).

And since I finished all 3 bedroom ceilings, I've already moved onto priming trim in the first bedroom!  I'm crossing my fingers that the trim here will require less coats than the last house since it's been painted, but I'm already finding the prep to be worse.  Yes the trims already been painted, but it's been painted MANY times, and BADLY.  Before I can even commence priming, I need to scrape it and sand it, and even then it's not as smooth as I would ideally like. Oh well.

It feels a little strange to be painting when the other side of the house is utter chaos, but the way I figure it, it will be a lot easier to paint the bedrooms and hallway before the hardwood floors get refinished.  The floors aren't starting yet, though, since the contractor needs to take down the wall first, but that's starting mid-next week.  I. Can't. Wait!  I'm also cautiously optimistic about the contractor that I'm using- a recommendation from our electrician.  The contractor on the last house did a decent job, however let's just say, our personalities didn't mesh....

Yeah, so that 'utter chaos' that I mentioned?

I only have a very small path to get through currently.  I'm thinking it's dumpster time!  Especially now that the kitchen's completely removed.

I almost wish you could smell this room through your computer.  Almost.  If you could, you'd probably hate me for it... its disgusting.  Thankfully it's been nice enough to open windows and air it out, but I have come to the conclusion that whoever installed the cabinets 30 years ago smoked and had non-house-trained pets.  Removing the cabinets released all those lovely, smack-you-in-the-face-when-you-walk-in smells.

Aside holding my nose and effectively covering myself in paint this week, I also repaired the garage door springs (with Handy Dad's help) and ordered the tile for the bathroom floor.  Even though the smashy smashy is fun, my designer side is just giddy about the new finishes!  I'll be sharing the bathroom plan next week and I hope you love it as much as I do!

Happy weekend!

Grover: Week 3

I hope you enjoy these weekly updates as I learn to navigate through the business of flipping houses.  Check out  more about this flip, Grover, or check out posts about our last flip HERE. This week I made a mess.  A big mess.

I'm waiting until the contractor gets started to bring in a dumpster due to the limited parking situation at the house, so until then, the dining room and garage will be less than spotless.  You might also notice, Mr. Sledge Hammer, and Miss Built-in had a bit of a fling.  Looking better already, I think!

The partial kitchen demolition was driven by necessity.  See that little black box where the sink will be?  It's actually a heater that will replace the one that's on the wall that's coming down.  (I cannot WAIT for the wall to come down!)

Even though the kitchen's starting to come apart, I spent about 80% of my week in the smallest room of the house.

Remember how there used to be a VERY blue bathroom?  The lone blue toilet is all that's left.  I'm kind of in love with this picture.

All of the tile is gone with the exception of a few behind the toilet.  The driving factor for this surprisingly speedy bathroom gut is peaking out there on the right.  Do you see it?

That's right..... a NEW TUB!  In the last house, I painted the painfully pink tub and I decided to try something different here.  Although it cost about double, in this smaller bathroom, the dated style tub was pretty in-your-face.  The new tub in combination with the more open layout I'm planning will make this bathroom feel probably double the size as when I bought it.

No, I haven't forgotten about the lone blue toilet.  He'll be ousted as well, but, being the only toilet in the house, he is still has an important role.

If you own a house, or ever plan to, please take note.  This is NOT how to wire ANYTHING.  Hiding things like this and open junction boxes behind cabinets is not even close to the right way to do it.  Just don't.  Your house will thank you.

While my plumbers were doing their thing with the tub and heater, I started roaming the house looking for smaller tasks to tackle.  You already saw the scallop-less built-in, but I also spent quite a bit of time in the bedrooms.  Let the paint prep begin!!

The walls now totally remind me of having chicken pox as a kid and being spotted with calamine lotion.  Don't worry, Walls, you'll be feeling/looking better in no time!

And now that I've started off my Friday by anthropomorphizing walls, a built in, a sledge hammer, and a toilet, I think it's time for me to go smash a kitchen.

Have a great weekend!!