Home Design Inspiration

It has been a few weeks since my last post. Things at the lot have not changed much. There is still a large hole. See this week’s construction update here. I am actually really excited about the interior design phase of the project. After the initial selection at the Design Studio I’ve had time to sit and think about what I want my new house to look like from a design perspective. I enrolled in an interior design course to help my design ideas play out. I have always been interested with interior design. I designed my condo but the furnishings and décor were on the budget friendly side because money was a little scarcer purchasing at 24 compared to now having two incomes and purchasing in my 30s. I can now really “afford” to buy those show stopping pieces without breaking the bank. I’m really exciting about that! Although my budget will not be as tight I will have some budget friendly pieces along with the statement more expensive pieces throughout the house. Buying all expensive pieces will not go over well with my husband and his budget restraints. Even with the budget restraints some items I cannot see myself spending top dollar for when I know I can find it cheaper elsewhere. A lot of research and shopping will be involved in finding those key pieces at a decent price. See my Inspiration and Mood Boards here.

Prepping to Sale

We contacted our realtor to set up a walkthrough of our property. He sold the house to my husband five years ago and is a family friend.  He noted some updates and changes we needed to make to get top dollar. We immediately contacted our contractor to get started on the work. The townhouse was built in the 90s. It had laminate counters and white appliances. The cabinets are in pretty good shape. We didn’t plan on doing a full kitchen remodel so we purchased simple granite counters and stainless steel appliances. We had to be comparable to newer townhomes on the market that have granite and stainless steel.  Ceramic tiles were added to the kitchen and bathroom floors before my husband moved. That saved us a ton. The house was in pretty good shape so we didn’t have to invest a lot of money, just a bunch of small things.

Townhouse Kitchen Before:

Townhouse Kitchen After:

 

Here is a list of things we updated before putting the house on the market:

• Added granite counters and stainless steel appliances to the kitchen
• Pressure washed, restrained and repainted the deck.  (The previous owners painted the deck which was a headache. The paint was badly chipped.)
• Replaced wood under window frames (The wood frame under the windows on the back of the house was rooting.)
• Repainted the basement
• Wiped down all the walls
• Major house cleaning
• Hired Stanley Steamer to clean the carpets. (we tried to cut costs by not replacing the carpets)
• Washed light fixtures that were dusty.
• Fixed a broken bathroom fan
• Repainted the front door frame and trim
• Repainted the garage door frame and trim
• Cleaned up the yard. (I attempted to plant flowers… Total fail! I purchased flower pots instead)
• Uncluttered the house. (Purchased a storage unit)
• Replaced broken toilet
• Fixed drywall from a busted pipe that we fixed years ago

Major Key: Having our realtor walk through the property before we put it on the market was a big help. We fixed a bunch of small things that the home inspectors would’ve noticed.  We ended up saving time and money. When the home is under contract the state (MD) requires licensed contractors to complete any improvements. This is fine for some but for small things like we had non-licensed is just as good.