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mcochran9000

First impressions???

Mark Cochran
6 anni fa

I posted a more specific question about this house earlier..

But I'd really appreciate it if you could share your first impressions..

(please try and ignore the tools and junk and imagine it clean, if possible)





(above) is this dank? 1970s??


(above) (note: sputnik light doesnt have all the bulbs yet)



(below) here's a partial panoramic (the beam isnt actually bent like that) ;)







What do you think?? I'm going for "farm house" with a slight "old world" type feel and a dash of modern with the sputnik thing.. But I think I may have taken the wrong turn and ended up in the 1970s. Am I crazy?


WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

thanks!



Risposta in evidenza
  • miss lindsey (She/Her)
    6 anni fa

    I'm sorry, I feel bad saying it but yes, you've strayed into the 70s. The light isn't the problem though I'm not sure your Farmhouse-plus-SpaceAge concept is going to work...No, the problem I see is the wood walls read 70s rec room panelling and the orange square tile floor reads, well, orange square tile floor.

    I think either the light or the wood has to go. I vote light.

    Commenti (71)

    • User
      6 anni fa

      It’s a hot mess. All of it. You need a real designer. Not just a bored trophy wife whose other hobby is directing a high school musical on weekends. A decorator is not a designer.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato User
    • lhutch13
      6 anni fa
      The tile has got to go. It’s wretched.
      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato lhutch13
    • PRO
      Mint Design and Development LLC
      6 anni fa

      You want a limed look on the walls....not a whitewash. I am not sure you can get there from this point. Try stripping them, bleaching them and use a lime wax. I like the light fixture in the second photo, not the sputnik kind. Eliminate the recessed lighting. Nix the fireplace doors, Face the fireplace and hearth with faux fieldstone pavers. replace the shelf with a raw faced stone or wood slab. Rough plaster the walls in white for the contemporary farmhouse look..put wide wood planks between the beams same color, limed to match walls, or omit the wood and finish with the same white plaster as the walls. No blue walls in the background. You must replace that floor, Use a wide plank limed wood or reproduction stone pavers. Here are some photos that will give you the look you are going for. Enjoy and please post finished photos. Staging furniture, floor lamps, and a fiddle leaf fig plant or cuttings in a very large mason jar will add the modern touches for you.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato Mint Design and Development LLC
    • cpaul1
      6 anni fa

      I think one of the biggest mistakes people make in flips is not updating the flooring. Flooring is huge. And I think most flippers don't want to deal with it, but they need to because people want turn key houses. And to me it makes no sense to spend a bunch of money fixing up something and not address one of the biggest aspects of the space, the flooring. Before I did anything to that space, I would have fixed the flooring and then gone from there.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato cpaul1
    • Mark Cochran
      Autore originale
      6 anni fa

      How would you make it presentable with the least amount of effort? I’m replacing the Sputnik light with the chandelier that seems to be recommended by everyone.

      What do you think about putting another coat of white wash on the paneling to where it’s almost just plain white? I’ve already been on this house too long. I know the floors are terrible. It’s the root of all these problems, honestly. Any way to make them work or should I just go vinyl?

    • Mark Cochran
      Autore originale
      6 anni fa

      You all are awesome! Thank you so much for your help :)

    • Diane
      6 anni fa
      You have gotten some great advice here. When renovations are done for resale for a profit it is easy to make penny wise pound foolish decisions. I would suggest you look at the surrounding area what is the norm and what is selling. Are buyers wanting turnkey or are they willing to spend top dollars just to get a home? If they are more sophisticated you need to consider updates that make sense for the home’s style even if it means spending more time and money now. A home with less desirable updates could have the home sit on the market for a long time and result in a lower sale price. Your exterior photos do not read farmhouse, nor mid century and the flooring is not adding to the design. If you are open to posting more photos, your general location there are some great designers here that could offer you some advice.
      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato Diane
    • Madeline Dinmont
      6 anni fa
      I see a different floor if you are going for farmhouse, wide plank in a finish compatible with the walls and beams without all the red undertones.
    • kootenaycapable
      6 anni fa
      When I was first looking at your pictures, I was thinking " basement rental suite". Now that I've seen exterior pictures I'm thinking "basement rental suite". Am I wrong?
    • PRO
      Sherri Blum Designs
      6 anni fa

      I would first ask if this is to be used as a family room with TV. If a TV would naturally mount over the fireplace mantle, then any large chandelier is going to interfere with the television viewing. I'm also concerned about the ceiling height. If it's a standard 8' high ceiling, again we need a smaller light fixture. (Forgive me but my sons are 6'5" tall, so I tend to worry about them bumping their heads into lower hanging fixtures in standard sized rooms.) If the tile has to stay, I agree with those who suggested taking out the paneling altogether. You'll have an easier time selling the space if the walls are a clean simple drywall surface where the new owners can add their own color, artwork etc... without the busy and outdated paneling. You can keep it fresh and warm by painting the walls something like Sherwin Williams Dover White. Then depending on the amount of work you're willing to put in, you might consider revealing the original brick color of the fireplace (even a washed out old brick finish would be stunning- see attached) as some contrast to the warm white walls. Good luck!

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato Sherri Blum Designs
    • C Marlin
      6 anni fa

      Right now I'm confused different styles going on. I walk in and don't quite know where I am, "a little bit country a little bit rock n roll. I like touches of different style, but it is difficult for most to pull off. A little MCM, rustic and dated "another time" together.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato C Marlin
    • PRO
      Mint Design and Development LLC
      6 anni fa
      Ultima modifica: 6 anni fa

      Mark, I don't know your budget here but if you are going to put white paint on the panelled wall again please try a pale grey and dilute it with water. This should neutralize the orange and yellow. Try a little in a test area till you get it right. Yes, please replace the floor. Check with Lumber Liquidators soft wood floors, a salvage yard, Habitat for Humanity ReStore for inexpensive deals. There are inexpensive ways to get the look you want but you want to keep the asking price in the range of the neighborhood and I have no idea where you are on that. Please don't take rude comments personally. They reflect on the poster, not you.

    • miss lindsey (She/Her)
      6 anni fa

      Based on this:


      Mark Cochran

      19 hours ago

      haha, no no. Please don't be afraid to criticize. I know I'm not a designer. Feel free to make fun of me even. I appreciate it :)

      I would say Mark is pretty comfortable with his strengths and weaknesses!

    • kootenaycapable
      6 anni fa
      Sorry that you took offence to my comment. At my first look, I thought those were 7' ceilings, but after looking again I see they are 8'. The exterior shows a large house with good depth to it, so why wouldn't the living areas be full width, with all bedrooms upstairs? Are revenue making suites a bad thing in Houston? Who doesn't want help making the mortgage payment?. For the size of house it is, that looks like a small kitchen, dining and living room, with the bedrooms off to the side. Perhaps the exterior photos make it look deeper than it actually is.
      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato kootenaycapable
    • hollybar
      6 anni fa

      Mark, only you know where you are at with the budget on this flip. Is there room in it for a new floor? Will you get the return on a new floor in your market? How fast are homes selling in that neighbourhood? Also, how much staging are you planning to do? Some of the suggestions here strike me as well over the top for this house in Houston area. And as we all know,location is paramount in R.E.

    • Mark Cochran
      Autore originale
      6 anni fa

      Yeah, it is a small kitchen and living room for the size of the house, I agree. The dining room and another room are in the front. What I posted is basically the back half on the bottom floor. Is it the beams that make it seem so squat, do you think? Maybe it's the angle of the photos (I'm fairly tall). Now that you put it that way, I see what you mean. :)

      Again, I have no problem with merciless criticism if its based on your actual opinion. It just looked like your were trolling, initially. My apologies. I appreciate your time

    • PRO
      Color Zen
      6 anni fa

      Here are the unedited changes that would really make this work- Remove orange floor tile. I know you don't want to but it's really killing the color scheme. New mantel- more modern/minimal/rustic (simple beam would do). New light- I know what you're going for but it's not working in this particular scenario. White wall paneling. It can still show a little wood grain but it needs to read white overall (to clean the lines). You can pull this together, keep the faith. Gl!

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato Color Zen
    • Mark Cochran
      Autore originale
      6 anni fa

      Taking out the tile is just not going to happen. Just too much work. If we had to, we could put vinyl on top of the tile though.

      God, that tile... I guess that's one of the reasons we got it so cheap. Design-wise, maybe the whole problem is really w me trying to salvage the floors, the paneling, and the beams work.

    • tqtqtbw
      6 anni fa

      No home basements in Houston. (I heard about one 100+ year old home maybe having a basement.) High water table, clay soil, slab foundation are common.

      Please remove the orangy tile. Replace it with a porcelain tile. The rest of the space is workable.

    • User
      6 anni fa

      It’s not too much work unless it’s asbestos based vinyl. Plain old ceramic? A piece of cake with the right equipment. Hire a Pro, or rent it. Or, you as a DIYer should really own a good air compressor and a breaker hammer attachment. Plus the proper PPO to keep your hearing, vision, and lungs, intact.

    • annied75
      6 anni fa
      I would paint the walls and beams. Change out the mantle to a rustic barn beam and you are all set.
    • User
      6 anni fa

      The home lacks a cohesive style because it is trying to cash in on too many trendy pseudo "farmhouse" choices. It is a modified Colonial Revival. All of the whitewashing and painting things gray will not erase that. Work with the style the home. Not against it.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato User
    • miss lindsey (She/Her)
      6 anni fa

      In the interest of being honourable, I though this was a basement. I didn't think there was anything wrong with that. But basement rec room or suite has a different standard than main floor living area.

      How would covering the tile affect doors, baseboards, toe kicks, etc? Unfortunately it doesn't make a very good first impression.

    • mjlb
      6 anni fa

      IMO, GreenDesigns nailed it. But it may not help you much at this point. I wish you well with this flip, and I hope you share how you finish the project. And perhaps in broad stroke, whether it was profitable or not.

    • Mark Cochran
      Autore originale
      6 anni fa

      Thanks everyone so much for all your help!! I realize I kind of made a mess of this one... I have someone else I'm working with on the house and he has effectively vetoed tile removal. We could do vinyl floors on top, however. Would that work?

      Do you think removing the ceiling beams would help curb some of the basement-iness? Would beam removal diminish anything? What about painting them white, white-washing them, or lightening them somehow..?

      As it is now, I'm replacing the sputnik light and I am adding another coat of white wash to where the boards are almost white. And replacing the mantle with a larger, more rustic single beam mantle.


    • mjlb
      6 anni fa

      Changing my mind... in the interest of just getting it done, I'd do luxury vinyl plank in medium-dark wood look, and white everywhere else. Then take a look, and add a little color in select areas.

    • PRO
      Sherri Blum Designs
      6 anni fa
      Ultima modifica: 6 anni fa

      In my opinion- the beams aren't what makes it look like a basement, it's the paneling. The beams should be left untouched. That's a very popular look right now, as long as they are in good condition. (Hard to see condition in the images.) Putting vinyl plank wood-look flooring over the tile will be a great improvement. Then remove the paneling and paint walls solid. You'll have a much more appealing room then. Keep the ceiling fixture a lower profile so it doesn't overwhelm the space. Good luck!!

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato Sherri Blum Designs
    • Mark Cochran
      Autore originale
      6 anni fa

      What about just removing the frilly supports below the mantle and making it a floating mantel?

      Alternatively what are your thoughts on just removing the mantel and not replacing it?


      Thanks, MC

    • mjlb
      6 anni fa
      Ultima modifica: 6 anni fa

      I'd remove both the frilly supports and the black doors, and leave the floating mantle (properly supported, of course). Also paint (white) the trim at top of fireplace.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato mjlb
    • PRO
      Sherri Blum Designs
      6 anni fa

      Definitely should have a mantle.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato Sherri Blum Designs
    • zmith
      6 anni fa

      Paint the mantle corbels white, like the brick. They'll recede and the mantle will appear to be floating. Put down some inexpensive floating floor over the orange tile. The faux handscaped engineered wood is really popular.

    • apple_pie_order
      6 anni fa

      This is a 3000 square foot, 2 story Colonial in Houston. It is not going to be a farmhouse. Ever. You are a real estate pro, so you know what will make buyers choose this house over a shiny new house in Katy or some other suburb. What is that deciding factor?

      The Houston buyer wants a new-looking, fashionable house in a good area that doesn't flood. As a flipper, you hire experts in construction for work you cannot do yourself or for which your talents are better used elsewhere. For this house, you need to hire a professional designer who can make it look like a wonderful family home instead of a collection of inappropriate bargain-level compromises, and who can help you hit the price point you need to make a good profit.

      Yes, the ceramic floor tile has to go.

    • Mark Cochran
      Autore originale
      6 anni fa

      "hire experts in construction for work you cannot do yourself or for which your talents are better used elsewhere. For this house, you need to hire a professional designer" ... I'm with you on that one... for this project I am working with my dad and he waved off the idea of hiring a designer.. Next time I'm going to at least get some consultations.

    • cpartist
      6 anni fa

      Well it's obvious you and your dad are not designers. You need to sit down with Dad and explain to him that if you want to actually make money on this flip, you need to do it right and to do it right, you need someone with a designer's eye.

    • zmith
      6 anni fa

      Go to Floor and Decor and get engineered flooring to lay over the awful tile. Most buyers are not that discerning as long as it is current, new and greige. Buy a pretty chandelier to replace the sputnik fixture.

    • User
      6 anni fa
      Ultima modifica: 6 anni fa

      You have us.... :)

      Agree to take down the paneling (do a good job and you might be able to reuse elsewhere or in another flip), patch and paint everyone's favorite, Revere Pewter. (or texture and paint). Lay new floor over the existing (probably in a driftwood color) https://www.flooranddecor.com/laminate-laminate/highbury-oak-laminate-944101349.html add floor trim. Generic chandelier. Leave the beams.

      All you have to do really is look at most of the pics people post here...that's what's popular.

      Forget the Italian Cypress in the front. They're not in your budget. Put a couple Junipers in instead. DON'T rip anything out..you might be able to relocate it. It looks to be shady there so not much color can go in...Hostas and ferns maybe.

      Power wash the outside including the walk way....Don't paint the brick.

      Just my 2 cents.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato User
    • User
      6 anni fa

      You do not lay laminate over tile. Not without scarifying the tile and using SLC over it to give it a smooth flat subfloor that it requires. And that would be undercutting all moldings and doors.

      Removing the tile would be easier in the end. It seriously is not that hard to do with the right tools.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato User
    • PRO
      Mint Design and Development LLC
      6 anni fa

      Mark, please keep the beams. Did you try the grey wash I suggested on the paneled walls? If is doesn't work you can apply faux stone pavers right over it...even matching the fireplace is you decide to do it. These are easy to apply and reasonably priced and do not look fake. Alternately ,there is liner paper that can be installed over it over which you can paint or paper. I am familiar with the Houston market. It is a vibrant market; you should do well. Please do some work on curb appeal. Looks like you have a lovely river oak that can be accented at night with landscape lighting...DIY landscape lighting would be lovely on the entire home.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato Mint Design and Development LLC
    • tqtqtbw
      6 anni fa

      Outside - yes, Powerwash the brick. Your paint color looks like it is one of the colors in the brick, so don't paint the brick. No to cypress trees. You have foxtail ferns which are popular here and can me moved around. Rearrange the blocks, rocks and use lots of mulch in the no-grass areas.. Installed mulch is cheap at $70-80/yard. Highlight with bright yellow annuals. Cornelius Nursery can help you pick some plants.

      Add some close up pictures of your beds so we can see what else can be reused. Right now they look too narrow and in shapes that don't accent the house.

      Inside- I like a more wood colored laminate like a walnut, rather than a gray wash look. Yes Revere Pewter or a light true gray sells here. Leave the beams alone.

      Is your father opposed to removing the paneling?

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato tqtqtbw
    • Mark Cochran
      Autore originale
      6 anni fa

      Hi Mint, yes I'm going to mix paint 50% white and 50% of the medium gray (valspar Notre Dame) that I already have... and then do that in a 50/50 paint/water wash..


      Hi tqtqtbw! As far as landscaping goes, I think I'm good. Haven't gotten to that stage, but I have a close family member that's a high-end landscaper.


      My father is opposed to removing the paneling, yep. The problem is we've already been there for what seems like an eternity. "Put things back together, stop tearing stuff apart."


      Next house I do is going to be much quicker and much more thoroughly planned. Measure twice, cut once.


    • Mark Cochran
      Autore originale
      6 anni fa

      At this point I'm looking for ways to get it together where someone is going to say... "Well, of the houses we looked at none is perfect, but we need a house. This house has the sqft we need and it has xyz going for it. Not crazy about abc, but there's an allowance for abc... etc etc. .."

      ... I'm looking to eliminate deal killers and stomach turners and position it competitively. Overall we might not get top dollar, but the place is vastly improved. I'm only showing the problem areas. We turned the smallish master bedroom into an awesome master suite with a sitting area and an enormous walk-in closet. When we bought the house it literally had leopard print wall paper in one room... loads of cheesy 90s brass and gaudy chandeliers, early 2000s ultra-bold colors everywhere, etc.


    • apple_pie_order
      6 anni fa

      Mark, have you been out to walk through new model homes in any nearby developments lately?

    • User
      6 anni fa

      Since you are in Houston, sea grass rugs over the tile would hide a lot of the problem. Are you showing the house furnished eventually? You could include the rugs in the sale?

      Do you read Cote de Texas blog? She is a wealth of information on the Houston look.

      Also I think the paneling should come down as well. If the walls look terrible, the ship lap look (horizontal is more trendy) is more in. Although I think drywall would look the best .

      And I think the paint color should be warmer as well. Choose more of a greige with warmer undertones. And the beams would look better lightened as well. I use BM natural linen with my braz cherry floors and it looks nice together. The blue grey undertones are making the floor look more orange

      Flips are a learning process. You will get better at it. But you have to commit to doing it all the way or he house will sit and incur the carrying costs and cut your profit. Make the house look great, trendy and it will sell quickly.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato User
    • Mark Cochran
      Autore originale
      6 anni fa
      Ultima modifica: 6 anni fa

      hey apple_pie, I have my real estate license and I've seen lots of newer houses around Houston. Can't say that I've seen many new ones specifically in this area, but I'm very aware of the houses nearby that have been renovated and have sold in a reasonable amount of time and for a decent amount. There are some new builds in the area. I'm going to check them out.

      hi cleo, this is an interesting trend! sea gress rugs? I can't say that I knew that this was a thing. That could be the solution that I'm looking for, because to disagree with a point you made, I think that the blue/grey (in the kitchen at least) helps to sort of cancel out the tile when you're not looking specifically at it... as in when you're walking through the room, the tile doesnt seem to be as big of an issue.. BM natural linen looks great with that color though. Does the "color wheel" come into play in your designs? I tried to make the blue the opposite of the tile on purpose for what it's worth. So with the large seagrass rug in the living room, some of the floor heart burn might be solved? Hopefully? Yes, I'm going to do some minimal staging to try and balance some of the less popular aspects.

      Here's a closer pic of the kitchen... tile is less of a problem here I think.. what do you think?

      I realize that I ideally I should take out the paneling, but they aren't just the facade... they're inch thick pine. Behind that are the studs. Too late in the game to go down that avenue. I'm going to look up Cote de Texas. =)

      Thanks all!

    • lhutch13
      6 anni fa
      The tile is less of a problem in the kitchen because of wall color. Paint the paneling white and your tile becomes less of a problem. Keep it the color now, then expect less money because it doesn’t look good together.
      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato lhutch13
    • User
      6 anni fa
      Ultima modifica: 6 anni fa

      Opposites on the color wheel intensify the perception of each color. Like Christmas colors. Adjacencies lessen the emphasis. It’s the difference between orange next to blue, and green next to blue. But it’s more subtle in the real world than a box of primary color crayons.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato User
    • User
      6 anni fa
      Ultima modifica: 6 anni fa

      Perhaps you should just sell as-is(ish)....? I kind of hear a lot of reluctance to do anything that's been suggested (that's fine it's your party).

      Maybe, at this point, slap a coat of white paint on and call it good...

      Leave the bathroom for future buyers to deal with.

    • erinsean
      6 anni fa

      After reading what people have advised, I only saw one person mention a rug for the floor and that is what I would do......Put a room size rug in the living room area and the floor will be mostly covered up. Let the next person living there change the floor if they want. If you are going to have a dining table by the kitchen....put a rug under the table like the living room one....That will save you the job of tearing out the tile. There are many nice rugs, low pile and durable that will work for your space. You could use carpet tiles also....like they put in stores, banks and boutiques.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato erinsean
    • hollybar
      6 anni fa

      That blue/gray colour intensified your tile. No matter. I'd flop down some rugs that do not have a green or blue undertone and move on. Seagrass sometimes is very green so beware.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato hollybar
    • Sandra Martin
      6 anni fa

      One more tile suggestion..if it's porous tile, cement stain may work to change the color. Give this a try on a section before covering it with new flooring.

      Mark Cochran ha ringraziato Sandra Martin
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