Investment Property Kitchen Before & Afters
Oh what a year it has been!
For some of you that have been following along on Instagram for awhile, you know that at the start of quarantine back in March, I was mid-renovations on my current duplex unit. You’ve got to love having all things coming to a halt when you have your kitchen subfloors visible, no countertops, sink or plumbing, and appliances in your dining room.
Well, after putting things on hold for a few weeks and then determining COVID wasn’t going away any time soon, I decided to say screw it and started the work up again sometime in April. (Does anyone else feel like this year is just a big blur)?
All things considered, I think it turned out great! I’m proud of the work I tackled independently (tile floors, backsplash, painting, etc.) and am also VERY glad that I delegated some of the projects off. Knowing your boundaries when it comes to your time, patience and energy is key when tackling large DIY projects. ESPECIALLY when you are doing it solo and not as a duo. Props goes out to all my single DIY peeps!
All kidding aside, I’m proud of ANYONE who takes on DIY. You learn a ton through trial and error and it’s not always glamorous, but you can bet your ass that you will have a big sense of pride each time you look at your labor of love.
BEFORE & AFTERS
With that being said, I thought it was finally time to reveal my kitchen before and afters!! YAY!! But there’s a catch! This wasn’t my first rodeo.
2017
I first purchased my property back in November of 2016 and the kitchen in my eyes was a BIG eye sore!! Dirty laminate floors, outdated backsplash, and no dishwasher!! (No thank you. I hate doing dishes). So, I did my first update (with my brother-in-laws help) in May of 2017. We laid new peel and stick flooring, replaced the backsplash with subway tile, installed a dishwasher, made a home for my microwave, and added a bit of extra storage with cabinets and open shelving. Cost effective updates that did the trick.
2017 BEFORE
2017 BEFORE
2017 AFTER
2017 AFTER
2020
Knowing this is an investment property, and assuming I wasn’t going to be living here for much longer than a year or two, I thought these updates were great. They will help photograph better and allow me to increase rents slightly. However, I was surely mistaken.
Fast forward to 2020 and I’m still here. Don’t get me wrong, I love my place, but I had every intention of owning 1-2 more properties by this time. Guess what…when you leave your 9-5 and get 1099 tax returns, it impacts your buying power and how they determine your qualifications. (Shoot me a note if you want to chat details to save yourself the headache).
Any who, I’m still here and being in real estate, I walk hundreds of properties every year. So you can say I “get the itch” from time to time to buy a single family house and fully gut + renovate. Instead, I decided to be “somewhat” logic and make a few additional tweaks to my current kitchen to help satisfy my desire for updates, while also ensuring that it would once again help with rental profitability.
2020 AFTER
2020 AFTER
2020 AFTER
SHOP THE POST:
To say I’m happy with the outcome would be an understatement. I now have a hood vent that can help me not set off my fire alarms every time I cook. My fridge is finally taller than me so I don’t have to do a squat or bend over every time I’m looking for something to eat. The addition of my heavenly stainless steel sink can hold all of my dirty dishes until I decide to unload the dishwasher. All of my appliances are now matching stainless steel. AND my new white quartz countertops are so fresh and so clean, clean. Is it time to do it all again?!
Cheers!
Jen
Investor // Landlord and DIYer // Realtor // Business Consultant // Globe Trotter // Converting Vegan.
