Bereavement Inheritance Needs A Rehab

A difficult project: an inheritance of 30 years deferred maintenance, indoor smoking, and moderate hoarding. Our main directive was to rehabilitate the main floor, so that it could be made livable/rentable/sellable. When we first came in contact with this home, it was in pretty rough shape. A lot was needed to simply clear the space, so that we could even think about, let alone start a rehab remodel. Almost everything needed to be addressed. We found mold, rot, and failing infrastructure every time we turned around. A patio door was taking the full brunt of water runoff for decades, and rotted out a large portion of the subfloor. Swamp coolers were failing and forced us to upgrade the HVAC situation (we went with a heat pump/AC + new furnace). What started as three necessary windows and a door, doubled-- as it made the most sense to at least replace everything on the main floor. Cleaning was our first big task. Paint, flooring, countertops, and backsplash tile became the ways we could make the space distinctive, on a budget. Eventually we rebuilt the original breakfast nook bench, and decided to trim out the space in a complementary oak. Our loose design charge was "biophilic"... and we did our best to incorporate natural elements in some elementary ways. We incorporated greens and wood throughout, as per the client's inspiration. The green granite island countertop was a lucky & very affordable find. Sourcing antique mirrors and using a mushroom grout for the new shower tile was a great way to add more warmth & depth to what could have been sterile-looking bathroom spaces. Light fixtures, shower hardware, faucets, door & cabinet hardware were "basic" (not the cheapest) but contemporarily stylish. Ordering a preferred item, instead of just sticking with whatever stock is on the floor, is a way to add some personality to an otherwise practical rehab. We didn't want this to feel like a cheap flip, and the kitchen -- once a borderline disaster-- now reads as a prime feature in an otherwise 1970s suburban house. In total we addressed: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, dining & living rooms, kitchen, partial basement (to the laundry), and the stairwell to the upstairs.