Our House-Flipping Adventure

During the depth of the pandemic when restrictions were harsh and business slow, our neighbor Axel, (bless his heart), died. 

When his brother came to town to deal with his estate, he found the home run down, in disrepair and partially empty of furniture.  (Axel had already started to give away his belongings to friends)  His brother needed to sell the home and go back to his job, but with the number of repairs it was in un-sellable condition.    Vidal and I looked at each other – with my design experience and remodeling sources and with Vidal’s custom wood working skills we knew that we could make this home shine.  We offered to purchase the home ‘as is’ and told his brother that we would take care of disposing any items left behind.  Axel’s brother was relieved, he didn’t have to do any more work, we saw the challenge and opportunity and jumped in with both feet!  Although it took longer than anticipated, the result was well worth it.  I know that Axel would be as happy and proud of the remodel as we are!

We wrapped all the exterior posts with wood as well as all exterior windows.  Front deck offers entertaining space with a privacy fence.

The open concept interior is flooded with light from windows on 3 sides as well as a skylight.  Note the wood them that incorporates a coordinating post to balance the mission style door. 

Live edge bar counter and professional faucet and sink for entertaining.

Solid surface counters, under cabinet lighting, storage accessories.  Ample kitchen storage.

Fireplace Niche to stay warm on those icy days!

Tip – extending the shower tile past the glass enclosure makes the room look bigger.

I love bathrooms that mimic the elegance of high end hotel bathrooms, it makes me feel like the special person I am!

In total 2 bedrooms, one bath (with stack washer dryer in niche), light filled bonus, fireplace, live wood bar counter and trim, professional style kitchen, open concept.  Contact Vidal or myself for a personal tour or join us in our week end open houses!  206.850.7715

Chiao!

Who do you shower with? I shower with Marble!

I shower surrounded by marble and I love it.  There is something both peaceful and elegant when showering in marble enclosures.  Natural stone triggers our body to relax, as does landscape pictures, and other symbols of nature.  Marble also gives a sense of elegance that ceramic tile just doesn’t have. Marble Tiles, Bellmont Cabinets

Marble is relatively low priced (compared to granite) and polished marble tiles can be used on the walls of your shower.  When having a marble tile shower enclosure installed, I request that my installer uses a very small grout line, just a hair.  That way we see more of the natural material and less grout.

 One extremely successful option that I recently explored is using entire slabs of marble on the walls of the shower and adjacent walls.  With few to zero seams, you really will not ever have a ‘grout problem’ and the result is spectacular. Marble Slabs An easy way to go about this is to visit a ‘stone yard’ and look at marble slabs.  There will be a wide variety of selections and with it, a wide variety of prices.  But some of the most beautiful stones are the most ‘common’ ones and many of those are in the lower price section.  Stone slabs come in different thicknesses.  3 cm is for counters, 2 cm can be used for counters OR shower walls.  Some slab yards have 1 cm slabs that are specifically for walls.  These are even lower priced because they are very thin.

A popular finish for stone is ‘leather’ (it comes in a variety of names).  This finish is not polished, and it is not honed.  It has a textured ‘hand’ which feels very ‘natural’ and ‘unproduced’ AND it is difficult to stain.  Leather finished marble is perfect for a shower enclosure.  It has the beauty of nature and the elegance that only marble brings to the table. 

So, Who do you shower with?  I shower with Marble!

The Urban Spa

The private Urban Spa is the most recent of trends in our community.  Whether it is a reaction to the stress that we experience exponentially, or our desire to pamper ourselves, we are seeking relaxation opportunities for our lives.  Many of us are creating private 'spas' in our homes to fulfill those needs.  Remodeling a bathroom into your private urban spa is not necessarily more expensive than a normal bathroom remodel.  You just need a few key items to ensure your relaxation.   Here are some basics:

To create a peaceful, relaxing area you should a) select natural materials for the flooring, walls and counters b)  allow the textures from the natural materials create pattern and interest c)  select colors that are soothing (no fire engine reds) d) select fixtures that have simple lines (no ornateness)

Options for your home spa:  a)  heated towel warmer (this can double as the towel rack) b) steam shower (steam shower fixtures are available through Kohler) c) heated flooring d) music (sound system) e) tubs with heat, jets or bubbles f)  large open showers with body sprays, rain shower heads and hand showers g) bench to lay down on both in the steam shower and outside the shower  h) sauna  i) foot massager  j) foot baths (yes they exist! see MTI's foot bath) k) specialty shower enclosures l) aroma therapy & light therapy (available through most tub & shower manufacturers - see Kohler DTV electronic interface

As with any remodel, the key to success is planning. Call me and we can create your eternal relaxation spa!  Chiao!