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“Home Town” stars Erin and Ben Napier know which home renovations are most popular these days. But they also know well that sometimes, upgrades aren’t the best idea—particularly if you want your house to have character.
In the latest episode, “A Laurel Hug,” Erin and Ben meet up with an old friend, Kendall, who recently lost her husband. She’s decided to move back home to Laurel, MS, to be closer to family, and has bought a house for $110,000. She loves this 1940s build, but Erin and Ben know the place will require a lot of work—and more cash than her $115,000 renovation budget will allow.
Yet the Napiers find a way to make this house look amazing while pushing the budget only a bit higher. And their secret is largely avoiding a lot of the most popular renovation trends! Here’s what they do—or more importantly, don’t do—which might inspire some changes around your own abode, too.
1.Don’t paint the front door if it looks great already
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Erin and Ben know this yellow house needs a fresh coat of paint, so they plan to give the house a brown exterior with a green door, which will provide a pop of color.
The brown paint looks great, but when the new door comes in, unpainted, Erin has second thoughts about giving it a new color. The deep wood tone works great with the new, darker house color. In the end, she decides to keep it as is.
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“It was more peer pressure from all the neighbors,” Ben says when he and Erin finally get to show Kendall the new exterior. “Everybody was texting, like, ‘Hey, so ya’ll aren’t going to paint the door, are you?'”
Everyone on the block loves the wood front door, and it seems Kendall does, too.
2. Don’t knock down walls if you like nooks and crannies
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While lots of buyers these days want homes with an open floor plan, Erin and Ben note that this old home still has lots of walls, and they plan to keep it that way.
“I like rooms, and I like little nooks,” Erin says when explaining her decision to keep the walls up in the living space. “That’s what makes a house interesting.”
In the end, Erin and Ben prove that keeping the walls up is the right choice. With the original layout intact, this home is able to keep its unique 1940s charm. Even with a fresh coat of paint and some new furnishings, this home still feels old in the best way possible.
3. Don’t try to fix imperfect floors
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When Erin and Ben first give Kendall a tour of this house, it’s filled with orange carpet. The carpet doesn’t make the best first impression, but Kendall is able to see some hardwood floors peeking out from underneath, which gives her hope for this house.
So Erin and Ben make sure to have the carpet removed and the wood floors sanded. However, these old hardwood floors aren’t perfect. While one would expect a uniform look from new hardwood, these floors have patches of darker and lighter wood. The color isn’t consistent, but Erin says this is actually an asset.
“This is what I love about old hardwood floors. … They really tell the history of the house,” Erin says.
Indeed, these old floors add extra character to the home. When the renovation is finished, these floors turn out to be a great feature—and a big upgrade from orange carpet.
4. Don’t go wild with tile if you like a classic look
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White subway tile is classic, beautiful, and inexpensive—so it should be perfect for Kendall’s 1940s house.
However, Erin believes that subway tile has been overused, so she chooses a tile that is ever so slightly different from that classic look: a white tile with a beveled edge. The bevel gives it a bit of texture.
David, the tile installer, says he loves this look because it reminds him of antique mirrors, which have beveled edges as well.
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Erin seems happy with the comparison, explaining that one of her biggest goals with this renovation is preserving the classic feel.
“It’s so much about the historic architecture and keeping it the way it is,” Erin says.
When the bathroom is finished, Erin loves the look. To the naked eye, this shower tile looks like it’s lined with typical subway tile, but up close, there’s a classic detail that’s reminiscent of an older style.
5. Don’t make a kitchen too clean and pristine
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With Erin already finding a unique alternative to subway tile for the bathroom, she decides against using that tiling in the kitchen as well. Instead, she finds a white tile with a touch of color to give it a slightly aged look.
“I love the way these tiles have a little patina and an aged color about them,” Erin says. “Like, I didn’t want anything perfectly white and shiny in this house that feels historic and a little bit aged already.”
When the tile is installed, it looks great. It gives this kitchen a bit of character, helping it blend in with the rest of the old house.
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The post ‘Home Town’: Erin and Ben Reveal 5 Trendy Renovations To Ditch Today—and Why appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
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