The Hilary Home

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.  My renova

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 Selections 30 in L x 18 in Polished Stainles