House-flipping has been popular for a long while – and the trend has been made even more popular by television. Not all flips are created equal, however! Since I haven’t been able to take any road trips lately, I decided to sift through Zillow and find some flips to study. I’m hoping to take a road trip soon. While Google Street View has provided “before” photos of the exteriors, I unfortunately have no such views of the interiors. Both houses are roughly circa 1920 and both were showing signs of neglect before their transformations. They are both in the Midwest; the first is in Iowa while the second is in Kansas. Let’s see how each has fared!
I’d like to know what you think about these houses in particular – and the practice of house-flipping in general!
Flip Number One:
Looking a little tired, this house retains a lot of desirable originality. Slightly projecting windows add interest to the front and side. The brickwork beneath the porch looks rough, and the newer railings flanking the steps seem to dwarf the original porch balustrade. The dish on the porch roof is not attractive. Image courtesy of Google Street View.
The same house today, “reimagined” in Blueprint Blue with trendy natural wood. The attic windows have been given a taller center window. The front door has been shoved further to the right. The projecting triple window at the side has been removed and new, larger, siding covers the original clapboard (and surgical scars). Irregular brickwork below the porch has been concealed with wood. The new balustrades are taller than the originals… no doubt due to “code compliance”. There really should be an exemption for houses built before such codes began to proliferate; they only uglify what few historic resources we have left. Image source: Zillow.com
Is it just me, or does everyone else think “Ductwork” when a ceiling has varied and unexplained height changes? The windows are clearly vinyl replacements. The staircase looks oddly new for an older house; I want to see at least a newel post. I wonder what’s under the carpet – and why it wasn’t refinished? Image source: Zillow.com
At least the varied ceiling height here was turned into an asset. The three windows used to form a sort of projecting bay; now they are nondescript. The pair of doors strikes me as having a retail character… maybe a restaurant or bar. I think the floor is vinyl plank. One corner is boxed-in… I’m thinking a chase of some sort for plumbing or ductwork. Image source: Zillow.com
The kitchen and dining room flow into each other. Do people still really want “open concept”? The backsplash is slightly dizzying… if you’re going to do tile, decide if you are going to have a repeating pattern or a random one, but don’t try to do both simultaneously! It’s nice to see some natural wood in a house where everything else is white or blue-gray. Image source: Zillow.com
I understand the need for a larger closet, but it would look better if all the wood casings in the room were of a consistent width. Image source: Zillow.com
The added height of the center window does make it more attractive – and useful – than the original. The trim around the access panel does not need to be highlighted; it would be better off gray. The awkward baseboard transition at the top of the steps is not tidy, but overall this attic appears to be a really nice bonus space. Image source: Zillow.com
Flip Number Two:
This house on a corner lot also looks tired. The front porch has been partially – and rather insensitively – enclosed. The entry appears to be on the side, but was likely on the front and under the porch roof originally. Note the original low balustrade on the side which is anchored by brick piers… this is how a Craftsman bungalow’s porch should look. Image courtesy of Google Street View. Image source: Zillow.com
Much better! Except for that center post on the front porch. I understand why it was placed there; long spans on porches like this always sag – but it doesn’t appear to be sagging in the “before” photo… hmmm. This solution is a common one, but less than desirable. Note that the shorter brick piers have been made taller… again, no doubt, for code compliance. In order to get the mandatory – and Natural Selection-defeating – 3′-0″ balustrade installed, some mason went to a lot of work to build up the shorter piers. It’s hard to match old masonry that well! The new front door, a neo-Craftsman, fits the character of the house much better than the one it replaced. Image source: Zillow.com
Original wood floors have been refinished and steal the show. This house also unfortunately has vinyl replacement windows. They look odd to me when cased with beautiful natural woodwork. Same for the doors; I think they would look better if they were of varnished wood. I’m fairly certain that the original front door was where the French doors are now. I don’t understand why one end of this room has recessed can lights and the other end has the ubiquitous ceiling fan/light combo. Image source: Zillow.com
The entry to the dining room is through what appears to be the remnant of a former colonnade. The floor patch, likely the former location of a floor furnace, could have been done more sensitively, but I give the flippers credit for saving the floors and refinishing them. To me, recessed can lights don’t look comfortable in an older house, and these are no exception. At least their use is restrained here. Image source: Zillow.com
I like the kitchen; simple, not too glitzy, and cabinetry which is compatible with the original woodwork. Image source: Zillow.com
The doors in the bedroom are new, but work well with the original woodwork. The quarter round moulding on the baseboard would have benefited from a darker stain. Image source: Zillow.com
This house doesn’t have a finished attic, but it does have a very clean and spacious basement. The numerous posts limit its potential uses, but it’s rare to find an old house basement which is as presentable as this one. Image source: Zillow.com
So, what do you think? Which is least offensive and what do you think about house-flipping in general?
The first one initially looks good until you spend a moment looking at where they missed. They chose a nice pattern for the porch rail which relates to the time period of the house. For all the reasons you point out, I agree that it comes up short.
The second one is definitely more successful with quite a few smart decisions in materials and execution (even with the ugly vinyl windows). Being a details person, I can’t help but wonder if the small corner cabinet next to the fridge has any issues with clearance on the drawer and cabinet door when opened. Also, you can see where they put a spacer in the upper, but it still seems that the upper and lower are not lined up on the right side of the fridge. I would have that fridge tight up against the countertop to keep crap from falling in the crack.
I believe that can/pot lights should only be allowed in homes built after 1970 and you should be required to submit valid documentation to prove your home is less than 50 years old. They simply look bizarre in older buildings. I truly cringe when I see them on older buildings, especially when they have done the “open-concept” look and there is a veritable flotilla of pot lights floating on a sea of sheetrock as far as the eye can see.
As for flips in general… I have mixed feelings. When the right flipper comes in and salvages a wreck of a house while maintaining at least a modicum of the original character, I can be more forgiving than when they see only the bottom line, gutting it to the bones to be replaced with a big box store interior and zero character. I also get concerned about shortcuts taken (such as incorrect wiring or plumbing) and hiding it behind the walls to be found out later by the unfortunate homeowner.
Like you, I think the pattern of the porch balustrade on the first house is nice… I just wish it weren’t so tall! I suspect that the gap between the refrigerator and the cabinet in the second house is to allow the refrigerator door to open fully – and agree that it is an invitation for stuff to fall into the void.
Since you dislike can lights as much as I do, I’ll give you an advance trigger warning for some of my upcoming posts… the kitchen in the project house will be studded with can lights at the owner’s request. Maybe I’ll just not show the kitchen and instead focus on rooms that will retain something of their historic appearance when completed. Hmmmm….
Thank you for your thoughts on flipping; my perspective is similarly mixed.
Boy, that first one makes me sad. It is everything I don’t like about the flipping business. I have done some buy/fix/sell rehabs (not flips please), and do what I can to keep original features. First thing – do no harm. I almost didn’t comment here because I fear I sometimes sound unhinged when I talk about this topic.
I really don’t understand the super strong, and I use this word advisedly, hatred, for old features. It seems kind of crazy to me. I get updating a place to make it more usable, but I see all sorts of deletions and old-house-piece reductions that cost more money than simply leaving a lot of old pieces in place. I don’t get it.
I love this blog because you take the time to consider some of these issues in a thoughtful manner.
I hear you! And, no, you don’t sound unhinged at all (at least no more than I do)! The apparent hatred of historic features (and intense fear of anything looking “dated”) has both angered and perplexed me as well. I think it can best be explained by a combination of brainwashing and ignorance. Advertising has replaced education for many. There is no money to be made encouraging people to be conservative with their resources, so the push has always been for them to replace things.
The replacement window industry and siding industry are classic examples… their advertising convinces the ignorant that anything old is bad and in need of replacement or concealment. It is my perception that many people today struggle with the concept of quality; they can’t look at two similar items and figure out which is better-made. Therefore, they rely on advertising which, repeated often enough, becomes brainwashing.
It’s gotten even worse with the popularity of programs such as those seen on HGTV which make people think that a sledgehammer is a homeowner’s best friend!
Now – having said that, which of us will seem more “unhinged” to the average person?! I’ve pretty much given up on large numbers of people waking up to the many benefits of historic preservation and resource conservation; popular culture is just too managed, too entrenched and too profitable for anyone to successfully overcome its chokehold on the American psyche.
Fortunately, there are still many of us who can perceive the difference between quality and crap – and work to save what we can of a more logical and beautiful era. Thank you for being one of them!
I’m leaning towards the first house, and love the Craftsman homes, but neither of these remodels impress me much. I’m a big admirer of period-correct, high-quality restoration.
I bought a flipped mid-century in Portland, Oregon in 2014. While I was grateful to be able to afford any inexpensive starter house in this hot market, especially on one income, I later discovered my developer took a lot of shortcuts I really wish he hadn’t and that the inspector completely overlooked or ignored. My flipper was in too much of a hurry to go on a big Hawaiian vacation and the inspector was napping apparently. I had to pay for two inspections because he flipped it within 90 days too!
I looked at a lot of flips before I bought, but rarely did I see a remodel that impressed me in my price range. In general I think it’s practical and desirable to extend the life of a worn out house, and I believ creative, quality work can be done at any price point, but I think it should be a crime to replace unique vintage quality with cheap new crappy just for a few bucks. It makes me ashamed and hateful of humanity.
Nicely stated! I’ve always found it odd that the law does not recognize violence against historic buildings and houses by their owners as criminal – but will get all bent out of shape over someone driving eight miles an hour over an arbitrary, made-up, speed limit on a desolate stretch of road in the middle of nowhere. Or fine an old lady for not cutting her lawn often enough. Etc…
“Crime” is often determined by how financially lucrative the “offense” will be to the benefitting jurisdiction!
I’m fairly certain that if wasteful and history-obliterating renovations had a stiff financial penalty attached to them we could both eliminate the national debt and slow down the pace of destruction in short order! My view of humanity in general is also rather dim; its priorities seem completely nonsensical.
Unfortunately, we won’t see such penalties in the future; the current model for our economic growth relies upon the constant replacement of perfectly good things with perfectly awful things. Soon, we will run out of the good things. Television will continue to preach the joys of gutting a house and starting over. People will continue to watch – and absorb.
Many renovators approach old houses with a new-house mentality; rather than working with the existing and inherent character (or even attempting to understand it) they simply apply the “skills” they already posses (for new construction) and apply them to old houses in ways that often yield horrific results.
I would love to see a television show which would compare and contrast materials of the past with those found at the Big Box home “improvement” stores! People would be shocked to find that 100-year-old faucets can last another hundred years with a few simple repairs; the constant replacement cycle is so unnecessary. They would be shocked at the differences of quality found in old-growth lumber compared to the twisted, under scaled and knotty junk sold today. Same for plaster vs. sheetrock, etc.
But people don’t know; they didn’t learn it at home or in school or on television. They will remain ignorant and continue to destroy because that is what they do know. I’m kind of numb to it at this point, but will continue to try to point these things out to the extent that I’m able. No such television show will be made; it would put a dent in the current wasteful cycle that is so widely promoted. Thanks for caring!