We completely transformed a 1970's 55+ active community condo into a timeless modern classic

This is a long post – I want to share ALL the details of our condo transformation to help you in your condo remodeling journey.

Here’s the #TLDR – This is Part III, the final post from our condo transformation series. We bought an investment property in a 55+ senior active living community in Rancho Bernardo. It needed A LOT of work but we got an amazing deal. Read the purchase story to learn our negotiation strategy.

The goal: Complete a fancy and budget friendly remodel and rent it out in 6 weeks. Learn how we transformed this dingy outdated condo into a timeless modern classic. I’ll share the exact products/finishes we used and our time and cost saving strategies. If you want to see the before and after photos, list of materials/costs, and if this turned out to be a good investment, skip to the end.

The reveal is here! It feels so good to complete our project and see the result of hours and days of research, designing, planning, and coordinating all come to together into a beautiful finished product. To recap for any new readers, here is where we were:

• Bought an investment property: 1970’s 2 bed/1 bath condo in Oaks North, a 55+ active community in Rancho Bernardo
• Plan to transform the outdated condo into a timeless modern classic quickly and on a $20K budget
• Secure a property manager and a tenant
• Timeline: 6 weeks

I’m going to breakdown the post by sections, so feel free to skip to any area of interest:

• Floors
• Kitchen
• Laundry
• Bathroom
• Patio
• Function – HVAC / Windows / Doors

The Floors

It only makes sense to start the post with the thing that has the biggest impact to your space – the FLOORS. They ground your eyes and really set the foundation for the overall vibe of your space. You can see the dramatic difference of updating your floors in our other stunning floor transformation in Del Sur.

The original floors were these pinkish blotchy square tiles with grey grout – We could have kept them and save ~$3K but they were so ‘meh’. It just didn’t feel right to change almost everything in the home and not touch the floors.

We didn’t want to install wood in a rental so considered luxury vinyl planks (LVP) but realized that installing the vinyl planks would mean having to replace all the baseboards/trim and door casings – a cost that we did not want to incur. This is because once you demo the tiles, the height of vinyl planks are thinner and so there would be a gap that you’d need to fill.

Hence, we decided to stick with tile – the efficient and economical choice. We selected a nice light wood plank porcelain tile in matte finish, layed out in the beautiful herringbone pattern.

We chose porcelain over ceramic because it’s denser, tougher and less porous than ceramic. The pattern change (herringbone) was key to make the home feel custom.

There are many options for wood plank tile and only certain lengths and widths that work best with the herringbone layout – planks shouldn’t be too short or too long. Traditionally, the length should be 5 times the size of the width (5:1). Our planks were 6″ x 24″ so the ratio turned out to be 4:1 which I think turned out perfectly for our 210 sq ft area. To get a better idea, of how different plank lengths impact your space, see here.

When you have tile, you have grout and grout lines. So what color grout do you select for wood plank tile? It depends on what look you’re going for, but if you want something that matches as closely to a natural wood look, then select a color that is in between the lightest and darkest ‘grain’ color in the tile. The blending of the colors creates a more cohesive look.

If you choose a color that is too light, it will come out looking unnatural.

If you choose a color that’s too dark, it will also look unnatural. Too dark or too light grout = visual distraction and takes away from the natural wood look you’re going for.

What about grout lines? A seamless look calls for grout lines to be as thin as possible, but with tile there’s a limit on how thin you can go – some tiles you aren’t able to install too tightly. Because grout acts as a protectant, it allows for proper thermal expansion and prevention of damage (i.e cracking) so follow the recommended grout line width in your tile installation documents.

We went the thinnest we could go – 1/8 and although it would have been great to do 1/16, I am still very happy with the result.

Tip: It’s not just changing your floors. Changing floors means updating or replacing and painting baseboards, trim and door casings. If you’re selecting tile, consider porcelain for durability. Also grout color and grout width make a difference. Select a medium tone grout color and the thinnest grout line you can. If you decide on herringbone pattern, check your plank length and width. Also, prepare for additional labor costs (1.5x-2x) for any non standard pattern installation.

The Kitchen

We kept the kitchen light and bright by selecting Snow Bay classic yet modern white raised panel cabinets. What I like about this design is the detail and depth that was created due to the middle panel being slightly raised. A standard shaker style is a flat panel recessed cabinet. Shakers are great because they are timeless and can fit into any style, but in this small space I felt it would have looked too plain and I wanted to add dimension to this all white kitchen.

Below you’ll see an example of recessed vs raised panel cabinet.

The ceilings are not particularly tall or short – a standard 8 ft, so we chose 36″ high upper cabinets to be as close to the ceiling as possible. It would be weird to have a small gap between the top of your cabinets and ceilings. If you have super tall ceilings, instead of having cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling you could also stack additional smaller cabinets on top and also add crown molding.

I’m so over the decor over cabinetry look which cuts the ceiling and where fake plants and trinkets lie in dust forever.

We chose Calacatta Nobel/Noble for the counter tops for a timeless and classy look. We bought the quartz from a local San Diego stone and cabinetry company.

The cabinets, counter tops and kitchen sink were purchased together at a small local cabinetry shop with installation included. You go to the showroom/shop and tell them your measurements and they will do the digital drawing right there and provide a quote immediately. A few days before installation they will stop by and re-measure to ensure accuracy and make any adjustments if necessary. This was the easiest and smoothest part of the project!

For kitchen hardware, we selected matte black to pop against the bright white. Simple square black cabinet pulls – really no need to spend the big bucks here – my pulls were $2.25/each. It’s really all the same if you want a clean and modern look.

We did however spend a bit more on our matte black kitchen faucet which was from Kohler.

I went back and forth on the back splash design – considering different patterns and styles – should it be hexagon, chevron, subway?

I finally decided on the classic go-to subway tiles! But there are a bajillion types of subway tiles to choose from. I ended up with glossy polished Artisan Frost subway tiles to reflect more light. These tiles had a chiseled edge (not straight) to add a bit of character to the border.

We also tiled all the way up to the ceiling around the kitchen window. There wasn’t much area to tile so the little addition really made the space feel complete.

Tip: Ordering cabinets, counter tops and the kitchen sink from one shop makes coordination a lot easier and the process very seamless – the measurements and cut-outs should be exact!

Laundry area

The laundry area was smack dab in the middle of the kitchen and was pretty unsightly because it was just an open space. We enclosed this area by adding a white bi-fold door and replaced the handles with the matte black handles from our $40 Amazon order. We bought a pre-finished bi-fold door but still had to customize it and add door casings to fit the space. This is where a cabinetry professional is essential and I work with an amazing one that I’m so grateful for. The pretty bi-fold door made the whole kitchen space feel more coordinated.

The Bathroom

I’m so happy with how the bathroom turned out – What do you think stands out most in this bathroom?

Because the bathroom is so small (~50 sq ft) with no windows I wanted to create a feeling of expansion and fluidity. My strategy was selecting the same tile for the floor and the back shower wall and tiling all the way to the ceiling. I think this makes the eye drawn towards the back and top of the bathroom – deepening and lengthening the size of the room.

The mosaic tile has a medium sized pattern with just enough pop of black, while the tile itself is considered larger (18 x 18).

I contemplated having a more bold pattern or a smaller more intricate pattern but landed on medium because I felt it fit the space just right. A large pattern may have come off too trendy and go out of style

A smaller pattern may have come off too busy.

The side shower walls were tiled with a 12 x 24 matte white tile. I love larger tiles in the shower because it means less grout lines and easier to clean. I also added a shower niche backed with the same porcelain wood floor plank in a chevron pattern pointing up (again drawing the eye up) with a black border. The wood look adds warmth to the space.

Another tactic to expand the space was converting the closed off acrylic bathtub/shower into a spa like walk-in shower.

We went with a matte black frameless sliding shower door with as little hardware as possible. Even the door handle is vertical and located on the side so there’s no visual distraction blocking the view of the pretty tile. A sliding door is critical because a regular hinged door would have made it difficult to enter the shower and also hit the toilet!

On to the shower hardware – I think it’s essential to have both a mounted and removable shower head. The removable shower head is great for cleaning the shower and getting those hard to reach areas. IMHO, it’s better to have one then not. We selected a matte black shower system which included high pressure large rainhead and handheld shower heads.

We used a pre-finished low profile shower pan vs. installing tile on the shower floor. This saved probably $1K. What I like about the shower pan for a budget remodel:

• Low threshold – don’t need to take a big huge step into the shower. The one we bought only had a 3.5″ ‘step’ – it’s pretty seamless
• Acrylic – no slip, no grout lines, durable, mildew resistant, non-porous, easy to clean
• Low cost – save money on installation/labor
• Less time – save time on installation/labor

But you do have style limitations if you use the pre-fab shower pan. I think it will only look nice if it matches with your shower walls and bathroom floors.

The existing 36″ vanity was far too wide for the space. It crowded out the toilet area. So we purchased a 30″ white washed oak vanity which came with a cultured marble counter top and rectangle sink. When you have a small space you need to maximize storage so the vanity had 3 pull out drawers instead of the 2 cabinet doors that you typically see in smaller vanities.

We customized the vanity by removing the chrome pulls that came with the vanity and replacing with brushed brass pulls and attaching a brushed brass toilet paper holder.

We added a matching single handle super sleek brushed brass faucet.

To maximize space we selected a round seat toilet instead of an elongated oblong seat. They do say elongated seats are more comfortable but they are usually few inches longer than round seats. You might not think it, but saving a few inches makes a big difference in a small bathroom.

It may have seem counter intuitive to paint the bathroom black when you want it to feel larger, but there were enough ‘expansion’ techniques to widen the space that adding just enough black balanced out the white and gave it a bold effect. Initially, I was only going to paint one accent wall but in the end I took a chance and also painted the ceiling black, making the bathroom feel even more dramatic. The paint is Behr Carbon Copy.

The Patio

You know how they say it takes just 3 seconds for someone to determine if they like you? It’s the same with a home. It’s really hard to overlook poor curb appeal. I had a feeling the condo was on the market for so long because the first thing people saw before walking into the home was this old flattened astro-turf. It was probably installed when the home was built in the 70’s.

We knew we had to eliminate the astro-turf so thought we could pull it off and just leave the plain concrete. However, when the astro-turf was removed, it left glue that was literally impossible to get off, even with a power washer, heat and scraper.

We had a few options:

1. Grind/Sand concrete to remove the glue and leave as concrete – $1000
2. Add interlocking click in place tile to the top of the messed up concrete to hide the discoloration – $500
3. Install new tile – $1300

What would you have done?

We decided to install new tile because it was only slightly more than sanding the concrete. Although the interlocking tile would have been cheaper initially, it also could become more costly if we needed to replace and re-install and could potentially be a tripping hazard if one of those tiles came out of place.

We selected a modern paver-style porcelain tile. The slight brown in the tile complemented the entryway wood floor tile. I don’t think you can ever go wrong with pavers. They’re like subway tile – timeless and classic.

Tip: Invest in improving your home’s curb appeal. If you want to add artificial turf to your landscaping, it’s hard to make it look good in the front yard unless it’s only in a small area – no matter what, it will still look fake. I’m not knocking artificial turf though, I love it in our backyard for it’s ease of use and functionality.

Function

Last but not least, about 1/3 of our home remodeling costs were from adding HVAC and installing all new double pane windows and sliding patio doors. With HVAC you also need to consider drywall repair, paint and electrician costs (so tack on ~10% additional) and a few days of time.

Also, if you’re in a condo, you’ll likely need to get the HOA architectural committee approval for any work done to the exterior (such as HVAC/windows/doors) – so make sure you read the rules and give yourself enough time for processing.

Conclusion

Remember our timeline of 6 weeks? You probably guessed it. We DID NOT meet this goal. 🙂 We got the keys on Feb 23rd and had a tenant move in May 1st. So in total it took 9 weeks to complete this project.

The delay was due to uncovering new things during the remodeling process that took extra time to complete (i.e front patio work, drywall repair). The finishing touches and coordinating contractor availability took an extra week. And securing a tenant and getting them to move in also took a couple of weeks.

Tip: The adage ‘It always takes longer and costs more‘ is true. To save time, source and have as much of your materials ready to go. Get any HOA approval needed. Plan to do more – it’s always easier to eliminate than to add. Do you have a reliable contractor? Ideally they are a tech savvy project manager too. I created a pretty simple online project plan that I’m happy to share with you.

What about budget? Our original budget was $20K – in the end, we almost doubled that – but mostly because we decided to add HVAC, replace windows, doors and install tile in the front patio! Is it not considered a budget remodel anymore? 😉

Here’s the breakdown of costs by area:

How does this condo stack up as an investment?

We knew going in that this condo was not going to bring in a lot of residual passive income – but our thought is that in the future our parents could move in and it would be a win-win situation – securing a single level condo that lives like a single family home in a great active 55+ community, close to us and purchased at a great price. The home was an investment, but the return is not so much monetary as it is for security and stability.

• Cost of House: $340K
• Cost of Remodel: $36K
• Monthly Rent Received: $2150
• Monthly Expenses (mortgage, property tax, insurance, property manager, etc): $2000
• Monthly Income: $150
• Cash on Cash Return: 2% <– Lower than the initial 4% calculation

Read our purchase story for the full investment details

And that’s a wrap folks! If this condo transformation series was interesting to you, please subscribe for more transformations coming along.

You can also follow me on IG: @momentsiwthkaren

Questions? Need advice planning or designing your remodel?

Ask me anything! I’m here to help 🙂

See the BEFORE and AFTER Gallery:

If you enjoyed my 3 part condo transformation series, please subscribe to read more home transformations!

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• Read Part I: The Purchase – how we got an amazing deal on this property, while in the middle of the hottest real estate market. See all the before photos.
• Read Part II: The Design – how to design a timeless modern home
• Read My Real Estate Investment Journey – What I learned in 16 years of real estate investing