Ugly House Photos

They say it’s all in the details.  Same applies to home renovations & remodeling.  Something new is not enough.  You have to consider functionality too.

Here’s a recent home renovation that’s a bit lacking in thought.  Starting with the kitchen.  New cabinets, counters, and flooring.  But the stove and refrigerator are shoved against a wall with no thought.  Where is the triangle pattern (sink, stove, frig)?  Where is the stove’s exhaust vent?  Do you want hot (oven) next to cold (frig)?  Why isn’t there counter space next to the frig?  They could have made an L-shaped kitchen to tie in the frig and then added an island with stove & oven.

The bathroom looks new.  With all that space between the toilet and sink, why didn’t they add a wider vanity with two sinks?  An extra $300 might have given them an extra $2000 in value.

Different bathroom, but same design.  Here we see the toilet close to the vanity.  Notice how the toilet’s water supply line is stretched.  What happened?

The laundry room is lacking doors.  How expensive/cheap are folding doors?  $100 on upper cabinets would have been a nice touch too.  Do you like how they used old appliances in the laundry and kitchen?

[Read more →]

Sad little kitchen before.

Happy kitchen after renovation in 2010.

Depressing bathroom before.

Cheerful bathroom after remodeling.

Sleepless bedroom before.

Peaceful bedroom after (not the same room as above).

Dark den before.

Expanded after to create a great room.

View of the living room after.  This remodeled home sold quickly.

[Read more →]

Our readers enjoy Before & After house photos.  Usually the After photos look better than the Before photos.  Maybe not so much in this example.

Here we see the After shower of a remodeled Phoenix home.  A modern design was used to create this curvy Flintstone shower.  Let’s look at the practicality of it.  First, the shower seat will receive 40% of the water and looks like it will hold soapy water without draining.  Phoenix water is loaded with minerals and will leave hard watermarks when it evaporates.  Second, where do you put your shampoo, soap, and loofah sponge?  Third, there’s no light inside.  You’d have to face outward to see things at night (we’ll get to that at the end of this post).  Fourth, will the water splash out into the bathroom?  There’s no lip.  If you’re then forced to add a shower curtain, it will further reduce visibility.  Fifth, thanks to one of our readers for pointing it out, you’ll likely get wet when pre-heating the water due to the control handle’s location.

Let’s check out the front of the house now.  This is the Before in 2004 when it sold for $127,000.

It was listed for sale in 2007 for $349,000 (didn’t sell) and here it is again in 2008 (didn’t sell) with lattice and a gravel yard.

The view behind the lattice.  Worth $222,000 more?

How it looked in January 2010 as a foreclosure home (no surprise); it sold for $56,000.  They removed $293,000 worth of lattice?

And then the new owner remodeled the home and listed it this summer at $195,000.  What do you think of the new modern design?

Here’s another angle so you can appreciate the cut metal facade.

Here’s how the house looked inside in 2008.  Note the beautiful wood floor.  And use the middle wall with the mirror as a reference point.

By January 2010, the wood floors were ruined.  How did that happen in 2 years?

And here’s the After photo from summer 2010.  They removed the wood floors and the archway.  If that’s their idea of modern lighting…

This was the kitchen in 2008.  Hardly worth $349,000 but better than summer 2010?

The kitchen in summer 2010.  When you cook, you get to look at a blank wall.

No other storage space seen.  No cabinets over the sink.

The hall bathroom from January 2010.

The bathroom from summer 2010.  Attention deficit disorder tile pattern?  Check out the showerhead!!!  Why is it so far over from the right?  Shouldn’t it line up with the tub?

The previous owners added on the house.

This is the master suite in summer 2010.  They polished the concrete floor.  Please note how you can see the shower from the bedroom.  Remember, with no lighting in the shower, the person will have to face out to see.  Be sure to wave to everyone.

Here’s that modern shower again.  There is a drain.  But does splashed water spill out into the bedroom?

[Read more →]

Today’s buyers want bathrooms to be light and bright and clean-looking.  They don’t want dark and depressing bathrooms.  Or ones with dreary, heavy, outdated wallpaper.

This remodeled bathroom in Chandler, Arizona pleased my client enough to write an offer right then in the house.

[Read more →]

We are excited to share this amazing Before & After transformation with you today.
We posted this stone-faced home on September 30, 2009 because we couldn’t believe it.  Here it is again.  Completely covered in flagstone.

It finally sold to an investor on January 25, 2010 for $20,000.  Yes, $20,000.

Here’s the opposite view.

Pay attention to this photo.  This is the Before photo.

Here’s the After photo four months later.  Compare the front step, the window, the door, and the right side extended room.  They are the same.  But without the flagstone.

They got rid of that ridiculous front porch cover and arched walls.

They consulted with the city’s historic preservation department and obtained proper permits for the remodeling/renovation.  You might as well do it right and for that we thank them.

The home received a total renovation, including complete re-wiring and re-plumbing.  And a new roof, new windows, flooring, exterior walls, etc.

The new kitchen.

Another view of the kitchen.  Kudos to the investor for seeing this historic home’s inner beauty and uncovering it.  From an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan.

Some lucky buyer bought this charming home on June 15, 2010 for $140,000.  Worth every penny.  And the neighbors get to enjoy looking at it every day.

Update:  One of our readers asked for a curb view, so here they are.  Before at the curb.

And from the curb after.  Houses in this area were frequently built back in the lot, others up front; it varies throughout the neighborhood.

Editor’s note:  three more photos added 8-10-10.  There has been some criticism by viewers about the new minimalistic architecture and what seems to be a lack of shade or character.  A few comments in defense of the renovation:
1) The new version is more energy efficient than the old one (dual-pane windows, new roof, updated cooling and leakless ductwork, and new appliances).  The promotion for this home states, “Weatherization/insulation package makes [this] house 253% more efficient than when found, as well [as] estimated to save homeowner $485/year on utilities.”  I would assume they consulted with the utility companies too (electric and gas).

2) The house was built in 1936.  The City worked with the remodeler to preserve the original architecture of the home.  Homes of this style (flat roof adobe home in a box shape) are seen throughout this neighborhood so this isn’t an aberration.

3) No interior photos were available from when it sold in 2009.  Remember, it sold for $20,000.  It couldn’t have been that nice or worth saving inside.  It is unlikely anything inside was historical before and the stonework was certainly not historical.  But its age prevented it from being bulldozed.  Be grateful the investor didn’t just slap paint on it and call it remodeled.

[Read more →]

Here’s a tale of woe for a Phoenix home.  It was purchased in January 2007 for $405,000.  This is the master bathroom in 2007 with pretty (old) wallpaper.

The owners then gutted the house for a total renovation but ran out of money.  They tried selling it “as is” by short sale in 2009 without any luck.  The house was foreclosed and sold by the bank in April 2010 for $170,000 in this condition.

The rest of the master bathroom today.

This was the kitchen in 2007.

The “kitchen” in 2009 and 2010.

Oh, that big square hole?  That’s the staircase down to a basement/rec room area.  Here’s another view.

Here’s the house back in 2007 with green grass, bushes, and living trees.

The house photo in 2010 now shows dead grass, no bushes, and a large dead tree.

The new owners could pump $100,000 into this house (though not that much is needed) and still come out ahead.

[Read more →]

The master bedroom was so big, they divided it in two.  After all, what buyer wants a large master bedroom nowadays?  See the quality remodeling job they did?  This is the master bedroom side.

And this is the new bedroom they created by splitting the master.

[Read more →]

What really counts as remodeling, renovating, or updating?  If you add a copper tile back splash, is the kitchen remodeled?  If you paint the old cabinets, is the kitchen updated?

[Read more →]

OK then.

[Read more →]

Investors are buying the cheapo run-down foreclosure fixer-uppers and making them into beautiful homes.

Boring curb appeal before.

Fresh and inviting curb appeal after.

Old, outdated, dirty kitchen before.

Brand new kitchen after.

[Read more →]