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I Love the After: The Big Reveal of our Latest Flip

Modified: Aug 17, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links · 14 Comments

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I have good news and bad news. The bad news is I'm not writing a progress post on our flip house like I had planned for this week. The good news is because it's turned into a reveal post! Yep, we're done. This sweet little home is on the market, ready and waiting for its next family.

I loved working on our first flip house, but this one has brought me even more creative joy than that one did. I don't know why, but some houses just capture your heart, and this one did just that. Maybe it was the moment my daughter christened it "The Birthday Cake House" (y'all know I love anything cake-related!) or maybe it's because it reminded me a little of our first home. Whatever the reason, this one has been extra fun, and I hope it goes to a really sweet family. Soon!

I think the pictures say it best, so let's jump right in, shall we?

Curb Appeal

Here's how the front of the house looked before:

Not too bad, but a bit boxy and boring. We decided it needed a little architectural interest, so we added a pergola to make it feel a little more welcoming.A pergola adds a courtyard feel to the front of the house.

Living Spaces

As you walk in the front door, the house used to look dark and closed in.

After opening up some walls, painting, cleaning, and changing the flooring and lighting, we created a bright and open floor plan that invites you all the way in.

The front room is the living/sitting room. It used to look like this:

Yikes! A little TLC later and it looks like this:

This room looks into another living area, which used to open up through a small archway.

While I love architectural details, this one was undersized and underwhelming, so we replaced it with a larger opening and french doors.

Here's another view from before into this second room from the hallway.

Those weird cut-outs weren't doing any good, so we opened up the walls instead. We staged this room as a dining room, but it could be another living space, depending on the family's preferences. (I love fireplaces in dining rooms!)

We painted out the fireplace, and opened a large pass-through to the kitchen. This whole space was dark, dreary, and choppy before, but now the light flows through each room, and it's become a great space for entertaining and spending time.

Kitchen

Here's the view from the kitchen before we added the pass-through.

The peninsula wasn't doing much to help, and was really restricting the flow into the kitchen and breakfast area, so we took it out and extended the cabinets to the end of that wall.

We painted the cabinets, updated the hardware, changed the backsplash, upgraded to granite, and added all new appliances to brighten the kitchen.

Removing the peninsula really opened up the space in the breakfast nook, and we furthered that expansion by

Beds and Baths

This house has three bedrooms, which all got fresh paint and carpet, and new light fixtures. Here's a quick peek at the master bedroom.

The two bathrooms didn't need much besides paint, other than a good cleaning, fresh toilets, and updated hardware and counter tops.

Now this house is bright, sunny and cheerful, a far cry from its dark and dreary former version of itself.

This is why I love flipping houses. Deep down, we knew this house had great potential. It was just covered in a layer of grime and dark paint. If we could give it a second chance, we could save the house, and make something beautiful and functional for a family to love.

If you want more information about the house, check out the full listing here. We'd love to show it to you, if you're looking in Albuquerque!

In the meantime, stay tuned for the next flip! (Once we get this one sold...)

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Comments

  1. Suzanne Brodie says

    October 06, 2017 at 6:05 am

    Wow, just wow!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      October 09, 2017 at 2:43 pm

      Thanks Suzanne! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Carole West, Garden Up Green says

    October 06, 2017 at 6:38 am

    Meredith this is pretty and I love that color pallet. Love the rock out front too, an added detail that is often overlooked. When you list it does that furnishing to with it too? Always wondered about that when houses are staged.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      October 09, 2017 at 2:45 pm

      Thanks Carole! That's a great question. We don't usually list the furniture with the house, it's just for staging purposes. (Usually whatever is attached to the walls stays, such as curtains, but not furniture.) But we have sold pieces before with the house. Whatever it takes to close the deal! 😉

      Reply
  3. Melissa says

    October 06, 2017 at 8:12 am

    You are so talented! I love seeing the before and after pictures!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      October 09, 2017 at 2:45 pm

      Thank you so much Melissa!

      Reply
  4. Emily Mulder says

    October 06, 2017 at 9:30 am

    Beautiful! I wonder if you used the same contractor? Some of the updates seem so expensive (I.e. granite countertops, flooring, and carpet) I wonder how you afford to make them before selling. I guess if the original purchase price is low enough it is possible. After our experiences trying to update our house - the cost, the time, and poor workmanship of contractors, I have cold feet. Yours looks wonderful and so well thought out!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      October 09, 2017 at 2:47 pm

      Thanks Emily! And you just summed up all the challenges of flipping! It's all about finding something at the right starting price, and having a contractor who does good work at reasonable prices. A delicate balance!

      Reply
  5. Jeri Walker (@JeriWB) says

    October 06, 2017 at 1:40 pm

    What a testament to how much can be done with better lighting, new flooring, and some paint. I can't wait until I'm able to rip out my hideous living room carpet and replace it with laminate 🙂

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      October 09, 2017 at 2:48 pm

      You're so right Jeri. I'm still constantly amazed at how different these houses can look! You'll love your new floor, whenever it works out.

      Reply
  6. Rachel says

    October 07, 2017 at 7:58 am

    Looks great and you did well opening up the space like that! The rooms look to be a very good size. Good luck selling it fast!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      October 09, 2017 at 2:48 pm

      Thank you Rachel! This really is a cute house, it's just a matter of finding the right buyer now!

      Reply
  7. Johanna says

    October 11, 2017 at 7:33 am

    Love the end result! Beautiful and inspiring!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      October 18, 2017 at 5:08 pm

      Thank you Johanna! ?

      Reply

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Welcome!

I'm Meredith, the designer, crafter, and DIY-er behind The Palette Muse. I love all things colorful and creative, and I love sharing them with you. Thanks for visiting today!

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