A Finished Mid-Century Modern Home

Last week you were able to see what I saw when I first started to redesign a mid-century home for modern living. This week, I’m focusing on the final product.

This was a whole house update. The real estate program that I am working for buyers and for those seeking to list their homes is helped by whole house updates. This buyer is a beneficiary of one of the programs I am offering. So many times, I have worked with homeowners who begin to update a home on their own and only get through one room. Depending on the work completed, the home can look piecemeal when only one room gets an update. This presents an opportunity for a seller to let go of the work by listing with me; the buyer working with me gets a completely updated home.

So many bathrooms of homes needing updates still have the sliding door shower tubs. The good news is that when a home has good  plumbing, these shower tubs offer the space to replace it with a modern practical area for showering and bathing. If I can add access to a bedroom from the bathroom, I have a win-win.

Sometimes water lines do need to be added to add something different like an extra laundry hook-up. Options are the best options, so I am always trying to view how the home might be best lived in. In this home featured in this article that I updated, I found that the tri-level  offered an opportunity for separate access to the home from the lower level that might allow separate living areas for a parent or for adult children. Thus, I had the home plumbed for laundry options on that level.

The lower level room also gives better opportunities for living options for multifunctional uses post-update. The only thing that makes a bedroom by definition is that it has a closet. Closets are so important whether it’s for a bedroom or for storing games for a game room.

Some people may ask about why I didn’t take out a wall between the 2 upstairs bedrooms to create a true master suite. To that I say that we can all create million dollar homes by keeping going when we should stick to the budget. As you know, there are movies made about homes becoming money pits. It is important to be able to stop at a point that gives the homeowner the option of doing what works for his or her life. The wall might be removed in the future or the homeowner might appreciate the separate space.

It is important to not anticipate what a buyer might see. If you have been home shopping, you have probably noticed that the agent present (especially if the agent represents the seller) does not say very much. I am always amazed at what people envision. However, it is important to be able to offer choices that allow multiple visions. That’s what I do as a designer and real estate professional.

 

As you probably noted in last week’s photos, the home came with great viewing windows and offered the right neighborhood to view from those windows. The main level of the home did require a wall’s removal to open the kitchen to the main living area. From there, the choices for updates became about flooring and lighting. The fireplace became a focal point and did not require much more than paint.

The kitchen required most of the attention on the main level with counters and appliances and cabinets. Most kitchens can recoup about 98.5 percent of investment at resale.

What is most important is the coordination and design of the updates to the home so that the home presents as organized, clean and functional. Deciding how to accomplish that is part design and part experience.

Call me at 360.635.1121 or email DianneMorrisHomes@gmail.com to learn more about how I help buyers and sellers by focusing on the final product. The experience I bring is the difference in how you live at home.