House Update – On a Budget

We just closed on our dream property in Loomis – acreage, mature trees, beautiful views, and privacy aaah! Pinch me! There’s just one catch… the home needs a lot of TLC before we can move in. The paint colors are a mishmash (including a shiny gold room), the linoleum floors are a funky pattern, and there are about 100 ceiling fans. Oh, and did I mention the seller was a smoker and we think she has smoked in the house?!

Our long term plan is to do a total remodel and expansion, but we’d like to live there for a few years, and get to know the property before we make any major decisions. The first phase of the project is an affordable refresh to clean up the home and make it liveable for our family. Luckily, I’ve done this a million times with my listings when they need an overhaul before they hit the market. The only difference this time is that we’ll be doing most of the work ourselves, and hiring experts only when necessary. It’s going to be a ton of work, but I’m actually really excited. We can have fun with a few things knowing that it will be temporary. I’m in total f-it mode – dark green kitchen cabinets? Sure! Try painting the funky laminate countertops and put a beadboard backsplash over the laminate one? Why not!

Here’s the current plan. Stay tuned for project and budget updates! 

Deep cleaning: Before painting, I’ll vacuum (trust me, it works!) all of the walls and ceilings to capture the dust and cobwebs that have been living there for decades. Once the big pieces are removed, I’ll wipe the walls and door trim with a vinegar and water solution to remove any grime. I’ll also be scrubbing appliances, sinks, bathrooms, and more! Oohh boy! 

Paint: After scrubbing the walls and ceilings, we’ll paint everything with a primer that’s also a sealer and stain-blocker. This primer will seal in any smoke odor. We plan to paint everything out with bright white paint to start – Benjamin Moore Simply White is always a winner. The kitchen appliances are black, so we’ll paint the kitchen cabinets a dark color to soften the black appliances. I’m also thinking of a few other fun paint ideas – two tone paint in Parker’s room and maybe a sage green interior side of the front door. I might even get ambitious and try to paint and seal the laminate counters. 

Here are some of my current inspiration photos:

Flooring: I hate the idea of adding new floors only to tear them out in a few years when we do the renovation, but we just can’t live with the current floors. They are 20+ year old rolled linoleum in a funky plaid pattern. Even if I scrub them to death, I’m worried about third hand smoke exposure for our little one, since he spends a lot of time on the ground. We’re working with Frank at the Floor Store (highly recommend) and we’ll be installing affordable laminate flooring in the living area and basic carpet in the bedrooms. I hope to donate the flooring to Habitat For Humanity when we eventually remove it for the remodel/expansion. 

Light Fixtures: Almost every single light fixture in the house is a ceiling fan. Besides being total overkill, I’m worried about all of the dust and nicotine that has settled on the fans over the years. I spoke with a colleague who said they had to remove the fan blades and run them through the dishwasher to finally get the smoke smell out. We plan to just replace the fixtures with more modern ones. It’s not that expensive, and light fixtures can totally transform the space. I’ve been looking on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist to find fixtures. 

Kitchen: The kitchen needs its own section. We spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and it’s worth spending a little bit more time and energy refreshing it. We will for sure be painting the kitchen cabinets and replacing all of the drawers and shelves with new cabinet liners. I am also trying to figure out how we can freshen up the existing laminate countertops and backsplash. I’m a little skeptical about painting the countertops, but we don’t have anything to lose! I also love the look of a beadboard backsplash, which we would screw into the existing laminate backsplash. We’re also considering ripping out one upper cabinet and replacing it with open shelving. I would also love to replace the kitchen sink and hardware… haha As you can see, this is a slippery slope. When I work on home projects, whether it’s my own house or if I’m prepping a listing, I like to make a wishlist with everything on it and get the pricing before I make my final decisions. If it’s too expensive, then it will get cut, but sometimes you’d be surprised at how affordable it is to make really impactful changes. 

Follow along on Instagram to see how it’s going! @KristinRolph

Whether you’re buying or selling in Granite Bay or Loomis, I’ll make sure you have a competitive edge.