West + Main agent Laurabelle Vaughn and her husband run a home renovation company called Redbud Restoration in Oklahoma. They are devoted to beautifying neighborhoods and giving new life to older homes while preserving their character.
“This was a complete renovation,” said Laurabelle. “The home is a 1946 bungalow, and it seemed to be nearly all original...if any updating was done it wasn’t within the last 50 years!”
The project involved everything from plumbing and electrical, to framing, drywall, HVAC, and structural plus everything cosmetic.
“We basically gutted the home. The biggest challenge was making the kitchen as functional as possible, and I love that we were able to add both a dedicated dining space and tons of storage, an island with storage and seating, plus a pantry,” said Laurabelle. “Another one of the bigger changes was turning one of the bedrooms into the en-suite bath and walk-in closet for the primary suite. Because that bedroom no longer needed hall access, we were able to expand the guest bath as well.”
Another big improvement that really changed the feel of the home was adding more natural light by converting a window into French doors, building out two egress windows in the basement, and changing two of the exterior doors to full-lite.
“One of the biggest inspirations for this project was the neighborhood. I had several neighbors stop by to check on the project. They loved the home and the previous owner and wanted to make sure the home was renovated with class. So, I was inspired by the challenge of modernizing this home while maintaining the charm and character that everyone loved. I was also inspired by my love for challenging spaces and using space as efficiently as possible.”
Above - Before Photos of the Renovation
One of Laurabelle’s favorite things about the project was finding magazines tucked away in the floor joists, some as old as the home itself. She framed a few of them and hung them on the wall in the hallway and used a couple others in the staging.
“One of the neighbors came by to see the home as we were finishing up and was amazed by the renovation. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the new layout and didn’t recognize a lot of the house, but she loved how the project had turned out,” said Laurabelle. “She ended up returning a few times that day to take pictures and to Facetime relatives of the previous owner. She loved that we had kept the original front door
and the super unique fireplace, and she told me stories about coming to pick apples from the tree in the backyard decades ago and said how happy she was to see that the tree was still there. When she saw the magazines I’d saved she started to cry. She loved seeing how much I valued the history of the home.”
All in the details of the home
Laurabelle always starts by measuring the home and hand drawing the floor plans. Then, she marks different designs and layouts using painters tape (i.e. islands, appliances, cabinets, vanities, showers, etc.) to make sure she has the space to include fixtures and storage while maintaining enough clearance to meet city code and provide a comfortable space. Using these measurements, she backs into the size and design of the finishes. The primary bath for example.
“I really wanted two faucets and distinct storage spaces,” said Laurabelle. “I had to find a sink basin, faucets, medicine cabinets, sconces and hardware that would make the space possible, and envision all of this before rough-in even began, so that plumbing and electrical would be located accurately. I chose wall mount faucets to provide more counter space, armed sconces to make sure the medicine cabinets could open, and a basin that was big enough for two faucets but small enough to leave counter space. This part definitely took a lot of planning and marking the walls!”
“I was inspired by the challenge of modernizing this home while maintaining the charm and character that everyone loved.”
They spent about $190,000 on the renovation.
“I’ve found that typically labor is about 70% of the cost of projects, so I do what I can myself,” she said. “In this home, the parts I DIYed were: framing the basement, laying the wood flooring, hanging the doors, installing the baseboards/trim and shower doors, some of the tile work, sprinklers and landscape, and digging the egress windows/installing the window wells. I contracted out the parts of the project that required a licensed professional or would have been too time consuming for me to do myself. These are things like plumbing, electrical, HVAC, window installation, drywall, paint, roof and gutters, structural work, fencing, etc.”
Laurabelle thinks the prettiest room in the house is the guest bath.
“The vanity I used was a cheap, plain, black vanity from Wayfair. Adding black hardware really elevated the look. I chose an inexpensive marble tile for the tub surround then tied it all together with a higher-end patterned marble floor tile. As far as use of space, I’m really proud that I was able to turn a 10x10 bedroom into a spacious bath and walk-in closet.”
They did, however, splurge on some of the finishes, including natural stone tile, Pottery Barn medicine cabinets, Kitchenaid appliances, West Elm lighting and ADM flooring, while saving on others, including cement-look ceramic tile, subway tile, Wayfair + Costco vanities, Home Depot cabinets, Target lighting and IKEA cabinets.
“One of the most fun memories was hosting my wedding at this home,” shared Laurabelle. It will always be a part of my husband and I’s story. I loved holding our wedding at a place that I’d put so much hard work into.”
REDBUD RESTORATION
OVERALL BUDGET: $190,000
FIND REDBUD RESTORATION AT
If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.
