Mid-Century Bungalow
Kristina and I were walking to the gym one day and saw a free wicker table base and glass table top by this house. We wondered if the house was about to come up for sale. It had renters in it since we moved to the neighborhood, 3 years earlier.
Two weeks later I was browsing one of my real estate listing apps, and there it was, this house, for sale. We called our realtor immediately. This home was right in our neighborhood - my commute to work could be walkable!
We had an emotional connection to this property…it was the same neighborhood we lived in and loved; we were afraid that one of the “cheap and cheerful” flippers would buy it and do a really low-grade reno. We saw what happens when the quick-and-cheap flippers come to the neighborhood–they don’t show much care or value in what they are doing, it’s about fast and cheap; cover things up and make it look good enough to sell fast. This is not how we do business
This house was is an early 1900’s bungalow at heart but over the years additions and renovations gave it a different feel and appearance, like the vaulted ceiling in the living room and kitchen area.
Instead of trying to erase its history, it’s story, we wanted to add to it, building upon where it started and where it currently was. This project was not about trying to make it feel like a 1930’s bungalow, rather it was an effort to embrace the decades that were represented in the home and give them some renewed life.
People
There were a lot of opportunities to create a better, healthier home in this remake.
All new sewer and water lines - the old pipes were galvanized and corroded. We could have gotten away with not replacing them but we knew that would not be great for the new owners or their family.
All new electrical - so many of the electrical - wires and boxes - looked like it had been DIY’d; and some of the wires had been chewed through. (We had carcass evidence to prove they were chew marks) We ripped all of the electrical out, and set the home up with a modern system and expanded electrical box so the future owner(s) could add if they needed too.
Planet
All new Low E energy efficient windows and doors. The old windows were aluminum framed, single pane and not efficient at all for the hot Wilmington, NC summers. This would provide significant savings on cooling and heating costs.
All of the floors are hardwood or tile - NO LVP!!!
Worked with the footprint we had. Expanded to add a primary suite and new laundry room without changing the building size.
All interior paints are low VOC.
Profit
This house is currently for sale. Profit is expected to be around 5%.
Remaking homes for people + the planet,