Modern Farmhouse Makeover in Texarkana, Texas

Contributor: ETX Revival Co. (Haylea Morgan, Justin Morgan, Alex Rice, Caitlin Rice)

Contractor/Designer: ETX Revival Co.
Location: Texarkana, Texas
Home Style: Contemporary Ranch
Square Footage: 2,050

before image of house

“Hazel,” named for the street it lives on in Texarkana, before renovations began.

Tell us about this project.

Hazel was a rundown and abandoned home in a charming neighborhood in the Historic district of Texarkana, TX. It was tucked away amongst two other red brick houses, making it almost unnoticeable. It had been vacant for almost 4 years, but we were able to snag it out of foreclosure and turn it into a cozy home for a young couple.

before image of kitchen

Before: The kitchen

renovated kitchen, after photo

After: The kitchen

What initiated the decision to renovate this home?

We initially were just four friends with a shared passion for renovations and making Texarkana better. We jokingly tossed around the idea of fully renovating a home from top to bottom, and that joke turned into a reality. We found our Hazel in AWFUL condition. The only residents of the home were a family of raccoons that we unfortunately had to evict.

What were your design inspirations for the home?

The best way we can put into words is, “cozy East Texas meets modern farmhouse.” We wanted the home to feel intentional, but still be true to its original roots.

living room with fireplace before renovation

Before: The living room

Renovated cozy living room

After: The living room

updated dining room, animal skin rug

After: The dining area

What makes this home special compared to other projects you’ve worked on?

This was our first project as a group, which really brought in a lot of great ideas and innovative ways of getting things done. It also brought us a lot of new friends that we made along the way who continued to root us on and be there for us if we needed an extra set of hands.

wood paneled office with bookshelves

Before: The office

Updated office cream wall shelves

After: The office

updated bathroom dark tile

After: Bathroom #1

bright cream updated bathroom

After: Bathroom #2

What is the biggest challenge you faced renovating this home?

In general, the entire home! We did roughly 90% of the renovations ourselves, trying to minimize costs as much as possible. On top of that, we all worked full time jobs so all of the work was done when we got off from our day jobs, and on the weekends. Also, Hazel had been abandoned for roughly four years which brought on multiple challenges. Probably the #1 challenge was the floors. We discovered beautiful original hardwood underneath the old carpet, but the glue was so thick that it took us weeks and way too many sanding pads to get it off. It was a nightmare! To top it off, we moved a wall a few feet back, which led to having no hardwood there. We had to completely weave in all new hardwood flooring to make it look seamless. It was a time-consuming but completely rewarding task that really brought the home back to life while still keeping its original charm!

floor renovation in process

One of the biggest challenges was weaving in new hardwood flooring seamlessly with the original hardwood.

What problems/inconveniences with the home did the renovation solve?

There was an odd add-on to the master bedroom that served as bedroom/laundry room/second bathroom. It didn’t make sense — you had to walk through the bedroom to get to the laundry room and grab a pair of pants, all while someone might be sleeping in there. All that to say, we did some major reconfiguration and turned that odd room into two rooms by splitting it down the middle. One side was a new-and-improved laundry room with access from the main house. The other side was transformed into a master en-suite! Those two ended up stealing the spotlight and were our favorite rooms in the whole house.

laundry room blue tile

After: The laundry room

cozy bedroom greenish gray walls

After: Bedroom

bedroom with lamp on gray bedding

After: Bedroom #2

before photo of backyard

Before: The backyard

updated porch with string lights

After: The backyard

What advice do you have for homeowners inspired by this home you’ve renovated?

It’s okay if you can’t do everything! There is absolutely nothing wrong with contracting things out to save time and speed up your process. We struggle with this because we know we are capable, but sometimes it’s okay to let someone who can mud tape and texture in three days do the work instead of us taking two weeks to do it!

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