Laurel has done it again! We saw her turn a ranch into a 2-story, remodel a charming New Englander, and raise the roof on a Cape Cod.
So when she told me she just finished fixing up a bungalow that had been dubbed “The Eyesore” of its neighborhood, I was excited to see how it turned out.
Take a look at it now…
A Bungalow Makeover in Maine
Laurel says, “Our goal was to take a bland, nondescript 1920s bungalow and give it some Craftsman style with lots of architectural interest. With a new porch overhang, new siding, new roof, new windows new stair masonry and chimney — there’s not much that hasn’t changed here!”
The front porch was a catch-all space before:
“By installing a new front door and swapping the door & window that leads from the porch into the house, we got a very usable, sun-drenched room. Perfect for reading the paper with a cup of coffee in the morning!”
The Living Room Before:
“The whole first floor got a dramatic makeover when we moved the front door and changed the first floor bedroom into a foyer with a new staircase to the second floor. It opened up the entire floor plan and gave us the opportunity to add some beautiful woodwork.”
The entire panel under the stairs opens up like a door to reveal a hidden storage space:
Bedroom Before:
The Dining Room Before:
“The dining room was updated with wainscoting and a plate rail, as well as a custom china cabinet and oak colonnades.”
They gave the room some Craftsman details to go with the rest of the house, including these built-ins:
The Kitchen Before:
The Kitchen Today:
They were excited to discover the original antique maple flooring under the old vinyl floor in the kitchen.
“The breakfast room is next to the garage, so it’s the entryway the homeowner will use the most. We installed a Craftsman mud bench and coat rack, which will be helpful during our snowy Maine winters.”
Laurel says, “The new owner loves it and asked me to autograph the completed house. It made me think back to a Maine cottage we renovated a long time ago. When we stripped the dining room wallpaper, we found that everyone that ever worked on the house had signed and dated it.”
The Bungalow Before & After:
Thanks to Laurel for sharing her project with us!
Hop over to SoPo Cottage to see the bedrooms and baths that got a fresh new look, too.
Amazing transformation! Laurel is a creative genius! Love the rail work on the new staircase.
Isn’t that great? I love the new railing, too.
I LOVE that front door. It just exudes warmth and home to me. I would love one exactly like that!
I have never seen an entryway like this before.
I wish I could be one of those that can envision what something can be. I always get stuck on what it is.
What a beautiful renovation! We’ve been in the midst of one, and after pictures like this remind me it’s worth all the dust, knocked out walls and current inconvenience.
I really like the new staircase, it’s sleek long lines also remind me of Makintosh. What a great way to add character and architectural interest.
Very pretty!
I’m actually impressed with the not-white kitchen. It’s timeless, practical, with gorgeous wood cabinetry, it’s very easy to ‘update’ down the road using just accessories and paint if you ever grow tired of it, very neutral backdrop for pretty much any style. Very cozy! I like the small painting over the stove too!
One thing that is a bit of an eye sore is the microwave cubby, it’s quite a bit bigger than the microwave and exposes the outlet. Is there a purpose for this?
The rest of the house is really nice too, the blend of the white painted wood with natural. Personally I would choose a bit bolder colors for the walls, it’s a bit bland for my tastes….
We don’t see a lot of wood (as in non-white) kitchens these days, for sure. Nice that they were able to work with what was there. Looks like the microwave cubby was there before, too. My guess is that older microwaves it was built to fit were bigger. 🙂
Since they were flipping this house, it probably made sense to keep things fairly neutral, color-wise, for the new owners, who can put their own stamp on it.
The reason for the large micro cubby is these are the same cabinets as before, they didn’t replace them. Just added hardware and removed a few.
This is really fabulous. I love that porch area and wish I could do that with my house.
Wow, wow, wow! I know I’d be spending tons of time on that porch. So perfect.
I would, too!
Julia – thanks so much for sharing our latest project! And to everyone for their wonderful comments. I fell in love with this house, since it gave us a chance to highlight one of my favorite architectural styles with lots of interesting millwork. So glad your readers like it!
Laurel
You continue to outdo yourself with every project, Laurel! 🙂
Thanks Julia!!! I love renovating these houses!
Wow, I’m impressed how nice everything looks after the renovation. The chandeliers and the huge amount of light in the rooms makes the bungalow look much better than before. Let there be light!
Because their talent is abundant inside would love to know their desires for the landscape.
Obvious they needed to spend money in specific arenas. And they chose well !
But the poor little landscape 🙁 Selfishly I just want to see their amazing talents outside too.
Garden & Be Well, XO Tara
Unbelievable transformation. Luv it.
Excellent job! At first I was a little bit disappointed to see painted siding rather than the natural shingles, but it’s so nicely done it didn’t matter. I love that there is no recessed lighting except for the kitchen (pet peeve) and it’s been very well staged. I’d buy it!
Wow, what a lovely renovated bungalow! I would love to live in one.
Have you seen this blog post at Bookriot? Reading novels about large homes remains a guilty pleasure that makes me want to put on my best frock and serve tea on the lawn.
https://bookriot.com/2014/08/22/praise-big-house-novel/
I hadn’t seen that post, Beth — thanks! I love reading novels that feature great houses in them. I’m reading one right now called The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty. It’s about a young woman who unexpectedly inherits a wonderful old house on an island in Australia. It’s a good one! 🙂
Adding that one to my list! Thanks!
Wow! Does Laurel ever sleep? Everything she does is amazing! I would love to live in this little cottage!
She must not! At the very least she has a lot more energy than I do. Ha. 🙂
This is a lovely, impressive remodel. I love the rail work on the staircase. I also love the non-white kitchen as well. It’s so nice to see wood for a change of pace. I liked the weathered wood as well, but then I’ve always liked that aesthetic. However I can appreciate a new coat of paint. Gosh what’s not to love about this impressive makeover. Thanks for featuring it.
Wow.
This is beautiful.
I must say though, I miss the movie house posts like, Life As We Know It, Knocked Up, The Change up and so on, there seems to be no movies lately with sets like those. Shame.
Although I always love seeing before and after posts like these as well! So amazing! 🙂
Did you see my post about Witches of East End house earlier this week? Loved that one! And I featured Patriot Games the week before, which was another good one. Feel like I’ve been doing a lot of Movie Monday posts lately! You can find the links to all of them on my Houses Onscreen page: https://hookedonhouses.net/houses-onscreen/
I did read the Witches of East End post, and totally loved it!
And I know there are still movie posts from you, but what I meant is that the movie industry/set decorators aren’t producing the beautiful family homes, like those I mentioned earlier, in many movies lately. I absolutely love all your posts on those pottery barn/restoration hardware and other style family houses, with all the comments, extra set photo links and other information you give! It’s great!
Oh, I see what you mean, Sam. Yes, here’s hoping they produce some new ones for us to go to the movies for soon. Thanks! 🙂
Gorgeous bungalow, which is beyond words. Incredible makeover with superb craftsman style. Thanks for sharing your pretty bungalow with stunning landscape. This is fabulous. I love that porch area and wish I could do that with my house.Nice post.