Real Estate Room Reno-Update

Back in June 2014-yikes, a while back now- I posted a real estate room reno for a house that was for sale near my aunt and uncle's house in Ile Bizard that I truly loved. Here is what I said back then:

A few weeks ago I got an email from my aunt that said: "I know you love this house. They are subdividing the property and the price has plummeted to $495,000. Think of all the reno projects you could undertake!!! (Notice I didn`t cc Chad on the message……)."

So instead of actually buying it I did the next best thing I could think of, pretended I owned it and planned a renovation on one room in the house. You can see the full post HERE. I happened to be browsing the real estate listings, as one does when one is closing on a new house in less then 20 days, and saw that "my" house was listed for sale again. It's been completely renovated. It's obvious they didn't follow my plans but it's not too bad for a flip. There is nothing I love more then a little before and after action (except for browsing the real estate listings), so here it is:

Listing and Exterior Before

Unique 1786 4-bedroom ancestral home on large lot on Ile Bizard with no rear neighbours. Thick stone walls and historic architecture create a charming atmosphere. Large yard is surrounded by a cedar hedge, and has many mature trees. Located 30 minutes from downtown Montreal, and close to 3 Golf Clubs and Bois-de-l'Ile-Bizard Nature Park.

Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 1 full/ 2 half
Year Built: 1786
Asking Price: $495,000

Listing and Exterior After

Nested on a private 5000sqm, beautifully landscaped and surrounded by mature trees lot, this exquisite 1786 authentic stone manor was completely renovated in 2014/15. Experience the luxury of today's comfort and modern design combined with the timeless elegance from the past. An architectural 3-story treasure, only 30min. from downtown Montreal!

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2 full/ 2 half
Year Built: 1786
Asking Price: $1,150,000 

So that's quite a jump in price! What kind of work did they do to warrant that jump? First exterior, it looks like a new roof, newly painted shutters and some landscaping but let's dig in and see the really good before and afters to find out where all the money went.

Living Room Before

Living Room After

You have to agree that is so much better. While the decor is a bit bland for me, the bones of the room have definitely been returned to its former glory. The popcorn ceilings removed (something I have to look forward to), the wood paneling removed and the floors and beams refinished. It looks like all the trim work and staircase was refinished as well. This is now such a great neutral base to come in and decorate however you'd like. Wouldn't it be lovely to have two seating areas in your living room? 

Dining Room (Porch) Before

Dining Room After

I really like the use of this space. In the original photos I envisioned this as more of a three season porch or conservatory but I love it as a dining room. It looks much less porch-like without the wooden ceilings and fans. 

Master Bedroom Before

Master Bedroom After

I think you probably know if you've read this blog for a while now how much I dislike beige and taupe, regardless I'll still give this bedroom a pass. New floors, new ceiling and beige is still better then red. Oh yeah, and a fireplace in your bedroom- I could handle that too.

Family Room Before

Family Room After

While this one isn't as dramatic, it goes to show the power of new flooring and the removal of weird textured ceilings and walls. I imagined the before room had a wet musty carpet smell while the new room looks perfect for relaxing and not having an allergic attack. I've saved my favourite for last, the kitchen remodel.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

What do you think of this kitchen? The before was an obvious gut job. I like how it's still fairly traditional with white shaker, full height cabinets and a beamed ceiling. I think the island is a little strange with the cut away for bar stools and I don't love a small scale glass subway tile but overall I think it looks well done and not too modern for the home. I might have gone a bit more classic with a subway tile and gone with a more traditional soapstone counter. Would I take this kitchen and enjoy it? Yes! 

Overall, this appears to be a high quality renovation with attention to detail and materials. Do you think it's worth over a million dollars? What would you have done differently and who wants to buy this for me?

Real Estate Room Reno

It's been a while but I finally have another installment of 'Real Estate Room Reno' where I redo a room from a real estate listing that has potential but isn't living up to it.

First of all, you may think I'm crazy but I know I'm not the only one who's dreamt of converting an old church into a home because there is plenty of pinterest proof. Second of all, this real estate listing is for $1! The only problem is that you'll have to move this Sackville, New Brunswick church yourself and I'm guessing that will not be cheap but just look at the potential!

BUILDING TO BE MOVED AT BUYER'S EXPENSE. The former Sackville United Church which will seat approximately 1200 people. The sanctuary is on the second level and features beautiful stained glass windows and cathedral ceilings.

Bedrooms: N/A
Bathrooms: 5 1/2
Year Built: Unknown
Asking Price: $1

The original woodwork, the ceiling, the stained glass - I love it all! I'm not sure what you'd do with the organ but maybe you could work around it. Here are a few examples of amazing church conversions I've found from around the internet. The most successful of these seem to not be afraid to remove elements, modernize the space and partition off the space.

While I would have loved to show you how to add a kitchen into the main area of the church that seemed a bit beyond the scope of what I can do in one moodboard and without the help of an architect. 

Instead, I created a beautiful living room space (minus the church pews) that pulled colours from the stained glass window but modernized the space with white paint and a layered, cozy interior.

What do you think? This room has all my favourite elements:brass, velvet and vintage rugs. Does it make you reconsider an alternative living space? In case you want to recreate the space here are the sources:

sofa / chairs / printed pillows / pink pillow / coffee table / tray / coffee table sculpture / coffee table vase / white side table / brass side table / bench / credenza / lamps / white vases / top layer rug / lower layer rug / chandelier 

If you need any help re-envisioning a room in your house, check out my services page and give me a shout. 

Real Estate Room Reno

Hi ya'll! I'm back from a work trip to Austin, Texas. The only place I've ever been where people said 100 degrees wasn't 'that hot'. Austin made up for the melting heat with BBQ and live music though. For your viewing pleasure here is another installment of 'Real Estate Room Reno,' where I re-do a room from a real estate listing that has potential but isn't living up to it.

This real estate listing is exactly the kind of home I'd love to own in Montreal. A beautiful town-home in the hipster neighbourhood of Le Plateau. Yes it needs some work- we all know what  'retained many of its original features often means' but what amazing bones this place has. It's very rare to find such a large space that hasn't already been renovated to be ultra modern. 

A chapter in the history of the Plateau. This Victorian property is situated on a desired tree lined street and has retained many of its original features. A lovely garden terrace makes the most of the outdoor space. Make it your haven and also enjoy a rental income.

Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2.5
Year Built: unknown
Asking Price: $742,000

Take a look at some of the interior photos, Chad said it looked like a horror movie set but that's actually what I love about it ( okay I'm weird). 

Look at the molding detail, the fireplaces, the built-ins and all that bad wallpaper! It was really hard for me to not want to decorate all the rooms. Since I've already done two living rooms, I figured I would branch out and redo this formal dining room. I wanted to do something fun, bright and modern to contrast with the dark wood trim and formal Victorian feeling (don't worry wood purists I'm not going to suggest painting it out). I also knew I'd need wallpaper- just not the original wallpaper! Here were some of my inspiration pictures:

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Here's the dining room from the listing photo...

The Before

and the dining room after it's been 'Real Estate Room Reno'd':

The After

I absolutely love this room and how it mixes the period elements with vibrant colours and modern furniture. The only non-decor changes I made to the room was to darken the floor (they looked like they needed to be refinished) and paint the moldings and ceiling white. I think the white and black temper the strong hits of lime and fushia and balance a more formal wallpaper and mirror. I can just imagine the late into the night dinner parties in this room. Here is the source list in case you're in the mood for a bold space:

1. Wallpaper
2. Mirror
3. Framed Artwork
4. Yellow Vase
5. White Vase
6. Wall Scones
7. Chandelier
8. Rug
9. Lime Green Chairs
10. White Eames Chairs
11. Dining Table
12. Black Vases

What do you think? Does this help you envision what the room could look like? Do you have a room in your house you'd like help figuring out? Check out my services page so we can start working on creating your very own re-do.

Real Estate Room Reno

We're back with another installment of 'Real Estate Room Reno,' where I re-do a room from a real estate listing that has potential but isn't living up to it. This time I'm doing a room in a house from my hometown of Ottawa and going back to one my favourite eras - the 60s.

Immaculate and beautifully maintained 3+1 bedroom bungalow situated on a dead-end street in a desirable neighbourhood. This sun-filled and comfortable home features hardwood floors, two gas fireplaces, & more! 

Bedrooms: 3 + 1
Bathrooms: 1 
Year Built: 1967
Asking Price: $474,900

'And more' is right. Now after looking through those pictures can you guess which room I re-did? If you said that amazing living room, you'd be right! I know, I know, the kitchen really needs some love but that living room is so almost there. If this were my house, I would probably open up the whole kitchen and create an open floor plan with an island. I would also carry the hardwood into the kitchen and refinish the floors to be a tiny bit darker. 

I love the white brick fireplace and since brass is having it's moment in the sun again, the fireplace surround can stay. The large windows let in so much light and the floors look like they are in decent shape. I could even almost work with the yellow curtains and that metal art above the fireplace. For this room though, I wanted to try something a little different for me, something fairly neutral and organic. Here were my inspiration pictures...

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So one more time - the before:

and the 'Real Estate Room Reno' after:

While I normally gravitate towards bright colour and lots of pattern, I'm really loving this room. It's calm and inviting but also looks collected and modern. If you'd like to recreate your very own "organic mod" living room, here are the sources:

1. Collection of African baskets
2. Brass table lamp
3. Console table
4. Wooden side table
5. Pair of armchairs
6. Jute rug
7. Walnut coffee table
8. Brass side table
9. Black metal and brass floor lamp
10. Linen drapes
11. Sofa
12. Velvet lumbar pillow

What do you think? Does this help you envision what the room could look like? Do you have a room in your house you'd like help figuring out? Check out my services page so we can start working on creating your very own re-do.