One of our tenants moved out of one of our duplexes a few months ago and it was time for a major update to one of our rental units. So, Ryan has been busy working on the space to get it in the right condition to rent again.
In the past, I would help a bit throughout the process – painting, cleaning and picking fixtures and finishes. But with Henry around, Ryan did this property 100 percent on his own. And the finished product is really great! I’m super proud of how it all came together on a serious budget.
I forgot to take any true “befores.” It was a classic rental – needing updating, cleaning and sprucing up. Here are a few after Ryan began working. It’s gotta get worse before it gets better.
And here is the property today … the challenge with a rental property is that I can’t expect it to be “up to my standards.” It’s gotta be nice, clean and liveable. But we also have to realize that people are hard on rental properties, so we also need durable and replaceable. And hopefully inexpensive.
This also means leaving the mini blinds – which I abhor. Ryan cleaned them well and re-installed them. With some paint, some cleaning, new light fixtures and flooring … it truly is like a new place.
The new tile Ryan installed should be really durable and is also easy to clean. Plus, it looks nice. There is also a really cool clawfoot tub in this unit.
I do love the old leaded glass windows.
And the woodwork is in awesome shape. Ryan cleaned it all down with Murphy’s Oil.
We reused a faucet and sink from another property and reconfigured the tiny kitchen to be more open. While we left the original uppers, Ryan added unfinished standard lower cabinets that were painted to match. It really changes the entire room.
If you can imagine, this was set up as a pseudo-galley kitchen before. There was a long narrow island jutting out from the left wall. It was a terrible use of the space. This is better, and actually provides more storage.
We planned to have basic-grade carpeting installed for this unit. But after pricing it out, it was going to be more than $1,000 for the whole unit. Instead, we decided to purchase foam-backed carpeting from Menards for around $300 at the suggestion of my aunt. Ryan installed it himself in a weekend. There are no adhesives, tacks or nails adhering it to the floor. (With the exception of the stairs which are stapled.) The carpeting is cut to size and slides underneath the base boards and threshholds. It actually looks awesome and was truly a fraction of the price. It truly looks and wears like normall-installed carpeting. yIt will also be uber-easy to replace in a few years. And the quality is really not noticeably different from the basic grade carpeting we considered.
Onto the next project.
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Erin @ Domestic Adventure says
Good for you for providing a fresh, clean and comfortable space for someone! I am sure your future tenants will appreciate it. And good for Ryan on all of that hard work. Now, tell me, how do you get the perfect vacuum lines in the carpet. Is that the Roomba at work?
Stephanie says
great job ryan!!! very impressive!!
Leigh Powell Hines @Hinessightblog says
You all have done a fantastic job. Looks great.
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
It looks great! Definitely an adorable place I’d have loved to rent! 🙂
Trina @ Let's Just Build a House says
great job cleaning the place up. hope you find a good renter soon!
Amy says
It’s VERY nice. A great home for some very lucky renters!
Alli says
This looks amazing!! Anyone would be lucky to rent from you and Ryan!!
Amber @ Wills Casa says
Wow! Way to go Ryan! That woodwork is in crazy good condition! I have no doubt it will be rented in no time!
Lisa @ My Superbia says
Great job! I admire you for being landlords of multiple properties. My husband already plans to rent our first home whenever we move out of it, but I just don’t know if I could stand to see what renters would do to it!
Irritated by Lisa says
@ Lisa, why would you automatically assume renters would do “something” other than upkeep your rental property?
How quickly people forget that they started somewhere and more than likely it was in a rental property. You sound like a sanctimonious, holier than thou smuck.
How about be grateful you have renters?
Kim@NewlyWoodwards says
Yikes – this is a flame-free zone!
Unfortunately, I have first-hand knowledge with how renters treat properties. And we have great renters, but they certainly don’t treat our properties like we do. That’s precisely why we renovate with materials and items that are easy-to-replace. There’s no real incentive to care for a property like a homeowner would. And most renters know that they are “short-timers,” so long-term care is not on their mind. I believe that’s what Lisa meant. And I don’t blame her in the least for that view.
And I would certainly appreciate a refrain from name-calling. I left this comment up because I think the discussion is valuable, but I won’t hesitate to remove in the future.
Lisa Hamel says
@Irritated by Lisa: Sorry I offended you! I am actually insanely grateful for my home, and everything and everyone that led to me purchasing it, which is exactly why I would hesitate to rent it. Even if renters take very good care of it–and I know many would–it still wouldn’t be the same as living in it myself. If you love something, it is hard to turn it over to others.
Mostly, my comment simply intended to compliment my friend for taking on something that I personally doubt I could handle. Being a landlord is a lot of responsibility and hard work, and I think Kim and her husband should be applauded for what they have achieved.
Kelly @ Corner of Main says
It’s fantastic! Nicely done Ryan. =) I never knew there was carpeting like that; what a perfect solution. And I am all for laminate!
Colleen says
I am intrigued by that carpet! The rental looks great- good work Ryan!
Katie says
Way to go!! It looks great! I have never heard of carpet like that. I will have to check it out. The woodwork is amazing!
cassie says
it looks great! what a warm and cozy rental!
Rachel says
What a huge improvement! I love the woodwork, and those windows are amazing. And I’m with you on the laminate–people always hate on it, but I love our laminate countertops! I’m very, very glad you mentioned the carpeting you used . . . one of the main reasons we’re putting off refinishing our big basement room is because we don’t feel like our budget can handle new carpet (even cheap builder-grade)–I’ll definitely be looking into the foam-backed kind, if it’s cheaper and just as functional.
Kim@NewlyWoodwards says
It’s definitely a great choice for a space where “regular” carpet is just out of the budget. We couldn’t believe the difference in cost and the different really isn’t noticeable. All of our rooms are under 12 feet wide one way (which is the size of the roll). So, there are no seams. Sweet.
daisy says
Great job, Ryan! It looks like a cozy lil’ place for someone.
Ashley says
those doors and windows are awesome!
Cindy @ The Flipping Couple says
Wow. It looks great. Plus, new carpet? New paint? New kitchen? That would have been an automatic winner when we were looking for a place to rent! I hope you find really awesome renters who can appreciate what you’ve done.
Mandy @ This Girl's Life says
It looks great Kim! What a great idea for the carpet…I would have never known you could do that. What a handy guy you have!
kristin says
This looks great! I’d love to see you write a post on how you got into the rental game, and pros/cons, tips, etc. My husband is very interested!
Kim@NewlyWoodwards says
Thanks for the note, Kristin! I’ll try to get a post up about some of these tips.