dubi's 1965 remodel thread is awesome. I wish I had done something like that 4 years ago when we completely remodeled our 1978 2-story in NW Austin. But, inspiration is still good, so thought I would share some of the completed version pics here. Also, we are remodeling another house right now, so it helps to look back on how this one turned out when I am feeling unmotivated.

We bought this house in 2006 as a foreclosure for $147k. 2077 sq. ft., 3 bed/2 bath, with a pool and hot tub, built in 1978. When we bought it, it had been vacant for nearly 2 years, and no meaningful updates since it was built. Floorplan was very segmented, closed-off downstairs. Pool was a swamp. It was in pretty bad shape. But the bones were good, and potential was there. We took the entire downstairs down to the studs, moved/removed walls, raised ceilings, ran new A/C. electrical, and plumbing... the works.

After working on the house literally every weekend for a year (along with many weeknights), we sold the house for $232k, grossing $67k profit. We put about $40k into it, so we walked with $27k. We weren't planning on selling the house so quickly, but my job situation moved us to Dallas, so we were glad to make some money on our hard work, thought it was still hard to leave the house right after we got it just how we wanted it.

Ok, enough rambling... picture time!

Front exterior: painted trim, powerwashed stone exterior/driveway/sidewalks, new landscaping, trimmed trees, painted front door. We were going to replace the roof down the road, but had to sell before we got to that.


Family room: laid 12mm handscraped laminate flooring, refinished/painted built-ins and added lighting, hand-built mantle (with power and cable outlets on top face), whitewashed stone fireplace, new wall paint, replaced old base trim with 5" trim and quarter round


Kitchen (our favorite room): moved the wall with the fridge back 3 feet (taking up some unused garage space), raised ceiling to 8 ft. (was 6.5), hand-built birch cabinets with many custom touches (wine rack over fridge, spice cabinets flanking the oven, raised dishwasher, work desk, etc.), 16" porcelain tile floors, mosaic tile backsplash


Family room to Dining room: recessed lighting, 60" ceiling fan, new dining room light fixture


Formal living/sitting area to Kitchen: combo bookshelves/breakfast bar, pendant lights


Master bath (our 2nd favorite room): hand-built birch cabinets/shelving (large middle cabinet is hidden TV cabinet wired for cable - oversize tub was directly opposite for soaking and enjoying your favorite show), his/her vanities, recessed lighting, tile floors


Pool/hot tub


Backyard


We had a few more things planned - new roof, covered back patio, etc. - but overall we were pleased with the results, and hated having to move so soon.

Hope this helps inspire you when you are hitting a wall. It helps us to look back on what we were able to accomplish when we are feeling down.

Good luck to all fellow DIY'ers!

daaaaaaamn! that's a great job! I really like the limestone fireplace also. Kitchen/bathroom goes without saying. Did you do a lot of it yourself? that is a huge undertaking.

I'd love to get a kitchen like that one. i've got the skills, i've got the tools, i've got the connections to get the materials....just lacking in the financial aid department at the moment..

Thanks! Yeah, we did everything ourselves (mostly me and Dad), which is why it took a full year to complete. Dad used to own his own remodeling business, so that helps

The only 2 things we didn't do were replacing the sheetrock (we could have done it, but needed it done quicker so we could move in), and re-plastering the pool. It was a TON of work, and like almost every old house, was full of surprises - like raccoons getting in the attic and tearing out all the insulation and A/C duct work. While the finished product was great, I don't think I ever want to take on that level of remodel again, unless I can pay people to do alot of it for me. :p


[This message has been edited by mugwurt (edited 7/11/2011 3:53p).]

Man, you screwed up not taking before pictures because that would immediately show the hard work and skill that went into this reno!! This is gorgeous work.

You did an excellent job and I am very glad you got some pay back since you had to move away!

I know! We still kick ourselves for not taking before pics. We were in such a hurry to get in and get started, it totally slipped our minds. It was our first reno, so live and learn.

Good lord that house is gorgeous!

WOW! I want that house! 1965 floorplan just does not allow enhancements like that.

Y'all are making me want to remodel my house...and it was built in 2002!

I quit!

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Also, we are remodeling another house right now...

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We are ready for the 'before' pics!

I knew Mr Dubi would throw up his hands(want to wring Dubi's neck)if he read what she posted!

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I knew Mr Dubi would throw up his hands(want to wring Dubi's neck)if he read what she posted!

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Mr Dubi has done a fantastic job with the floor plan we have. 1978 has a open kitchen, bigger bath, tall ceiling in the LR/DR. I was not complaining about our house; just in awe of how good this looked.

Indeed, there is a great different in what each project had to work with!

Have you ever posted pictures of the carpet we are awaiting?

Looks great. We want to see pictures of the in-progress one.

I'll try to grab some pics today. It's not going to be anything as exciting as dubi's remodel though, as this is a house built in '99, and we are mostly just doing cosmetic work (floors, paint, etc.)

Did you build the cabinetry? Beautiful work, BTW.

Yep, my dad and I hand-built the cabinets, but we had the doors made. Didn't have the tools to make good doors.

that master bath. GREAT use of space.