Our good friends, Emily and Glenn, were ready to make the move to Eastern Washington to be closer to their family but first, they needed to sell their Snohomish home! Their home had a few unfinished projects they didn’t get a chance to finish before deciding to move across the state, which can intimate hopeful buyers. We were so excited about this project and loved the end results!
Location and Inspiration
Living in the hills of Snohomish is a dream – it’s a little bit suburban and a little bit rural. You’re less than ten minutes away from Historic Downtown Snohomish, but it feels like you’re tucked away in the country.
Emily actually was one of our first customers at our Lamb & Co. Storefront, quickly became our friend, and then worked as an incredible designer at the store. So, I had a feeling that her eye for style would reflect in her home, and it did!
Considering the existing style, the secluded charm of the five-acre property, and the pool of potential buyers, I knew we had to go with a farmhouse design. But not just your average farmhouse, an “Organic Farmhouse” with the ideal combination of farmhouse-style and organic materials.
Key Updates
81% of buyers say that an updated kitchen and bathrooms are the most important features when purchasing a home. Our budget for this project was $100,000, and we knew that in order to get top-dollar on this home, we needed to focus primarily on the kitchen, the main bathroom, and landscaping.
Kitchen
A kitchen is one of the most used spaces in a home. It’s where everyone gathers together and where memories will be made! While I loved the seamless flow between the kitchen and the dining space, the kitchen needed some cosmetic updates to bring it up-to-date, and if possible, I knew I wanted to expand the kitchen to make it even more functional and spacious.
Expanding the Kitchen
We ultimately decided that it be worth the investment to expand the kitchen into the laundry room. By doing this, we could add more cabinetry, counter space, and even room for a coffee bar.
Fun Fact: When extending a kitchen, replacing all the cabinets can be more cost-effective than matching and updating a dated style!
The Details
We did a full overhaul to make the kitchen feel more modern and stand out to buyers. We added all-new:
- Luxury stainless steel appliances,
- Quartz countertops,
- Modern soft-close white cabinets from our good friend, James, at Evergreen Cabinets,
- A custom statement wood hood range (thanks, Jeff!)
- Marble subway tile backsplash and a porcelain accent tile under the hood range from Floor & Decor
- And, to tie everything together, a blue farmhouse apron Elkay sink & faucet.
Main Bathroom
The ensuite in the main bedroom was definitely a work in progress, and we all knew it would be one of the essential renovations needed to give this home the “wow” factor. Although the bathroom was a decent size, the original layout wasn’t the most functional use of the space.
To utilize the space better, we reconfigured the floorplan by removing the infamous heart-shaped ”love tub” and the tiny, dark pocket shower and replaced them with an oversized walk-in, dual shower.
We used a floor-to-ceiling polished ceramic subway tile surround to draw attention to the existing cathedral wood ceiling and a ceramic hexagon tile for the shower floor.
With the remaining space, the single-vanity was swapped out for a double vanity, and the dated fixtures were replaced with high-end fixtures, including the farmhouse-inspired light fixtures, new mirrors, and hardware.
Landscaping
Most of our overall budget went towards the kitchen and main bath, but curb appeal makes a huge difference when selling your home because it’s the first thing buyers see!
While the long driveway offers seclusion, it did make parking and turning around a little tough and could have been a turn-off to buyers immediately. A section of the driveway near the garage was sort of wasted space because it often became a muddy mess thanks to our wet, PNW weather. The decision to gravel this portion provided more parking, more room to turn around, and was still within our budget!
My dream to-do list outside was to add a charming picket fence along the driveway, clean up the garden beds, weed up the stairs, and add a DIY rain barrel.
DIY Rain Barrel
A rain barrel is an affordable DIY that can actually save you money in the long run! One rain barrel can save somewhere around 1,300 gallons of water during peak summer months, an average savings of $35 per month. SCORE! Plus, it’s so adorable.
All you need is a pitcher pump, a pipe, a barrel (we got ours from a local brewery!), and a flexitube to connect it to the downspout.
Sure, Leslie and I might not do things the traditional way, or the easy way, but we always do them our way. And that is more fun!
Other Key Updates
Fresh Interior Paint
A fresh coat of interior paint can go a long way. We gave the entire home a refresh with SW-7647 First Star by Sherwin Williams. Luckily for us, the exterior paint was in incredible condition!
Shop the details of this adorable nursery here!
Modern Flooring
When we go to renovate homes we almost always go with LVP because of its strength, affordability, and durability. For this Organic Farmhouse reno, we used AquaLogic Ultra in Beech from our favorite flooring company, Feather Lodge!
Fixtures, Hardware, and More
To make sure the entire home was updated and refreshed, we replaced all light fixtures, hardware, trim, base, and more throughout!
On our Amazon Storefront, you can shop the details used to achieve the Organic Farmhouse look, including the hardware, lighting, fixtures, and more. #FoundItOnAmazon
The Artist
This week, we had the chance to work with a very special artist that is like family to us – our very own Lamb Real Estate Agent, Ericka Hardwick. (Seriously, what can’t she do?!)
“If art were genetic, it is in my DNA. I come from a long line of professional artists. It is a lucky talent to have inherited because it allows me to create art for my home decor.” – Ericka Hardwick
After we staged with her artwork, I fell in love with the pieces Ericka provided for this episode, and I was lucky enough to buy three of her pieces that were used in this home! Follow her Instagram to stay-to-date on all things real estate and maybe catch some of her new projects!
Get the Lamb & Co. Look
Products seen in this photo:
- Hobnail Drinking Glass
- 24″ Square Velvet Pillow, Taupe
- Ivory Gull San Pedro Pillow, Rust
- Ivory Gull Selfoss Pillow, Rust
- Hand-carved mango wood boxes, set of 2
Products seen in this photo:
- Ivory Gull Florence Pillow
- Mango Wood Candle Holder
- Hand-Blown Glass and Mango Wood Hurricane
- Hand-Forged Metal Taper Holder with Antique Finish
The Numbers
Unsellable Price – $750,000
New List Price – $975,000 (originally was going to be $956,000)
Offer- $1,150,000
Final Profit After Spilt- $150,000
Coming up Next Week on the Season Finale of Unsellable Houses
Sunken Seventies to High Class
“Lyndsay and Leslie work to bring out the potential in an engineer’s 1970s home. After raising the sunken living room and lifting the kitchen ceiling, they aim for top marks with a dark, sophisticated style that complements the home’s soaring architecture.”
Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more inspo and to stay up to date on all things Unsellable Houses and Lamb & Co!
XO
Lynds
