Our Fixer Upper

After about a year and a half of preparations on my parents’ house, we started the remodel. Here is our journey.

The CAD drawing below is done in SketchUp, the software used in several home shows on HGTV, like Fixer Upper…luckily, I’ve been a trainer in the software for many years, so recreating the vision for the house was pretty easy.

We adjusted the flow of the house slightly, opening up the kitchen to make it an “open concept” kitchen, moving the front office door to face the living room and give it a view, and overhauling the master bath to remove a really weird “shed” closet that made the bathroom seem small and dark.

The Living Room and Front Entry

One of the beautiful changes to the house was the removal of the cedar siding and front door, and replacing it with drywall and a new, solid mahogany front door with glass. It brightened up the front entry and made it welcoming and beautiful.

We also changed the location of the office door, and opened the office up to the main living room. What was a small, cramped office is now an extension of the living room with a view. There is an optimal place to put a desk in the office that gives a view of the living room, fireplace, TV, and the Guadalupe Canyon.

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The front door installed

It was all worth it in the end. The door installed with our new, neutral color and a brushed nickel lamp.

Original front door & entry

The handmade cedar door with Canadian good stained glass was dated, and the door was heavy. The cedar siding also significantly darkened the front entry, and the vintage light needed an update. Also, the office door would be moved to open up the office.

New front door...

The new front door arrives…it takes five people and a pallet jack to move it down the driveway because the delivery truck couldn’t make it. The door is wider than we originally wanted…it was sold out, so we had to order the one with sidelites, which was a MUCH better decision. At $4,000…ouch.

Removing cedar and moving door

Here we experiment with moving some existing doors into position for possible barn doors. At this point we find out there is no sheetrock underneath the siding in the entry.

Front Entry—Naked!

After the cedar siding was removed, the front entry looked pretty weird.

Barn door concept

This mockup of the barn doors in Photoshop was a test to figure out the color.

The new office door opening

We removed the sheetrock and framing of the new doorway to the office, which opens it up to the living room.

Barn doors installed

The barn doors are finally installed…everyone loves them!

Popcorn removal living room

Removing the popcorn ceiling was just as much fun as you can imagine! But a huge difference.

Curb Appeal

The new fireplace from the outside of the front of the house.

The Fireplace and Alcove

One of the more drastic changes to the living room was covering the old stone fireplace. The fireplace was dark and dirty, and the doors didn’t operate easily. We considered trying to remove and replace the firebox, but that would’ve required a massive change. Our painter suggested covering it with sheetrock, and I found a beautiful electric fireplace that could be used year-round, with or without heat.

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Flooring installed

This is nearing the end result…we’ve installed the stranded bamboo flooring, and are waiting on baseboards and the granite fireplace shelf (not sure what else to call it!).

Covering the Fireplace

This was the first of the framing of the stone fireplace.

More Framing

Continuing on with the framing…a little nervous about how this is going to turn out.

Sheetrocked Fireplace

This was the final effect with the fireplace.

Another View

Another view of the fireplace with the new darkened beams.

The Electric Fireplace Installed

This shows a closeup of the crystals in the new electric fireplace.

The Master Bathroom

Another huge change to the house was the master bathroom. The original design included a really weird “shed” that was part of the closet. It was complete with cedar siding “shingles” that collected dust. There was also an alcove in the master bedroom for a dresser that took up room in the master bath, so we planned to remove it. When the shed was removed, beautiful light poured in from the skylight.

The result was stunning. After new electrical with recessed lighting and a chandelier over the new freestanding tub, we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. (Check back for the installed tile…it’s currently in progress).

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Remodel in progress

You’ll see in the next picture that this shower replaced the old shed.

SketchUp Design

This drawing shows the opposite wall with the new freestanding tub and shower.

The "Shed"

A different view of the shed…it’s actually part of the closet. The mirrored bifold doors were removed awhile back.

The "Shed"

I have no idea what the builder was thinking when he put a fake “shed” in the master bathroom.

Voila! Let there be light!

Once we started to remove the “roof” from the shed, this beautiful light appeared.

Framing the Shower

Once the shed was removed, it was time to block out the new shower.

New Shower Framing

The new master bath shower is framed, plumbed, and ready to tile.

Shower and Tub

This shows the new shower and freestanding tub.

Freestanding Tub

With the new chandelier over the tub.

Vanity #1

Dad’s vanity was always a little cave, with an overhead “box” fluorescent light. There was also an alcove (seen here) in the bedroom that took a lot of room from the bathroom.

Toilet Room

This tiny toilet room was small, and the door made it difficult to reach someone in case of emergency.

SketchUp Design

This shows the new layout of the bathroom with the bedroom alcove removed.

Vanity Location

This was the location of the vanity.

New Vanity

This shows the new master bathroom vanity in place with new lighting.

Opening up the Kitchen

One of the first questions we kept getting from anyone interested in the house was "is it open concept?" Unfortunately, it featured a tiny pass-through bar and dark cabinets, which made the kitchen seem small.

So early on, we decided to remove the wall above the bar to open it up to the living room.

We had also discussed removing the heavy beams in the living room, and even adding small cabinets to the top of the kitchen cabinets to extend them to the ceiling, but after opening up the kitchen, the beams tied nicely to the kitchen and the cabinets didn’t seem too short anymore.

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Open concept kitchen

This is the after picture…click the next ones to see the process of removing the cherry cabinets.

Removing the Cabinets

I located the guy who had installed the cabinets in the kitchen remodel back in 2010.

Removing the Cabinets

He carefully removed the cabinets…

Removing the Cabinets

Almost there!

Ta-daaaa!

No more cabinets…

Framing Exposed

Here you can start to see the view through to the living room.

Finally, Open Concept!

Now the kitchen is an open-concept kitchen with a view of the Guadalupe Valley, living room, and fireplace.

Finishing Touch

We replaced the old window in the kitchen and made it a casement window that opens up to the beautiful natural landscaping.

Custom laundry center

We used the extra kitchen cabinets to build a custom laundry center with hanging space.

Laundry cabinets

We moved the extra cabinets into the laundry, and made this awesome laundry center custom cabinetry.

Rebuilding the Deck

After many years, it was time to rebuild the deck. It had been built incorrectly 35 years ago, so we tore it out and rebuilt it bigger and better. The house now has about 1,550 SF of deck, including an observation deck outside the new bonus room.

The new deck

This is before staining, but the new deck provides an amazing view of the sunset, and peaceful, quiet outdoor living.

The old deck

Railings were not up to code, and although an interesting design, there was limited usable space on the deck.

Beautiful view

There is a beautiful view of the canyon from the top deck.

Deck failing

The old joist hangers were pulling away from the rim joist…it was time to replace the deck.

Happy Little Vulture

I think this guy felt right at home with the old deck and the pool that had briefly turned green…our pool guy skipped a biweekly cleaning for a family emergency.

Widening the lower deck

We used the existing structure to widen the deck, then removed most of the old structure.

New joists

The new joists being placed around the oddly-shaped pool.

Building the stairs

Here we are with a last-minute change to the lower stairs, dividing them and turning them to be safer for children and older folks.

The Bonus Room

Dad had planned for years to turn the attic into a usable room, so we did that for him. What used to be a small deck turned into an observation deck that has an amazing view of a grassy area with deer and the Guadalupe Valley.

Observation deck view

From the first lower deck, you get an amazing view of the sunset and field with deer.

Expanded stairs

We increased the size of the upper observation deck to accommodate a couple of chairs.

The grand entrance

Here’s Bobby modeling the latest in overbuilt stairs!

New glass door

A new glass door was installed to give light to the studio. The sun sets right outside.

Opening up the windows

Installation of larger windows gives a gorgeous view of the Guadalupe Canyon.

Adding a New Subfloor

Adding a new subfloor gave us a good subsurface for the new laminate flooring.

Recessed lighting

New recessed lighting is installed in the sloped ceiling.

The Grasscloth Bathroom

This old bathroom needed some updating…

New bathroom

This was the old, dark grasscloth bathroom.

The Roof

Another amazing change to the house was power washing the roof. The house has a concrete shingle roof that is extremely durable and easy to repair…the shingles are not nailed down, and to replace a damaged one, you simply pick up the two above it and replace the broken one. Several potential buyers asked about how much it would cost to replace, thinking that it was in bad shape (about $45,000!)…but that was just years of crud on the surface. It took three days to power wash, but the results were stunning. It’s like a brand new house!

A New Mailbox!

The house needed an updated mailbox, house number, and a place for package deliveries. A quick design in SketchUp, a solar rope light, and some leftover lumber, and voila!