Sounds like you're just mad someone did a crappy job in the first place.

Nah, it turned a maintenance-free item into something that needed attention. Since the brick was turned into a solid color with lots of little ledges for dust and dirt to settle on it looked dingy after a couple of years (power washing) and repainting between 5 and 10 years. There were also spalling problems on the brick closer to the ground that were subject to more rainwater.

Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to seeing the process.

Kids and guests can't clog 'em! I installed a blue one for the bathroom I un-renovated.

Red Pear Realty said:

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Oh, and for giggles:

https://www.har.com/homedetail/1622-haverhill-dr-houston-tx-77008/3254103

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The astroturf they used in their front yard is ridiculous

https://imgur.com/gallery/6eXkENw

Oh, I agree on a flip I would not change to one garage door, I was just kind of wondering for a personal basis. I know I prefer 1 door but doubt that would be the deciding factor when I buy again in the future.

E said:

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Red Pear Realty said:

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Oh, and for giggles:

https://www.har.com/homedetail/1622-haverhill-dr-houston-tx-77008/3254103

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The astroturf they used in their front yard is ridiculous

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not as much as the see through cabinets

sts7049 said:

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E said:

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Red Pear Realty said:

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Oh, and for giggles:

https://www.har.com/homedetail/1622-haverhill-dr-houston-tx-77008/3254103

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The astroturf they used in their front yard is ridiculous

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not as much as the see through cabinets

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I just noticed the grill in the living room!!

htxag09 said:

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Red Pear Realty said:

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Oh, and for giggles:

https://www.har.com/homedetail/1622-haverhill-dr-houston-tx-77008/3254103

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That's the exact house I was thinking when I said timbergrove prices have gotten bat **** crazy lol.

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Thats Lazybrook!!!!

Its disappointing to see that now I need to buy 8 ceramic pot fountains for the back yard to catch up to The Jones-es.

Red Pear Realty said:

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I just closed on 1307 Guese Rd, 77008 yesterday

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1307 Guese? Solid opportunity to open your whole backyard up onto the high voltage powerline ROW like the guy at 1310 Jeannine...



https://www.redfin.com/TX/Houston/1310-Jeannine-Dr-77008/home/30130753

Possible. The sellers told me this was their childhood home and they all used it as a baseball and flag football lot all growing up. Some folks might be turned off by it but my guess is most won't.

Bogey1996 said:

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Oh, I agree on a flip I would not change to one garage door, I was just kind of wondering for a personal basis. I know I prefer 1 door but doubt that would be the deciding factor when I buy again in the future.

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Our home plan had 2x 8' wide doors 7' tall. With a full size SUV and truck parking, I already had nightmares of a $2,000 mirror getting ripped off when someone was backing up.

Instead I had the builder put in an 18' wide and 8' tall door. Plenty of room now to maneuver in and out for the vehicles. Should fit an F250 some day when I man up.

Had the exact same green tile on our house in Spring Branch. (It was our first house / first flip as we lived in it through the process.) I actually kept the green tile since it was in such good shape. A lot of people (including the buyers) said they liked the green tile. I think the buyers really did like it since they told me so after the deal was signed without me asking about it.

good luck with the project!

This is about how much was on the floor in my first homes kitchen and there was a layer of wire mesh in the middle of it. I was so happy I was not the one that ripped that out.

Alright, we have our first draft of our proposed floor plan with the addition. Existing is post two on page one. This proposed addition would take us from a 1,575 SF, 3/2 to a 2,628 SF 5/3 with study. What do y'all think? Make this better. Actually, rip it to shreds but please be constructive. What would you change about this proposal? We are maxed out on our westward expansion (on this picture, the top edge of the master suite and bath) by the 15' build line, but anything else is fair game.

I think he is calling it a bedroom for home value but almost any family is going to use one of those bedrooms as a play room or TV room or something like that. We have done that in our last 2 homes, 4 and 5 bedrooms respectively. Both homes have a large playroom area at the top of the stairs for a TV room as well.

I assumed it would be to cram a bunch of college students in and sell as a rental

Do not know anything about this specific area or market, but have you looked at other plan options? To me, this plan, flow, and space of areas feels a little barracks like. I don't get an "executive" feel from the rooms or spaces. You Might be designing with a specific purpose in mind but that's my thoughts.

Could you extend the kitchen wall with the sink to be flush with the wall of bedroom 5? Would that give you enough space to add a nice island that flows into the living space, which would also feel much bigger. That big kitchen / dining discs would probably feel pretty similar to a lot of the new builds up here in oak forest. You'd lose half the patio, but don't think that's a big deal

Unpopular opinion maybe, but the more I look at the floor plan the less I like it. Maybe for a college student rental because it has a bunch of bedrooms (echoing the barracks comment) but not someplace I'd want to own and live in because so many things don't make sense.

As others have said the entire entrance just doesn't work. The flow is bad; 225sq ft that you really can't do a lot with because the path to the front door runs right through the middle.

Kitchen layout isn't great either. The fridge being at the end of a cabinet run isn't always bad but it doesn't work well here because it's directly adjacent to where people will gather. I'm assuming you would use some kind of panel so the side of it doesn't show, but it's still a big block right there. In a place with space constraints like this I'd relocate it to where the drawing shows the oven/microwave. Swap the cooktop for a range, and put in a microwave drawer at the end of the run to the left of the sink.

Last time I shopped for one they weren't overly expensive and even though they've been around for 20+ years it's still the kind of thing that gets a lot of attention when people come over. They're uncommon but incredibly useful. After using one for almost 10 years I'm not going back to the normal kind.

The bedrooms are a tough one. I have some thoughts but would like to let them marinate for a bit. Also I need to get my daughter to preschool and have a project team meeting right after I get back home.

Do you have enough room on the side of the house for a driveway to get to a new garage in the back?

or just forego a garage and put a nice covered parking area in the back behind a gate... that would REALLY let you mix some things up if you converted the garage.

Obviously budget, moving walls, more HVAC etc can be problematic but that'll let you add another 450sqft at least (gets you well over 3k sqft) and will really let you build a nice kitchen, better living space, add a game room/media room, a better situated study, etc.

would be tough to get folks to spend close to a million on a house with no enclosed garage

looking at the lot, the only place to add a detached garage/driveway would be on the left side of the home. Don't know if they deed restrictions would allow enough space for one though.

although, someone in the hood did pay big bucks to have all their crap in plain view of the street

I didn't catch what kind of market OP is going for with this, but I feel like that size house with no garage becomes a tougher sell. Even with parking out back under a carport the buyer is looking at an added expense for tool and lawn care storage. They could have somebody put a shed in but if OP is shooting for a nicer neighborhood the buyer may be looking for something already in place.

But if that type of neighborhood is what OP is shooting for the floorplan is the biggest thing in need of work IMO.
edit: $1 million? Floorplan needs huge work. I'd go out on a limb and say that a local architect who would come on site and have a look would be highly value added here.

First, many thanks to everyone who has replied! I really appreciate your input and your time in making the project better.

I probably should have provided some more detail. For example, a screenshot of the survey would be helpful. I'll post that below. Also, noting which walls are load bearing would also be helpful. I'll post something for that also. As a reminder, this is a flip, not a new build. Timbergrove is a relatively affluent neighborhood in Houston with some older retirees but also a good mix of young families who do not want to pay Oak Forest or Memorial prices but still want access to a good elementary school (Sinclair). And as my architect likes to say, "anything is possible, its just money."

And finally, I'm going to try to respond to each comment here, but my brevity does not indicate a lack of respect for the poster or thought. The reason I didn't respond until now is b/c I wanted to think through each idea. Each of these were given a lot of thought between myself, my wife, and my mom, and obviously you all as well. Thank you for your input!

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Are you stuck on 5BR? Seems like limited dining/living space for 5 beds?

I think turning that 5th bedroom into a den/game room/kids playroom would be good. Right off the kitchen and living.

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As Sea Speed mentioned, Bedroom 5 is likely going to be used as a nursery / play room / game room / media room. But we want to call it a bedroom for submittal and valuation purposes.

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Where do you envision the actual dining space?

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I think we need to move the entry door a few feet to the left, and peel back the wall about four feet along the hallway (see below). This creates a walking path on the left side of the dining room as well as a nice big space for a formal dining table on the right side. A 10-seat dining table would be roughly 5x10 for the table, so this would leave plenty of room for a table (about 9x14 left over), and maybe a chair or coat rack on the right side behind the door.



I also think we need to add an L-shaped cabinet for seating (6 feet long for chairs underneath) in the kitchen, move the microwave across the isle, and probably put the fridge by the pocket door (where the microwave is now). What do y'all think about that layout?

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I feel like there's a lot of wasted space in the foyer..

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Agreed. Overall the house is small, so I want the entry to feel big. I'm going to raise the ceilings in the dining room and living room to as high as I can get them (10' ?) to give the first impression as good as I can get it.

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Is there a pantry? Can you move the kitchen wall farther north to make some in-kitchen dining?

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We are going to lose the sink in the utility room, slide the W/D down a bit and make the pantry in that space. With a 6' width, we can also add open shelving along the wall closest to the kitchen for even more storage. We tossed around the idea of blowing out that wall and making the kitchen larger, but it just would not be worth it cost-wise, I think.

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I think he is calling it a bedroom for home value but almost any family is going to use one of those bedrooms as a play room or TV room or something like that. We have done that in our last 2 homes, 4 and 5 bedrooms respectively. Both homes have a large playroom area at the top of the stairs for a TV room as well.

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Exactly. I'm going to stage bedroom 5 as a media room or play room.

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I assumed it would be to cram a bunch of college students in and sell as a rental

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I guess someone could, but that is not the likely buyer for this home.

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I'm trying to envision the flow of having a decent walkway through the house and still having furniture in the living spaces. Seems like it will be a challenge from that standpoint.

I'm also wondering how much natural light the living areas are going to get with that setup.

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First one answered above.

Agreed 100% on the second one. Natural light is going to be tough on this floorplan for the living room and kitchen. I'm probably going to OVER-light the addition spaces to compensate.

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Do not know anything about this specific area or market, but have you looked at other plan options? To me, this plan, flow, and space of areas feels a little barracks like. I don't get an "executive" feel from the rooms or spaces. You Might be designing with a specific purpose in mind but that's my thoughts.

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Yes, we have an architect who provided us with some options, but ultimately, we felt that this was the best of all of them. Ultimately it's a balance between cost and benefit. If money weren't an object, we would tear it down and start over with a floorplan that we 100% loved.

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Could you extend the kitchen wall with the sink to be flush with the wall of bedroom 5? Would that give you enough space to add a nice island that flows into the living space, which would also feel much bigger. That big kitchen / dining discs would probably feel pretty similar to a lot of the new builds up here in oak forest. You'd lose half the patio, but don't think that's a big deal

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I think what I proposed above is a good compromise because of the nature of the load bearing walls and cost that it would add to blow that kitchen wall out. Definitely not perfect, but much closer!

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Unpopular opinion maybe, but the more I look at the floor plan the less I like it. Maybe for a college student rental because it has a bunch of bedrooms (echoing the barracks comment) but not someplace I'd want to own and live in because so many things don't make sense.

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Fair enough. I don't have to sell to everyone...just one person. And remember, the house next door, with an almost identical floor plan, sold for $770,000 in the onset of Covid in 2020.

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As others have said the entire entrance just doesn't work. The flow is bad; 225sq ft that you really can't do a lot with because the path to the front door runs right through the middle.

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Fixed, I think!

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Kitchen layout isn't great either. The fridge being at the end of a cabinet run isn't always bad but it doesn't work well here because it's directly adjacent to where people will gather. I'm assuming you would use some kind of panel so the side of it doesn't show, but it's still a big block right there. In a place with space constraints like this I'd relocate it to where the drawing shows the oven/microwave. Swap the cooktop for a range, and put in a microwave drawer at the end of the run to the left of the sink.

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I agree on the range. We are going to do a nice 36" or 42" gas range. Not sure where the cooktop came from.

I kind of like the fridge on the end closest to the living room. I would swoop in and grab a beer and be back to my chair before anyone could notice. Would y'all leave the fridge there or move it to next to the doorway to the utility room?

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Do you have enough room on the side of the house for a driveway to get to a new garage in the back?

or just forego a garage and put a nice covered parking area in the back behind a gate... that would REALLY let you mix some things up if you converted the garage.

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Unfortunately, we don't. And you aren't the only one to ask about this. I really wish we could. And I don't think we can nix the garage.

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But if that type of neighborhood is what OP is shooting for the floorplan is the biggest thing in need of work IMO.
edit: $1 million? Floorplan needs huge work. I'd go out on a limb and say that a local architect who would come on site and have a look would be highly value added here.

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How would you re-arrange it?

I don't think you want the front door opening to a dining table though.... and having to walk passed the dining table through the house every time.

If you add dining seating to the kitchen, you can do a table in the living room near the french doors. Maybe take the 5th bedroom wall in a foot or 2 and put the table there. the table right off the kitchen and seating right behind it.

In the foyer, I would do a neat little sitting area here, some nice art, a large entrance table... maybe a coat tree/mud room bench type of thing where the door swings. You want something homey and inviting... not a long table, I don't think, at least.

I assume you'll have some staged furniture? that could make or break this layout. Or people will just be ignorant to a layout and focus on the finish out if you use some good materials and design.

Whoops, I thought this was in B/CS for some reason. Scratch the college student thing. Also assumed that "Oven Micro" was a wall oven with a microwave above it.

My neighborhood was built out from 1957-67 and all of the refrigerators at the end of a cabinet run look like an afterthought. Either no cabinet panel at all, leaving the painted side of it exposed or kind of a big block that sticks out if there is one. One of those things that once it gets noticed is hard to un-see at least on my end.

The blue peninsula on one of the new drawings would be a big improvement. My layout is different but the 3 stools are always in use along with the extra countertop space for prep. Likewise for extra kitchen storage because there's never enough. That'll be value added IMO

How would I rearrange things... would have to see where load bearing walls are but with all the bedrooms and similar spaces in a row there's only so much that could be economically feasible. It's a really weird starting point.

I agree with ChoppinDs40 about not wanting the front door opening to a dining table and walking by it all the time. But, there have to be compromises somewhere because you can only do so many things to a place before it's uneconomical.

Jamie - Thanks for sharing this experience. I really enjoy your posts and these puzzles are always interesting to figure out.

On the fridge, if it goes on the edge of the kitchen as currently drawn, I would just be certain there is a cabinet end that covers the side of the fridge so it isnt exposed to the living room. If you add in the bar top with seats, it could make for a tight space when someone is at the fridge with the doors open.

One comment is that the house feels like it lacks storage. I know you would lose a bedroom by doing this so you might find it reductive in value to do this, but have you considered opening up the current "study" and making that the dining room? That would provide more natural light into the living room with 2 extra windows. You could build the pantry out into a portion of the entryway which would give it a more appropriate size and feel with a bench or mirror on the backside of that pantry.

The current laundry room is really the only storage available in the house aside from bedroom closets and you would lose most all of that storage if you put the pantry in there.