Bring Any Room Back to Life

A refresh is the part of every project that buyers feel without being able to name. Here is what it has meant on our own jobs.

A media room brought back. At Prestwick Ln. in Dallas, an empty upstairs room with a bare wall became a media room with fresh paint, new carpet, and lighting. The dining nook on the same job got paint, a new pendant, and refinished hardwoods.

Floors and paint through the living areas. At Azure Ln. in Addison, plank flooring, fresh neutral paint, and a refreshed fireplace surround carried the living room to the standard of the new kitchen. At Biscayne in Frisco, plank flooring and fresh paint were part of a $60,000 pre-sale renovation, with counters, backsplash, appliances, and both baths, after 120 days unsold. It sold for $699,000. At Haven Pl. in Allen, the living and dining rooms got paint, flooring, and new lighting under the original beams.

The outside of the house. At Sherman St. in Melissa, the brick was painted, the front door was replaced, the lawn was new, and a covered patio was added over it, alongside recessed lighting and plank flooring inside. The listing photo is the exterior.

Repairs that had to be right. Paint, electrical, sheetrock, and windows for one Dallas client, organized and on time in her words, because a refresh is often the list of things a buyer's inspector would otherwise find.

The order we work in before a listing

Repairs first, so nothing is painted over. Flooring next, one look through the whole home wherever the budget allows. Then paint, in a neutral your designer chooses for the light in your rooms. Then lighting and hardware, which change a room for the smallest share of the budget. Then the front of the house, because it is the first photo. Most refreshes finish in three to six weeks, and the walkthrough and the 48-hour estimate are free.