Before After
I was just notified that I won TWO 2007 Chrysalis Regional Awards for Best Kitchen Remodel Under $40,000 and Best Whole House Remodel Under $200,000. The awards will be presented in Atlanta at the Southern Building Show in June. A National Winner will be chosen from among the 4 Regional Winners, so you may be reading the blog of a future National Chrysalis Award Winner.
My partner, Richard Tinsley, and I purchased the property as a flipper. The house, a classic California Craftsman Cottage, built in the 1920's, had been the victim of numerous misguided and poorly done remodels over the years. Despite the neglect, we could see past it's ugly duckling exterior to it's good bones. At only 840 sq. ft., sitting on a 4000 sq. ft. lot, our goal was to restore/improvewhat we had to work with while opening up the interior to create a sense of openness and good flow.
Kitchen Before Kitchen After
We basically stripped the interior down to the studs, removed a wall between the kitchen and the dining area to open the house up, replaced the electrical and plumbing, added new insulation and drywall, and completely redid the kitchen and bathroom. Oh yeah, we also put in a new, pre-finished solid hardwood floor and a new forced air furnace and air conditioner. We tried to retain as much of the original character as we could, without being a slave to history. All of the windows, except one in the dining room and a bank of 3 in the bedroom, are original with the old wavy glass. I designed the kitchen with the idea of using a vintage restored O'Keefe & Merrit stove which I found on Craigs List.
We tore out the really icky bathroom and replaced it with Carerra marble floors, a period appropriate pedestal sink and a lovely old claw foot tub in great condition that I purchased at Pasadena Architectural Salvage. The tub filler and curtain rod were purchased on Ebay.
This project was truly a labor of love, and I was sad to sell it when we finished. We are looking for our next project and hope it will be as interesting and as much fun as this one. If anyone would like more information about the products we used or how we did something, please feel free to ask.
Update: Moving Mountians Design won the National Award for Best Kitchen Remodel Under $40,000 and the Western Regional Award for Best Whole House Remodel Under $200,000!
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2010 RESA Professional Stager of the Year
Michelle has staged hundreds of Los Angeles homes, many of which have sold with multiple offers, above listing price.
She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale throughout Los Angeles.
Moving Mountains Design provides vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties for real estate investors and asset managers.
For more information about our Los Angeles home staging services, contact Michelle at (626)385-8852 or by email.
Click here to see our Los Angeles home staging portfolio
Click here to go to our Los Angeles home staging blog
Click here for more information about home staging in Los Angeles and how we can help sell your home faster and for the best price
Nice work Michelle. Its great that you searched for good re-use items like the tub and stove. I am working on one right now, close to home as they say as the deal is in the family. Very different experience as a stager as opposed to consulting on someone elses project!!
Paula: I try to work "green" as much as I can in all my endeavors, Staging, Interior Design, Remodeling, and garden design. There was not much I could do to save parts of this house, but we did what we could, and then tried to buy as much as we could from re-use sources.
And yes, it is very different working for oneself, as opposed to a client. And doubly hard to work for family members! I avoid it when I can...
Roberta and Teri: Thank you for your kind words.
THIS FLIP WAS NO FLOP -IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL
Fabulous work Michelle! Thank you for the pictures.
You deserve to be recognized for your efforts.
Lori :)
Michelle, the house looks amazing. What a difference. I hope that you win!!!!
Thank you Lori.
Thank you Kim.
Thank you Herb.
I had so much fun working on it, I am looking forward to the next one.
Michelle,
Your Craftsman "flip" was so well done! Craftsman is my favorite architectural style and I did one last summer.....they are so much fun to do and like you, I was sad when it sold. Congrats on your award and we'll be pulling for you on the national level!
Michelle --
Your flip is just beautiful. Nothing like the satisfaction that comes from rescuing a property and turning it into a HOME that someone loves -- and on top of that -- you get money, too! Great job!
Tammy Kemp
Michelle - What an incredible transformation. You can easily see why it is that you won two awards.
Fantastic job.
Kathy
Hi Michelle,
Congratuations on your regional awards and good luck at the national competition.
You work on the house is fantastic.
Michelle, I am impressed, the before and after what a transformation. Great work!!
Good Day!! have a cup of java and a smile on me :)
They are certainly well deserved! You did a fabulous job on this property.
It's always nice to be able to restore period fixtures to a home that's bereft of them!
http://activerain.com/groups/KentuckyProfessionals
Thanks so much
Ben
Duane & Barbara: Thank you!
Shari: I agree. It is actually one of the "greenest" things you can do, to restore period fixtures and re-use them.
Ben: Thank you, and thank you for the invitiation. I live in the Los Angeles area, so I'm not sure Kentucky Professionals is the blog for me, but I will check it out.
Michelle, What is the date in June when you'll find out if you won? Are you going down?
Job well done on this house, beautiful transformation.
Christine: Thank you! The actual color was Benjamin Moore 477, and yes, you could classify it as a celedon or light mossy green. I got a lot of color consultation jobs as a result of people coming through the house for Open House. The colors were fresh and light without being overbearing and distracting.
Frank: Thank you!
Rachel: I found that fixture in a local hardware store - OSH. It was only about $100.
congratulations the work looks great.
i once repainted my bedroom, all by myself, but it didn't come close to your work.
maybe i need more practice.
Congratulations Michelle! You are an awesome designer and I'm so happy for you and your accomplishment! You get a
from the Great State of Texas!
Fantastic job, Michelle! Love the bathroom....actually....love it all.
Julia
Julia & Sue: Thank you very much.
I was just informed that I won the National Award for Best Kitchen Remodel Under $40,000! Blog to follow.
Hi Michelle. I just sent you an email, before I realized I could leave a comment here too. I am wondering if when you redo a "fixxer upper" if ANY house is able to have a gas stove installed? In other words, if you buy a house with an electric range, and electric water heater, can you have someone come and hook the house up to a propane line? I am macrobiotic and only cook on gas, so when I buy my fixxer-upper (that I will be renovating and living in with my child) I need to make sure I can replace the electric range, etc.
Thanks for any thoughts in this! The house you renovated is gorgeous.
Beautiful and Awesome! I would love to do something like that, if my pocket books were deep enough. Instead I do it on where I am living and run out of cash halfway through! LOL Great job, and I hope you are the future National winner!
Lexa
Allison: I am not an expert on your question. It would be best to check with a LICENSED Plumbing Contractor to find out if your home can be converted to natural gas or propane. I have never had a problem converting a home from electric to gas, but every state and county has different rules and regulations which you should learn about before embarking on such a project. A licensed plumber should know the local building codes and be able to inform you if your home would qualify.
Patricia & Lexa: Thank you so much for your kind words.
wow the bath looks so much bigger! i love that you used salvaged materials! yay for green.
cheers,
cindy
Michelle,
You did a wonderful job! I am impressed! Congrats on your awards! You certainly earned them.
Sue: 2000th? Holy Jamoley!
Cindy, Heather & Carol: Thanks!
HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS MICHELLE,
It is clear that you have been blessed with emormous talent.
More Power to you!!!
Andy Capelluto
Jo: I have to dig out the file to find the colors. I know they were Benjamin Moore colors. I am a big Benjamin Moore fan. I post the colors tomorrow. I am not a night owl like you. I ran into the woman who purchased the house at Bed Bath and Beyond this weekend. She is still thrilled with it. She is a piano teacher, and believe it or not, she moved a baby grand into the living room! I can't even imagine.