Natasha Bengochea | Central Montana Interior Design Services

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Our Flip House Renovation/DIY Project Plan

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If you are someone who is interested in buying investment properties to flip and then sell, or you absolutely love DIY projects for the home, then you are in the right spot! In this “Flip House” series we are going to dive right into messy DIY, Do’s and Don'ts in the fixer upper realm, the reality of flipping properties, and renovation projects that you can follow along, learn from, and hopefully get excited for your own projects!


Project Beginning:

Right after we purchased our house, our goal was to do small affordable projects while living in the house to save for the larger projects that needed to be done. My husband and I also did not have a timeline planned for how long we would keep this house before selling because we did not want to feel the pressure to turn around and sell right away. As you will find out in my later posts, the bulk of this project happened 6 months prior to putting it on the market. We did not plan this, but we were needing to move across the state at the time and it was necessary the project would be wrapped up within a certain time frame. Not going to lie, it was crazy! My biggest takeaway and advice to give you would be to surround yourself with the best community and family. They are the real champions in helping us achieve our goals and a successful property revamp. We couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the project and everyone involved. So our BIGGEST THANK YOU if you are reading this!!


If you want to see the reasons we picked this home, read my first post from this series and watch the video walkthrough! All of your support is amazing and I am so thankful you are here! :)


Mood Board:

For the most part, I wanted to step away from the typical “paint everything white and really brighten the place up” for selling. Since I had planned to paint the cabinets a white paint with warmer undertones, it opened up the possibility to add warmth in the walls and flooring. Also, understanding the area your house is in and the finishes people would gravitate towards really helped in the selection process. When it came to overall style, my thoughts were to keep a slight rustic style while allowing room for other design styles to play off of the house to attract several different buyers.

modern - farmhouse - industrial

Moving Into The Project:

The very first thing was actually to get all our things moved in. The reality was we needed the home to be livable for our family while we worked on the house. But I wanted to desperately paint everything… Especially, you cannot tell from the before photos, but the house definitely did not have a fresh house smell. Paint is one of the most affordable projects you can tackle. And you do not need to be a professional painted to get the job done. In another blog post I will explain with more detail in a how-to paint your home including kitchen/bathroom cabinets, trim, walls, etc.

View the before photos below —

Project Plan:

If you are starting on a home renovation project or fixer upper home that you might be flipping, here are a few directions that will really make the biggest impact in the outcome of your project and a few extra steps we took to get this specific house to the end. Disclaimer: Please keep in mind (and I will always say), each project is different, every house is different, each set of problems are different. While our steps are helpful, they may not be the best option for your project.

Biggest Parts to Tackle:

  • Floor removal

  • New flooring

  • Repair walls

  • New wall texture

  • All new interior doors

  • All new trim

  • Fresh paint everywhere

  • New lighting & replace old lighting fixtures

  • Electrical - take away and move some light switches, rewire some areas of the home to incorporate new lighting

  • New lawn in the front yard — where my husband really shines! :)

  • Make the basement more livable

  • Install new appliances



I really hope this has helped you with your projects or future ideas. Please follow along for a deeper look into our first flip house and our journey along the way. If you guys also want a budget of our project let me know. I would love to see some of the projects you are currently working on below!



Happy styling! :)