• Minneapolis, MN Loring Park Neighborhood
• 2 bed, 1 bath, 980 sq ft condominium
• Purchase price $136,000

The bathroom renovation entailed:

Replacement of the old white tiles with new tiling that was placed only on the floor and in the shower. No more outdated wall tiles! Tearing the tiles off the walls with a crow bar was actually a great work out, got some major blisters though!  

The vanity top was removed and a simple wood top was placed. The entire piece was then painted black and a white vessel sink placed “half sunk” into the vanity top. A clear, glass shower door was installed, clear shower doors help to open up a small bathroom rather than solid shower curtains. The mirror was replaced with a black framed mirror, framed mirrors add instant style to any bathroom! A globe pendant light was installed in the original lighting space and the original lighting above the mirror was cleaned up and re-used.

The kitchen renovation entailed:

I was able to leave a lot of the kitchen intact. It had a stainless steel refrigerator that was in great shape so I left that and purchased new matching S.S microwave, dishwasher and range. The backsplash was previously tiled a neutral color and there was existing granite countertops, important things to look for when purchasing reno properties(anything that can be re-used or left as-is to save money). Granite and updated tile-work is huge! The old stainless steel sink was replaced with a hand-me down from my parents which Dan was able to remove from their house and replace in my condo. I painted the cabinets bright white to freshen up the kitchen and bring light into the space. I applied the paint with a paint sprayer to get a smooth finish BUT

there was one major downfall that I did not encounter the last time I did cabinets, the old stain color kept seeping through the paint. I put on 2 more coats and talked to numerous people at a popular hardware store who said it just needed primer, what most of them failed to mention is that only an oil based primer will block stains from coming through on wood that previously had an oil based stain applied. After about 5 coats of paint I finally got an acceptable finish!! Lastly, I was looking for a cheap way to spice up kitchen cabinet doors. Instead of refacing all of them, I had rectangular sections cut out of the 2 doors above the sink and had glass placed inside. This made a great focal point and area to showcase pretty glassware! I added brushed nickel hardware and voila!