Investor Rehab in Houston: 9230 Baronsmede Before & After
A Houston investor rehab, room by room: what the house looked like when we started, what we changed, and why the scope made sense for a rental or resale.
This investor rehab at 9230 Baronsmede in Houston started with dark painted walls, worn floors, a dated kitchen, a bedroom ceiling that had come down, and an overgrown yard. We took it on as one full interior remodel for an investor client. Paint, flooring, countertops, tile surrounds, lighting and appliances were all part of the same scope, along with cleanup outside.
The video below walks through the house. Each before shot is followed by the after, and the rest of this post breaks down what changed in each room.
I have been around Houston-area construction for nearly 20 years, and a lot of our work is for investors who need a house turned and ready to rent or list. This house is a good example of what a turn-key renovation looks like when one team runs the whole job.
Project Overview
The property is a one-story brick house in Houston. The bones were fine. The finishes were tired, a few areas had real damage, and the outside needed attention before anyone would want to tour it. Here is what the scope covered:
- Interior paint throughout, taking dark blue and gray walls to a light neutral
- Wood-look plank flooring in the living room and bedrooms
- Marble-look tile in the kitchen, the double-vanity bathroom and the walk-in closet
- Kitchen cabinets painted gray with black hardware, plus new white countertops, a subway tile backsplash and a black faucet
- Matching stainless steel appliances
- Bathrooms: a floor-to-ceiling tile shower surround, painted vanities, new vanity tops and matte black faucets on the double vanity
- Drywall repair, including the collapsed bedroom ceiling
- New light fixtures and ceiling fans, and matte black door hardware
- Exterior cleanup: overgrown shrubs and backyard brush cleared, front beds mulched, porch posts and covered patio painted
Room-by-Room Before and After
Front Exterior
Overgrown shrubs were crowding the front windows. We cleared them out, mulched the beds and painted the porch posts dark charcoal, which looks sharp against the brick and white shutters. The front is the first thing a renter or buyer sees, and a little cleanup here goes a long way.
Backyard and Covered Patio
The backyard was full of cut brush, broken boards and debris. After cleanup, the covered patio framing and ceiling were painted white and the wood deck was painted gray. The yard is open and usable again.
Living Room
The living room had dark navy walls and orange-toned laminate. We painted the walls a light neutral and ran wood-look plank flooring through the room. The old brass ceiling fan came down and a matte black fan with an LED light went up in its place.
Living Room Fireplace Wall
We kept the brick fireplace and mantel. With the navy paint gone, the brick and the arched openings on each side stand out instead of disappearing into the wall. The same plank flooring continues across this end of the room, so the whole space reads as one area.
Kitchen
The kitchen had the biggest change. We painted the brown cabinets gray and added black knobs, then put in white countertops, a stainless undermount sink, a black gooseneck faucet and a white subway tile backsplash.
The tan tile floor was replaced with large marble-look tile, the light blue walls went white, and the ceiling fan and dome lights were swapped for low-profile LED fixtures. A matching stainless range, dishwasher, microwave and refrigerator replaced the mix of white, black and stainless appliances.
Bathroom With Double Vanity
We painted the double vanity cabinet dark gray and topped it with a new white counter, two rectangular undermount sinks and matte black faucets. The toilet area past the vanity has marble-look tile floors now, and the doors have matte black levers in place of the old brass knobs.
Second Bathroom
The shower wall in this bathroom was unfinished drywall behind a plastic curtain. It now has white marble-look tile from the shower base to the ceiling, a handheld shower, dark shower trim and a curved rod. The vanity and louvered cabinet doors were painted gray, and the room got a white vanity top and a new mirror.
Bedroom With Ceiling Damage
Part of the ceiling drywall in this bedroom had fallen onto the carpet. We repaired the ceiling, painted the gray walls a light neutral and replaced the carpet with wood-look plank flooring. A flush-mount LED light replaced the old ceiling fan.
Second Bedroom
This bedroom had bright blue walls, worn carpet and closet doors leaning against the wall. It now has light neutral walls, the same plank flooring as the rest of the house, a ceiling fan with a light kit, and white panel doors with black hardware.
Walk-In Closet
The walk-in closet had dirty carpet and old wire shelving. We put in marble-look tile, painted it white and installed white shelves and hanging rods on three walls.
Why This Matters for Investors
For an investor, a rehab is about getting a house ready to rent or sell without having to send crews back after it is occupied. A few decisions on this rental property renovation are worth pointing out.
- Hard-surface floors in every room shown here. Plank and tile are easier to clean between tenants than carpet and usually hold up through more turnovers.
- One neutral finish package. Light walls, gray cabinets and black fixtures repeat through the house, which keeps touch-ups and replacement parts simple and appeals to a wide range of renters and buyers.
- Damage fixed before finishes. The bedroom ceiling and the unfinished shower wall were repaired before paint and tile went in, which cuts down on callbacks once someone moves in.
- One scope and one team. When paint, flooring, tile, cabinets, lighting and appliances are sequenced together, trades are not waiting on each other, and the house can turn faster than it would with separate hires.
We run these projects on a cost-plus basis. Actual labor and material costs stay visible, an agreed fee is added, and you get weekly spending reports, so you can see where the money is going on a job with a lot of trades and purchases. If you want to see another full remodel, the two-bedroom home remodel before and after walks through a similar project, and our post on whole-home renovation vs room-by-room remodeling covers when doing everything at once makes sense. You can also review the turn-key renovation and remodeling services Cost Plus Construction offers.
FAQs
What was included in the Baronsmede investor rehab?
Interior paint throughout, wood-look plank and marble-look tile flooring, painted kitchen cabinets with new countertops and backsplash, stainless appliances, bathroom vanity and shower updates, drywall repair, new lighting and door hardware, and exterior cleanup with painted porch posts and patio.
Does Cost Plus Construction work with real estate investors in Houston?
Yes. A lot of our work is rental and resale rehabs for investors in Houston, Sugar Land, Richmond, Katy and nearby communities. We can take a full interior remodel from scope through final cleanup.
What makes a rental property rent-ready after a rehab?
Every room should be clean, working and consistent. That means damage repaired properly, durable floors, fresh neutral paint, working lighting and fixtures, and appliances that match. The goal is a house a tenant can move into without a punch list of problems.
How does cost-plus pricing work on an investor rehab?
You pay the actual cost of labor and materials plus an agreed fee, and the costs are documented as the job goes. Savings stay with you instead of disappearing into a padded fixed bid. Talk through the scope and reporting before you sign so you know what to expect.
Planning an Investor Rehab in Houston?
If you have a rental or a flip that needs a full interior remodel, request a free estimate or project consultation with Cost Plus Construction. Call or text 713-530-1610, or visit https://costplus.net/contact-us/. We will walk the property and talk through scope without promising a price, start date, or outcome we have not scoped.