Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Behr. As a Behr DIY Expert, I love sharing new projects every month. All opinions are my own.
I have good news and I have great news.
Good news: Our apartment is finished. It’s totally renovated and looks incredible.
Great news: We have new renters who seem to love it!
A quick recap – we had to evict a previous tenant in one of our apartments in July. It was in a pretty terrible state and needed a complete remodel. Due to the fact that we were building a house, my dad stepped in and finished almost everything while Ryan was at work. We are forever in his debt and so thankful it’s complete.
I already shared how we transformed stock cabinetry in the kitchen.
Now, I thought I’d share the rest of the apartment. We had to remove everything out of the space, fix walls and drywall, and then put it back together. Two of the biggest pieces in the transformation were paint and flooring.
I’d love to show you a before photo, but I was embarrassingly overwhelmed and didn’t even consider it. The paint job was horrendous – sections were wintergreen and parts were bubblegum pink. Outlets were painted over.
Just imagine the worst paint job and you’ll be close.
With rental properties, we try to keep the spaces really neutral, so they could work for almost any family. While many rental owners paint all the walls white, I feel like that feels incredibly stark. Plus – white walls get extra dirty over time in rental properties.
So, we have been using the same warm neutral in all of our rentals – it’s Behr Brushed Khaki. It’s dark enough to cover some wear and tear and light enough to brighten up a space. We buy 5-gallon buckets of Behr Ultra Premium Plus in this color and always have it on-hand. Because we use the same color anywhere, there’s no guesswork when we go into a rental property. For trim, we use Behr Ultra Pure White in semi-gloss – it really pops against the Brushed Khaki.
The color looks tan in some lights, but also has some grey undertones, which you can see more in this photo below.
The color keeps the spaces feeling warm and also transitional. Any accent or furnishing colors could work in here. And the flooring, which has more tan in it, works well with the walls, too. (We have used this exact flooring in another unit and it’s held up well. We had it purchased and installed from a local carpet place.)
And the Brushed Khaki transitions well into the kitchen, where we used Behr Elephant Skin. The floors and countertops have grey and tan in them, so it feels really cohesive with the rest of the apartment.
We did paint closets and hallways white, but the bedrooms and living room feel extra cozy with the new paint color. And the white trim paint keeps everything feeling modern and fresh.
I had a ton of calls on this rental when we put it online. I think the photos sold the space. The spaces are large and clean.
I ended up having a lot of n0-shows, which is probably one of my biggest pet peeves (and another downfall of owning rental properties).
But then, we had a wonderful mom who immediately loved the space for her and her kids. She moved in last month!
It’s really rewarding to have a space that people are proud to live in. And I’m beyond relieved to have the space completed and income coming in again. It took just over 3 months, but we’re happy to cross this project off the checklist.
What do you think of the apartment now?
And if you are curious about our rental properties, check out all our posts about them here.
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cassie @ primitive & proper says
that kitchen looks great- no wonder you have happy tenants!
Brittaney @ Hudson and Co. says
I cannot believe how bright this space is! That natural light is a dream. I would totally live in that cute rental!!! I think you guys did an awesome job. Justin has a rental back in Florida and I’m actually dreading the day the tenants move out because it needs updated in a bad way. But the people who live in it are happy, so that’s all that matters right now.
Kim Woodward says
Thanks, Brittany! It does get a lot of great light!
Becca Sargent says
I agree with the color choice! It looks so clean! We love Behr paint and painted most of our house with Dapper Tan. It had the same affect, not to light and not too dark. What finish did you use? We’ve become hooked on painting our walls with a Satin finish. I can literally wet Swiffer my walls clean (I know that sounds nuts!). Love the trim too! – Becca
trina @ let's just build a house says
If I were a renter I’d be SO happy to live here. It’s hard to find nice clean rentals sometimes. this isn’t only clean but stylish! good job and props to your fam too for their help.
Stephanie says
It looks wonderful. I totally hear you on the no-shows. We just re-rented our property this year. I’ve learned my lesson and scheduled the 13 showings a half hour apart to cut down on the time I’m waiting due to no shows. 6 of them actually showed up. People can be so rude