Exterior before
Exterior after
the front-door trim, I chose Tricorn Black. I painted the large front porch a soft gray, carrying that color into the family room, which we tiled with a soft gray and white marbled tile. Over the door I placed an architec- tural pediment I found at the local antique store, that I spray-painted black. I think it was a $10 find! DON’T DISCOUNT SWEAT EQUITY I power-washed the back veranda, the front steps, and the walkway. They must have had 100 years of accumulated grime but cleaned up beautifully. This cost me nothing but time and gave me a deep sense of satisfaction. I found fencing in the garage, which I installed on the south side of the lawn, separating our beautiful Fort Victorian piece of history from the newly built house next door. Since the house had originally been on well water, there was both an old well and cistern covered in concrete in the backyard. I asked my
carpenter to build a flower bed the exact size of the cistern so I could cover the concrete structure. I plant- ed flowers in the bed and covered the well with an old cedar fence pan- el, that I sealed with exterior clear stain, giving the backyard a picnic table. The vegetation in the front of the house was overgrown, so I cut back the tree limbs and placed new planting beds across the front of the house, as well as flanking the steps. Landscaping was complete with har- dy perennials like hostas and ivy. BE RESOURCEFULAND SALVAGEWHEN POSSIBLE The old garage windows were mostly broken, and would have cost a small fortune to replace, so I took two large pieces of plywood, painted them black, and installed them in place of the glass. Sometimes weird-sounding ideas turn out perfectly! There was also an upstairs window that was visible from the outside but had been enclosed in a wall. The insulation was visible, so we chose to paint the
window glass black. It looked like shade from the trees in the yard. The window was so high it was impossible to see that it was painted. Rely on little tricks of the trade when nothing else will work. We were able to salvage 132-year- old beadboard, shiplap, and Arkan- sas pine wood floors. We restored the exterior of the home to its former glory. The renovation turned a two-bedroom, one-bath home into a 3-bedroom, 2- bath home, created an eat-in kitchen, and a beautiful master bathroom. The neighbors were happy to have a beautiful house to look at, and the new owners were delighted with their historic, yet modern home. I was so happy to know that a historic and beautiful home had been saved. •
Marla Roberds is a home rehabilitator, house flipper, and real estate agent with Simplicity Real Estate Solutions. She is the principal member of Kissing Tree
Properties LLC. The plan is simple, Kissing Tree Properties is Flipping NWA, Turning Houses into Homes.
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