The Hilary Home

Took the week off for July 4th! Back at it this week with a fun new project. My fiance recently bought a duplex. The plan is to move into the duplex when my house sells and rent out the other side (more on this under  House Hack  ). We are in the process of completely renovating the place. Part of that is the kitchen! The kitchen cabinets are one of the few things in the house that is in pretty good shape so instead of replacing them for thousands of dollars, we decided to paint over the existing cabinets for hundreds... Full disclosure: this is my first time trying to paint kitchen cabinets! We reached out to a friend of ours that does this for a living and she recommended the following products/procedures: 1. 220 Grit Sandpaper - our cabinets were pretty dingy, they needed a lower grit to clean off the dirt/drywall/etc. 2. Denatured Alcohol - any brand will do! 3. PPG Breakthrough Paint (in the color of your choice) 4. Sponge, paint brush, misc accessorie...

December 2017 I closed on my current home in Winter Park, FL. Like my  Altamonte Springs Condo  I bought this house in a great location next to must more expensive real-estate. The area I live in Winter Park is 4 houses and a residential street away from million dollar homes. The house is  a 4/2, 1,737 sf, mid-century modern style. It appeals to many different parties including young families since the schools are some of the best in the area. I bought the house for $285,000 with $5,000 in closing concessions.  As you can see the interior has much to be desired. But what I liked was the opening of the kitchen didn't  seem   to be a large structural renovation (it's just beyond that small bump out in the picture above), there were high ceilings in the living/dining room that would eventually be the main entertaining place in the house, most of the house had original hardwood, and all the renovations I was planning would be under roof....

I've always enjoyed my long term flips. They've allowed me to hone my design skills and express my creativity through construction (you've see the product of those as blog posts). Something that has constantly bothered me about flipping is that on my tiny scale, there doesn't seem to be any long term wealth building as you just cash out of one and put into another. A website and podcast called  Bigger Pockets  ** opened my eyes to the world of rental properties and house hacking. This post is dedicated to 3 types of real estate investing that you'll see me talk about from time to time on the blog, what I like about them and what I don't.  1. Flipping As mentioned above this was my introduction to real estate investing. I've never done a quick flip, but I've now completed 2 long term live-in flips. It's super addicting if you like home construction and design because nothing is ever permanent (also good for the commitment phobe!). I've lo...

The next major renovation I tackled on the condo was a kitchen renovation. I had a general idea of what I wanted to do, and I think it's the number one asked for renovation: open kitchen concept. Everyone loves the idea of entertaining and cooking all at once and not being kept away by a wall or hallway. Above is an isometric view in BIM of the kitchen before the renovation (I hid some walls for ease of viewing). The layout was very awkward, for instance, you couldn't be doing the dishes without constantly having to open and close the dishwasher. Not to mention being closed off from the rest of the house with the exception of a small pass through. See below for plan view. The entrance was also very cramped with only a single cased opening with the small original refrigerator in the entrance as you walked in. Again, no easy flow. See below for before picture of the kitchen (this picture was basically taken at the Elevation B viewpoint). Part of the reason I bought ...

This was the first renovation I did on my condo. My plan with my first home was to buy at a great price, in an up-and-coming location close to town and fix it up to a more modern feel (for more on this see  My New House - Condo in Altamonte, FL ) . There were a few phases to this renovation, but I'll start with my favorite renovation: my marble hall bathroom. I decided that since the footprint of this bathroom was so small I was going to make this bathroom my dream bathroom. Okay, so maybe not that spectacular. But for a small space I really went all out, and learned a lot from it. These are the Home Depot finishes I chose: Floor/Shower Accent:  MSI Greecian White Basket Weave 12 in x 12 in  ($12.98/sf) Wall Tile:  Ivy Hill Tile Calacatta 4in x 8in Polished Marble Subway Tile  ($15.83/sf) Vanity:  allen & roth Moravia 36 in White Single Sink Bathroom Vanity with Carrara Marble Top  ($400) Mirror:  Style Sele...

When doing any remodel the first step is to plan. The last thing you want to do is be halfway through a renovation and realize you've made a mistake, or something doesn't look right, or you've run out of money (see " Utilizing BIM to Optimize My Small Condo Kitchen Renovation " for more on this).   My dad always used to say "those who fail to plan, plan to fail"; I don't always live by those words, but in this case they couldn't be closer to the truth. Otherwise you could end up with a space that looks like this : Don't want this! 1. Are you trying to do a live-in renovation? The answer to this question will change your design plan of attack. What do you need to live in a home? A place to eat, cook, bathe, and wash. Make sure you're strategic if you only have one bathroom or you're gutting the kitchen. Plan accordingly. Take the wall tile off last if you're re-doing the only bathroom in your house and make sure you ...

Yay! I have been saving money for the past couple years and have finally bought my own place! It is a 1,000 sq ft 2/2 condo in a small city about 15 mins from downtown Orlando.  My perfect first place, safe neighborhood, gated community, canopied  oaks, attached garage, vaulted ceilings minus one glaring problem.... The 1980s interior. Picture this: vinyl off white cabinets complete with matching countertops, carpet in its own dingy colored mauve, fixtures stained with water droplets from years of use, appliances from Martha Stewarts heyday, metal windows which should contain a warning to buyer "CAUTION: May cause exceedingly high electric bills", the list goes on and on. Hold on you don't have to imagine, take a look: **please note these pictures were taken before I bought this gem in October, none of the items in these pictures belong to me** Did I mention the hotel inspired bathroom that opens up to the bedroom, with carpet? Oh yeah.....