So remember when my boyfriend bought another house (check out my post from the first surprise house here)? He’s really getting into the business of flipping small outdated homes and revitalizing them for rental. The Pittsburgh rental market is very active.
He has been working hard on the property since buying it in January 2017, with myself helping on any small projects that I can. I mostly contribute to design choices, painting and heavy-duty cleaning. Plus providing positive moral, and food & drink supplies for the worker bee of course! Working mostly on the weekends, the projects were slow to show progress, but the house is finally done & rented!
Thought I’d share the after state to show that it just took him a little budget, commitment and hard work to transform a dated, dull house into something livable again. Now it’s rented, providing a home for a family and a sense of accomplishment and future income for the investor. I’m proud of his accomplishments, and admire his commitment and drive towards something more. I know we have both been learning about a lot more than house flipping along the way, especially about how to balance projects, time management and communicating. It’s definitely a challenge to flip a property at 26 with a full time job and limited experience – it’s especially wearing on a personal relationship.
I recently became infatuated with another local couple, successful and established in the house-flipping business the Bennetts of K Bennett Development Group. You may have heard of them from their HGTV pilot show Steel City Rehab. I LOVED the show not just because of the Pittsburgh setting (so awesome to see the city shine), but also because of the couple’s fun, positive energy. They have been through the hard times of starting a house-flipping business, and continue to face serious challenges, but still (appear, I don’t actually know them lol) to have their kind, fun-loving, respectful relationship set as a priority. After their episode aired they posted to their Facebook thanking viewers and welcoming questions. I took the opportunity to ask something personal, looking for perspective for my own relationship during flipping struggles. I asked two questions and really appreciate that Kris and Tara answered with their thoughtful responses.
I’m curious about the beginning of your house-flipping journey. How did you prioritize getting your business off the ground while still taking care of your personal relationships?
TB: There came a time when we knew we needed to buckle down and give our careers some major attention. Kris had been used to getting checks in the mail for riding his bike for so long, so it was definitely a challenge for us at first. We had a lot of conversations about the business — how we need to do what it takes and make sacrifices to get on our feet. We had our daughter and another baby on the way at the time, and we were having a hard time making ends meet. We didn’t see each other a lot during the first flip. Kris would work until he couldn’t keep his eyes open, then he’d go back as soon as he woke up. That went on for at least six months. I did most of the kid and home duties on my own. It was extremely hard, but getting through that first house and watching the process succeed — even though it came with major challenges — was enough for us to want to do it again. That year was a major marriage victory for us. We realized that we make an awesome team, even when things get tough. We learned how beneficial we are to each other when it comes to encouragement and motivation. There were some days we felt like we couldn’t do it anymore, but we helped one another stay positive.
Any advice on the work-life-balance struggle as a young couple flipping in Pittsburgh?
TB: Balancing the different parts of your life takes a real effort. Kris and I will sit down and plan our weeks out at the beginning of each month. What are our work hours? When do the kids have activities? When does the gym fit in? When do we want date nights, time with friends, family days, etc.? If we don’t schedule, we will go weeks without a date night and months without seeing some of our best friends.
KB: Work does take up a lot of our time, but we’re good at prioritizing the other parts of our lives as well. If we feel like something is slipping, we re-evaluate and adjust the calendar. It’s an ongoing thing, but we try to be super-honest with each other about what we need.
Kitchen Before
Kitchen After
For the walls I selected the same paint color from our own kitchen. It was inspired by what else other than an episode of Fixer Upper of course! I picked a PPG Voice of Color paint color called Silent Storm, a pale green gray 6 months before I realized it actually truly is the PPG crossover for Joanna’s color Americana Egg in the Magnolia Homes paint line! A crossover means that Silent Storm is the closest tint formula in the PPG color palette, to the other brand’s color Americana Egg. This is discovered based on tint and formula data.
For more PPG Paint colors similar to those used on Fixer Upper check out this Pinterest board full of Modern Farmhouse collection colors.
Bathroom Before
Bathroom After
In the bathroom (and bedrooms) we picked a very light grey color called Elusion PPG1005-2. He decided to use the same tile we have in our own bathroom across the shower and floor.
Pink Bedroom
Updated Bedroom
Updated Living Room
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3 Comments
Great transformation!
WOW! This makeover is incredible. I really, really love the bathroom!
You know what I like about the rehabs? That they are very simple and leave the new homeowner a blank canvas to put their footprint on the house.
Great post!