Posted on

Househacking Airbnb Design Build Project

House-Hacking Airbnb Design Build Project

This started out as an old bungalow that was being marketed as a tear down property on the MLS when we came across it, but as a premise Houston Vintage Homes DOES NOT tear down old homes! So for us, it was all about envisioning the next chapter in this 100 year old bungalows life…

After conversing with the homes new owner it was evident we would make this one super neat Urban Bungalow that was also ideally suited for Airbnb. The vision for this home involves bringing it up to today’s standards with all the bells & whistles associated with today’s modern home with many of the traditional lines and features that made these homes great when they were originally built 100 years ago!

Some Neat Tech Goodies…

The technology package we have planned for this home is second to none and I can honestly say I doubt there will be any home in the area with some of the features this home will have! I can’t go into details but features like automated HVAC, Whole Home stereo, surveillance & security system are the START of things! Lots of fun to be had here!

In addition to the updates we have designed this home to maximize it’s earning potential via Airbnb and other short term rental platforms! In fact, Houston is Airbnb’s largest market in the US and is rapidly growing, so we wanted to ensure the homes new owner could take full advantage of this opportunity.

Double or Triple Your ROI via Airbnb!

This isn’t our first foray into Airbnb themed units, as we have developed quite a strong level of expertise in renovating & designing Airbnb properties for investors looking to earn better than average returns with their investment properties. 

After paying all expenses (principal, interest, taxes, insurance, repair allowance & property mgmt fees) most investors are happy netting $250 to $300 or more per month on a single family home that may be a 3 bedrooms 2 bath home! Same home rented via Airbnb with the addition of cleaning fee’s may bring in as $600 to $900 per month, same home, more expenses for maids but way more profit! There are people locally netting $1,000 per month and more with properly Airbnb optimized properties!

We have completed and are currently designing several projects that incorporate Airbnb into their design and/or are going to be used solely for short term rentals. This space has exploded in growth and size over the last 2-3 years and is on pace to change the entire landscape of short term housing as we know it. At Houston Vintage Homes we are excited to be at the forefront of the space from a renovation and new construction perspective and bringing awareness to more investors as a potential avenue for profit in their investing efforts.

Community Impact with Airbnb

An added benefit to inner city communities that we have found is that by enhancing these older properties with the right updates and an Airbnb friendly design, we can now help more people afford to live in areas undergoing gentrification! It’s a WIN-WIN solution for the property owner, the community, Airbnb and the city overall as they receive a hotel tax!

If you are interested in learning more about how you can leverage our expertise to execute a similar Airbnb project or urban in-fill development feel free to shoot an email to Tyron@HoustonVintageHomes.com with details of your project.

Stay tuned for more updates on this Urban Bungalow!

 

Posted on

Beautiful Home Makeover for Momma T!

Houston Vintage Homes has been blessed to have a full schedule of new construction and major renovation projects but we commonly get requests for small remodels. Due to the size and scope of most of our projects we generally refer these requests to other contractors but in this case we had to make an exception to assist a distraught homeowner!

Our client initially hired a contractor and within a day they recognized they made a mistake in hiring and were concerned with what to do next! Having found out about HVH from Instagram, our client reached out to us and we knew we had to help them out! Take a look at the condition of the home when we arrived on the scene…

The homeowner, Momma T as she affectionately became known has lived in this home for over 20 years and really wanted to update it and modernize her home. Taking cues from her favorite colors and style we were able to craft a design that would meet all of her design objectives WITHOUT busting her budget.

In the end, we believe we hit all of the objectives dead on and to say our client LOVES her new home would be putting it mildy, take a look for yourself…

Too bad we didn’t have a chance to get better pictures before our client began using the space but we are just glad that Momma T now has an all new Living Room, updated bathroom and a place that makes her feel happy! It was fun working on this project and we look forward to one day helping you make your house a home one day!

 

 

Posted on

Amazing Inner City Houston Bungalow near the Heights

100 Year Old Bungalow – Owned by the builders family since new over 100 years ago! Totally cool!

The team at Houston Vintage Homes are such nerds and weirdo’s when it comes to really neat old wood framed homes, LOL! We literally geek out and go goo-goo for Cocoa Puffs over homes like this lovely bungalow located in one of the hottest areas of inner city Houston where a ton of gentrification and new development is underway!

This home was part of an estate that included 2 city blocks of old homes built between 1917 to 1920, unfortunately this is only 1 of 2 homes currently standing as the other homes were sold and immediately demolished to make way for new townhomes! In fact, the previous owners were most delighted to work with Houston Vintage Homes because our vision was to restore and make these homes as beautiful as they were when grandpa built them over 100 years ago!

Our vision with this home includes adding about 600 square feet of living space which will encompass the brand new Master Bedroom suite & office space! But before getting into all the details of whats to come, let’s take a look at how it looked when we first saw it!

  • Front Porch
  • Side
  • Rear
  • Dining & Living
  • Dining Room
  • View into Kitchen
  • Kitchen
  • Kitchen
  • Utility Room
  • Bedroom
  • Bedroom 2
  • View into bedroom

As the pictures show considering this homes age it was in pretty condition compared to most homes we work on; in fact, this home had been occupied by the same renters for 30 YEARS! Yes, 30 whole years, they rented this home, kinda sad actually but that’s a whole ‘nother conversation! (If you don’t own a home and you’re currently renting I strongly recommend you giving us a call right away, we can help you become a homeowner!)

That said, back to design, LOL!

The vision for this bungalow involves converting the living & dining rooms into more of what we call a Great Room with vaulted ceilings and some amazing exposed beams to bring in some character and texture! The pine floors will be sanded and stained with a pickled finish, a brand new gourmet kitchen with Pro-style appliances and the utility room we’ve designed for this home is just UNREAL!

There is so much to LOVE about the design and future of this home, we can’t wait to for the official unveiling which we expect to happen the first weekend of June! It will be quite fun to see this like new 100 year old bungalow surrounded by brand new tract built patio homes, quite the juxtaposition but it’s par for the course in inner city Houston.

As the summer rapidly approaches, it’s becoming prime real estate season! If you are in the market for a vintage styled home or are wanting to design & build your own custom home you shouldn’t make any moves without consulting with the team at Houston Vintage Homes first!

 

Posted on

New Orleans Style AirBNB Bungalow: Coming Soon!

Neat Bungalow equi-distant to U of H and TSU…

For some time the team here at HVH have literally been craving a bungalow to design and renovate that has the design elements and features of this home such as…

– Huge corner lot
– 11 Foot Ceilings
– Oversized rooms
– Transom windows over the main windows
– A secondary structure

We are most EXCITED about the 11 foot ceilings… Ceilings that tall make for such dramatic spaces! But before explaining every aspect of the project take a detailed at the current condition of this property below…

  • Side view
  • Dining Room
  • Living Room
  • Bedroom #1
  • Master Bedroom
  • Secondary Structure

After reviewing those pictures you may think we’re crazy in fact, we had several people ask if we were tearing this house down, LOL! We were offended that someone would tear down a GEM like this!

Obviously this home has endured many years of deferred maintenance having been vacant about 7 years, has multiple roof leaks, half demolished rooms, all broken windows and the siding is in pretty bad shape!

All of those things we look beyond to see the potential for this home…

We see a totally renovated and updated to modern standards, New Orleans Style Bungalow with all the architectural elements and details from 100 years ago when the home was originally designed and built. We will add some of the more modern features like a Pex Mani-bloc plumbing system which will allow for efficient water use throughout the home with almost zero maintenance. A tankless water heater will ensure an endless supply of hot water for those extended showers.

A Pro-Style gourmet kitchen outfitted with custom oversized shaker style cabinets, a huge working island and one or two goodies we can’t disclose right now but believe me
when I say this will be a kitchen unlike any other!

The goal is to create a home that’s truly an experience that takes your breath away and from all early indications I believe this home will that mark spot on! As an AirBNB rental I believe it will perform quite well for many years to come. Stay tuned in the coming months as we unveil this lovely New Orleans Style Bungalow!

 

Posted on

Spring Branch Design & Remodel

Conceptual Change to Front Elevation

We have been commissioned to design a Mid Century Modern renovation on this home and here are our initial notes and thoughts on the project!

To give a modern feel and enhance the natural light of the property I am proposing a more dramatic entry and roof line that will greatly impact the aesthetics of the home and make it what’s known as a Mid Century Modern, architecturally speaking.

Until plans are drawn it can be rather difficult to imagine how the home will look once all the dirty work has been done so I have gathered some photos to help you visualize the possibilities.

Let’s talk more about the front of the home and curb appeal via the photos below

  • #1 – I like the visible front door and windows
  • #2 – The inviting entry
  • #3 – For the rear of the home

One of the things we hear commonly regarding homes is wanting to have light come into the house, so I propose altering the front & rear to allow more natural light. In photo #1 – the front door is now visible from the street which can be accent color as you see in the photo. Photo #2 is actually the rear of a home in California but I could see it as a version of your entry allowing more light into the home and offering quite a stunning visual from the curb! Lastly photo #3 is more of the same.

These are used for design inspiration and we take the ideas and concepts you like most along with the particular nuances of your home and we create our own design.

Now let’s move to the kitchen…

With that wall removed and/or opening the kitchen to the entry & living as well as opening it up more to the den off the kitchen I believe the pictures below conveys a few of the possibilities…

  • #1 – Kitchen open to living areas
  • #2 – Kitchen with Island Sitting Area
  • #3 -View of Kitchen from Den

In photo #1 I like how the kitchen is open to the living areas and has the dark floors which is a design theme we discussed when we met. I also like the vaulted ceilings which we may copy but we will pop up the ceiling in the kitchen to create the illusion of more space. Photo’s 2 & 3 are different perspectives on the same kitchen and I’m not fond of the finishes per se’ but the layout and flow is line with what we discussed.

The Houston Vintage Homes team provides a turn key design & build solution for new construction & renovation projects like this and would be happy to speak with you about the opportunities for your next project. 

 

Posted on

East End Bungalow (Coming Soon)

The HVH design team is excited about the progress on this bungalow located in 5th Ward which is one of Houston’s hottest areas undergoing rapid gentrification! This bungalow sits on a corner lot with unobstructed views of downtown Houston from the porch and is literally across the street from a brand new home the same size on the market for $249k.

Here are 2 photos of the interior…
As you can see we have outfitted this home with custom Shaker Cabinets, designer finishes and high ceilings.
If you want a vintage home that’s spacious, refined and updated perfectly this may be the one!

Posted on

Bungalow on Natchez

Amy & Jamiah’s Bungalow Renovation…

One of the hardest parts of renovating a home is visualizing what the end result will be once you have invested thousands of dollars on a renovation! Personally whenever I build or renovate a home I like to find a muse to use for inspiration.
Muse #1
Several things stand out when I look at this home including the welcoming porch, texture the cedar accents provide and the elegance of the brick columns coupled with the Craftsman trim and light colors. I think this would look amazing on your home!
Muse #2

The above photos show a kitchen in a home similar in size & style as your home that I believe would look amazing provided you want an open kitchen concept.  These are just ideas to help you visualize what your home could look like.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Posted on

Vintage Bungalow Renovation in 5th Ward Coming Soon!

This 88 year old bungalow has definitely seen better days and the team here at Houston Vintage Homes couldn’t be more excited about restoring it to it’s former glory! This 3 bedroom 1 bath home is just under 1,000 sq. ft. of living space with a formal living & dining room in it’s current configuration!

Early design plans call for adding a spa-style Master Bathroom, a private deck & water garden off the Master Bedroom in addition to a total redesign and update to the exterior. As with all of our projects here at HVH it will get The Kit as we like to call which consists of all new mechanicals (Electrical, Plumbing & A/C) along with all new foundation, roof, windows, exterior siding and doors!

Now many would ask, why not just tear it down and start all over? Great question… our vision at HVH is built around restoring old homes like this back to their former glory! In our opinion, it would be a travesty to tear down a house like this when structurally the home is pretty sound! Yes, it has endured many years of deferred maintenance and lack of care but we can see tons of potential in this home and we believe that it will be a highlight in the area once it’s complete!

Stay tuned for more updates as we begin to make this home great again!

Posted on

Spring Break Design Getaway to New Orleans…

Spring Break Design Getaway to New Orleans…

For Spring Break our family took a road trip which afforded us plenty of time in the Big Easy for trekking all around the French Quarters, taking a million pics and absorbing as much of the creole flavor that we could muster! A trip to New Orleans is always sensory overload for us as there is so much style and ambiance to experience…

The music, the food, the architecture and of course the people with their creole, cajun accents! Here are some of the wonderful homes we captured…

We are madly in love with Shotgun Doubles which are a very popular duplex design you will find all over New Orleans in varying colors, styles and trim levels! Some have simple shutters while others will have wrought iron rails with extensive scrolling, very detailed trim and gorbels and antique gas lamps on the porch…

 

A trip down Bourbon Street wouldn’t be complete without stopping in at the Bevolo showroom and factory where they actually hand make each and every one of their amazing gas lamps! These lamps are amazing and it’s poetry in motion to witness their artisans take sheets of copper and mold, form and create these amazing lamps that are shipped all over the globe!

We actually took way more photos but many of which will be used for a current design project we are working on so you will have to stay tuned for more cool design content from our design road trip!