Here’s what five enterprising homeowners in the Golden State did with budgets ranging from $63,000 to $196,000.

Morrison and her two greyhounds pose with her brother and roommate, Michael Anthony Morrison—an artist who is also responsible for much of her art collection.

With its promise of year-round sunshine, palm-lined beaches, booming metropolises, and cultural diversity, California has an undoubtedly competitive real estate market. As a result, many homeowners find it more feasible to renovate a fixer-upper rather than buy their dream home outright. Below, we highlight five homeowners in California who have made impressive changes with budgets ranging from $63,000 to $196,000—from the transformation of an industrial loft in Oakland to bohemian-inspired revamp of Mission Viejo bungalow.

A Bay Area Warehouse Becomes a Live/Work Space For $124K

By saving money on her dining table, which is a piece of walnut countertop from IKEA, Morrison was able to budget for splurges like a bespoke, pink velvet sofa from Anthropologie.

By saving money on her dining table, which is a piece of walnut countertop from IKEA, Morrison was able to budget for splurges like a bespoke, pink velvet sofa from Anthropologie. 

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Megan Bayley

Michelle Morrison started saving to purchase her own home before she turned 30. She was dreaming of her own industrial live/work space, and after 10 years in San Francisco, she started to look in Oakland for a warehouse space that she could convert. After being outbid on multiple spaces, she finally upped her budget as much as she could afford and hit the jackpot—winning a 1,300-square-foot former coffee and produce warehouse in Oakland’s waterfront warehouse district. The space was exactly what she was looking for—something she could break down and build back up. Feeling empowered by her purchase, Morrison set her sights on an even loftier goal: to convert the space into her dream home with just a $125,000 budget. With Siol Studios and Elliott Build in tow, the results came in on time and exactly within her budget—and she was able to move in just seven months after closing. The super-efficient team met Michelle’s goals in budget-friendly ways with creative hacks that gave Morrison the flexibility in her budget to splurge on priority pieces. 

A Design Duo Give Their San Francisco Loft a Modern Makeover For $70K

In order to transform a dated space into the ultimate, 700-square-foot city loft, Kathryn Heller and Kevin Short took on a lot of construction items themselves. Luckily, she's a designer and he's an architect. They outsourced electrical, plumbing, and paint, but did the demolition, framing, and much of the finish work themselves.

In order to transform a dated space into the ultimate, 700-square-foot city loft, Kathryn Heller and Kevin Short took on a lot of construction items themselves. Luckily, she’s a designer and he’s an architect. They outsourced electrical, plumbing, and paint, but did the demolition, framing, and much of the finish work themselves.

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Photo by Kevin Short

At first glance, Kathryn Heller and Kevin Short knew that they’d found what they were looking for, even though surface impressions of the Mission District loft were deceiving. “The interiors were ugly, stained, and completely outdated,” the couple tell Dwell. However, with the unit’s prime location and lack of structural or exterior problems, the couple—she’s a designer and he’s an architect at Tiny Monster Design—knew that they had found their own urban loft fantasy.  And with a combination of their own sweat equity and some creative solutions, they were able to keep their budget to $70,000. 

A Dreary ’70s Abode in Southern California Gets a Gut Renovation for $196K

By removing walls and a counter peninsula jutting into the room, interior designer Corine Maggio was able to create enough space for a generous island. The stove wall is a fitting focal point with a hood vent accented in tigerwood and a quartz slab backsplash that helps to tie the space together.

By removing walls and a counter peninsula jutting into the room, interior designer Corine Maggio was able to create enough space for a generous island. The stove wall is a fitting focal point with a hood vent accented in tigerwood and a quartz slab backsplash that helps to tie the space together. 

Read another article:Revamped Small Barcelona Apartment Combines Multiple Styles and Finishes

Photo by Chipper Hatter

See the full story on Dwell.com: 5 Fantastic Home Renovations in California That Cost Less Than $200K
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Lakeside Residence

Originally built as a modest beachfront cabin in the 1960s and subsequently modified through a series of piecemeal renovations, by the time the client acquired the house its design integrity had long ceased to exist. The forested one-acre property, however, was ideally suited to the creation of a quiet refuge with direct connections to nature. The path from street to house is conceived as a journey where work and public life give way to nature and private reflection. The 60-foot change in elevation from entry drive to water’s edge, was not without challenges. The upper driveway is transformed into a winding forest drive, while the final steps to the house pass through a series of intimate landscapes. A two-story glazed entry provides glimpses through the house to the water from the moment one enters the site. “To preserve the original view experience,” notes Brett Baba, principal architect for the project, “we carved big glass slots through the house both vertically and horizontally so a visitor can see right through to the water as they descend to the house.” Planted roof surfaces help to merge the house with its setting. Inside, the house was taken back to the studs and completely reworked. Previously lacking visual connections to the lake, all major interior spaces were reoriented to the views. “One of the most challenging aspects of this project,” adds Baba, “was the limited buildable area of the site. The homeowner had an ambitious program, so we needed to be creative in finding ways to solve space needs and elevate the quality of the space we had.” The main floor and formal entry, the middle of the house’s three floors, serve as the public zone of the house. Here, spaces including the galley kitchen and breakfast room, and dining and living, which flow one to the other. A small guest room rounds out the main floor. A second floor was added to provide separation for private spaces, and includes the master suite and kids bedrooms. The staircase connecting the floors was conceived as a set of wood slabs (fumed white oak) that appear to float within a wood enclosure. The partial, below-grade basement, was previously closed off from the waterfront. The space now opens directly to the water, enabling activities to flow from inside to outside. The basement provides family-oriented spaces including the family room, gym, wine room, kitchenette, laundry, powder bath and playroom for the children. Family room furnishing are simple, dominated by an L-shaped sofa, and a large television above a fireplace—a “hangout area” for the kids. Baba and Hunziker worked closely with the homeowner on the selection of finishes. “He pushed us to explore the most elegant design that we could,” notes Baba. “He has great taste and was open to very sophisticated finishes and details” Materially rich finishes—such as polished concrete, stone, cerused rift white oak and fumed oak, and blackened steel—balance the otherwise crisp and spare detailing found throughout the house. Everything from door pulls to sink faucet levers were meticulously designed, detailed, and fabricated. Stand out features include the staircase with floating wood slabs, custom bead-blasted nickel hardware, an oversized Japanese soaking tub, and sliding leather paneled pocket doors to master bedroom and bathroom. Concealed doors and integrated handrails reinforce the minimal aesthetic without sacrificing rich materiality. Outside, variously-sized, dark-stained cedar siding provides subtle dimension and shadow effects. Cor-Ten siding wraps selected portions of the exterior to articulate the composition and massing. Integrated sun shades and fins on all west-facing windows marry function with aesthetics, adding visual texture while mitigating direct sun exposure. Graham Baba Architects team
Brett Baba, design principal
Francesco Borghesi, project team
Noreen Shinohara, project team Project team
Graham Baba Architects (architecture)
Terry Hunziker Inc. (interiors)
CPL (civil engineer)
Carissa Farkas (structural engineer)
Geotech Consultants (geotechnical engineer)
Rich Haag and Associates / Anne James Landscape Architect (landscape architecture)
Brian Hood (lighting design)
Lockhart | Suver LLC (contractor)
Fleetwood USA (windows and selected doors)

stunning-contemporary-residence-in-brazil-unveils-a-world-of-textures

Stunning Contemporary Residence in Brazil Unveils a World of Textures

We love a contemporary home that turns to ways other than just color to add contrast to the polished, modern interior. The Guaratinguetá House designed by Ricardo Abreu Arquitetos is one such gorgeous residence where different ceramic surfaces provide points of visual interest in various rooms. It is ceramic finishes that cover everything from the […]

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