BLOG
Finishing ideas for home remodels
As a remodel project moves toward completion, there are lots of small decisions to be made which can have a big impact on its success. For our current Berkeley Victorian home, we are making decisions on everything from paint colors, cabinet handles/knobs, mirrors, lighting and landscaping, to name a few. This is where you can really make the property pop and add the so-called “sizzle”. It is also where it is worthwhile to get professional help and opinions, unless you are (or aspire to be) an interior designer. I’ll share some basics about my formula for success.
If you enjoy making design choices on your own, there are plenty of on-line resources to help you along the way. Two of my favorite “idea” websites are Houzz.com and Pinterest.com. Both sites have search engines, so you can really narrow down the description of what you are looking for (ie Victorian front doors). If you already have a good idea the style you are looking for, major sites for home products make it easy to browse for specific items, including Home Depot, Lowe’s, Amazon and Overstock.com. Often times it is a two-step process, starting with finding the style and then going to these individual stores to locate the specific products.
For the Victorian, we went thru several iterations on exterior paint colors, since these homes are generally very colorful and leave a lot to the creative mind. The interior paint remains the same color as I have done on all my recent homes, since I love the color scheme, it’s easy to use over again and is very neutral. Make sure wall colors go well with ALL floor coverings and cabinets/backsplash. For exterior paint, I relied a lot on my painter for this project because he has a good eye for colors. This was fun for him since it let him be more creative than usual.
The online resources mentioned above were used by my stager/designer and I to select everything from cabinets, pull handles and knobs, lighting and mirrors. In the end, seeing what others had done to modernize their Victorians gave us the vision to confidently pick all our finishing items. I suggest finding the cabinet shops in your area, where you can view “made in China” products. These products have surprisingly risen to quite high quality standards in the past several years. Many shops sell it all, including backsplashes, bathroom tiles, appliances and flooring. Prices are very reasonable, making them ideal for house flip projects. If you don’t know where the best shops are for your area, just ask a few local fix/flippers, and I assure you they will direct you to the good ones.
In closing, it is probably best to keep your project’s finishes as neutral as possible, so that you maximize the number of potential buyers. With that said, adding a few “sizzle” features always makes the property more desirable. No need to go over the top, but a well staged home should make potential buyers go “wow” the moment they walk thru the front door. Don’t disappoint them!
