This home came to us by divine serendipity. We were not planning on moving to SLO, but when you meet the person who bought it for cash at auction 4 hours earlier, you take notice!
We picked up this great 3 bed 3 bath custom home for just $550k at the very end of 2012. The home had just been purchased for cash at foreclosure auction. It had no landscape and the decks had been removed. It was built in 1989 and was dated, but nothing too offensive. The views and proximity to nature were incredible.
We put in new hardwood floors, revamped the fireplace, tore out some cabinetry, installed solar and a Tesla Powerwall, installed high end responsibly sourced Brazilian hardwood decking to stand up to our misty nights and installed drought tolerant landscape ourselves.
This home still has some work to be done: specifically bath and kitchen remodels, but we are not moving for the time being until another fun project pulls at our heart strings. A wise investor told me once “If you are married be willing to flip your primary residence, it’s the only time you can make up to $500k tax free (as a married couple), so take advantage of that!”
Click on the photos to flip through the before and after slideshow!
Before 
Before-seeing the house for the first time 
Before-Living Room 
After 
Before-looking down from upstairs. 
After 
Before 
Before 
After-The kitchen opens up. 
After-upper cabinet and pantry removed. 
Before-got to fix this deck and landing 
After-see deck on the right. 
After-new deck landing and support 
Scrapping the popcorn ceiling in dining room 
popcorn ceiling removal 
Dad to the rescue! He is excellent at finish work! 
After-smooth ceiling and new fixture 
After-the room transforms 
Before-future spot of deck. 
After-beautiful color! 
Before-look at that carpet! 
Before- getting dads advice. Living room looking to dining room 
putting in the wood floors 
Before-living room fireplace and built ins. 
Construction 
After-Living room looking to dining room. 
After 
View from deck 
After 
After- hot tub installed at end of deck. 
Before-backyard, missing privacy! 
After-Privacy Lattice, cold snap hit the grass. 
Pressure washing the old redwood fence. Color revealed! 
putting in Carax Praegraceilis, native drought tolerant grass 
After-drought tolerant Carax Praegraceilis 
Planting the Avocado tree with Kellan! 
After-avo and lattice 
Before-panoramic of backyard. 
After-grass is growing back in 
After-grass is growing back. 
Spring has come! 
Looking lovely! 
Before-Front yard 
After-Front Yard 
Landscape time for the front yard! 
Hardscape going in! 
New terraced rock wall! I lost a fingernail putting the rocks in place! 
After-Mature Manzanita bush 
Starting to plant. 
Planting with Kellan 
Taking a break with Kellan 
After! 
Blue Flame Agave 
Fig tree and view 
Front yard view of Bishop 
Native drought tolerant landscape grown in.
