Meet our newest project:
This announcement may (or may not?) come as a surprise, but it has been months in the making. We started actively searching (and putting in offers) on houses in January and it has been a rollercoaster ride with this crazy market. But everything happens for a reason! I couldn’t be happier about where we ended up—we officially closed on the property April 19th and renovations are already underway.
The home was built in 2008 (which means less chances of unwanted surprises and repairs, yay!) and we purchased it as a cosmetic “flip” from the second owner. It’s a spacious 3 bedroom, 3 bath with ~2450 square feet and two en-suites. The biggest selling point for me was that it’s near our home, which means we won’t have a long commute (I’ve experienced longer-distance renovations twice and it makes everything much more challenging!)
The plan is to turn the property into a vacation rental (if you’re new here, we also have the Riverside Retreat and Poolside Palms) and it will sleep up to 14 guests after we add a fourth bedroom. This will be a complete renovation and we’ll be DIYing as much of it as possible, so I’m expecting it to take us at least a year. Here’s the floor plan (after the fourth bedroom addition):
I’m embracing the Spanish-style architecture but adding in my own unique flair. I’ve been obsessing over this design style for a long time and finally have the opportunity to bring my ideas to life! Picture Amber Interiors meets Moroccan riad meets colorful Mediterranean with a taste of Florida:
via Amber Interiors 
via Casa Lecanda 
via Savvy Interiors 
via Intimate Living Interiors
I’ve spent hours upon hours saving inspiration to a dedicated board on Pinterest, if you’re curious to get a sense of my vision. While I plan to stay within these general styles, each room will have its own look and vibe (similar to the Riverside Retreat).
Without further ado, let’s take a tour and I’ll share a few ideas and plans I have for each space:
Jump to:
Front + backyard
There’s no mistaking this distinct Spanish/mediterranean influence of the exterior, and I’ll be adding even more of those details to enhance the experience.
The biggest transformation and largest chunk of our budget will be spent in the backyard.
We plan to add a pool, decking, a pergola, pavers and gravel, grill, tile on the patio, a new fence and lush greenery.
This backyard oasis will be the main attraction for guests, so it has to be a show stopper and that requires a little splurging.
Dining room
This is the first room you see when you walk in the front door, to your left. I’ll hang a large statement chandelier and two dining tables to seat 12-14 guests. One of my favorite features of this home is the vaulted ceiling in the main living space.
My least favorite? The obnoxious overly-textured walls. Skim coating the entire house is not an expense we can justify, so it is what it is.
Kitchen
Oh man, this before is pretty bad. Nothing like adding two partial walls in an open room with a vaulted ceiling.
Fortunately, these walls and everything in it are now gone and we have a blank slate to work with.
The focal point of the kitchen will be an extra long custom range hood enclosure (which we’ll DIY) and an island with additional seating.
Living Room
There won’t be a lot of space to work with in here after we add the kitchen island, but the big change in here will be a plaster-style built in fireplace we plan to DIY.
The living room/kitchen/dining room will be open to each other and form one big “great room”, and the most dramatic change will be dark wood beams and planks covering the ceiling. We plan to tackle this ourselves and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be the most intense and longest and possibly most regretted DIY of our lives.
Bedroom 4
This area is currently unused/open space when you walk into the house on the right side (across from the dining room). It’s the perfect spot to add a small fourth bedroom—just large enough for two twin trundle beds against the wall.
Bedroom 1
This is the largest bedroom, measuring 16’5” x 16’11”. It has an entrance to the patio, a large walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom. It also has this super awkward off-center window slit above where the bed will go. What on earth am I supposed to do with that?! Replacing the windows is most definitely not in the budget, so I’ll have to come up with a budget solution. Any ideas?
The other dilemma is this octagonal tray ceiling, found in all three bedrooms. I can’t decide how I feel about this, and I’m not sure if I want to leave it as is. Whatever we do, it has to be budget friendly and DIY-able. Please give me all your suggestions!
Ensuite Bathroom 1
This is a pretty large bathroom, with a separate toilet room and enclosed shower.
There is so much potential here, but it would add up quickly to gut everything and start from scratch, so we will have to work with the existing floorpan (including another dang skinny window).
Bedroom 2
This is the second largest bedroom, measuring 15’8” by 13’8”. It has a large walk-in closet and ensuite.
It also has an unnecessary door that leads to the side of the house and is stuck shut. I would love to get rid of it but I don’t think removing it and patching the wall is in the budget.
This room unfortunately has no windows/natural lighting, and it also has the octaganal tray ceiling.
Ensuite Bathroom 2
A decent sized bathroom with another enclosed shower (and another unfortunate window slit).
No plans as of now to change the floorpan, but sometimes I get carried away with my big ideas so we shall see…
Bedroom 3
This is the smaller of the three main bedrooms, but still a decent size at ~13.5 x 12.5’. Fortunately, the ceilings in this house are 9’4” so that makes everything feel more spacious.
The biggest challenge in this room is that awkward off-center window that is way too low (the 4th bedroom and dining room have the same window issue).
Bathroom 3
Your typical bathroom size and layout. Minus that dang window slit that follows me everywhere!
Laundry Room
This space will likely end up as the forgotten child. I don’t think it’s worth dedicating a lot of time and budget towards (heck, we still have the subfloor in our own laundry room!) so who knows what will become of it.
So, what do you think?! We certainly have our work cut out for us with this one! I’m honestly just as excited about this renovation as I was when we built our own home. I have so many fun projects lined up and this is a chance to really get creative and experiment with new ideas. I also want your input! We have a big blank canvas to work with and so many possibilities. This project also presents new design challenges I’ve never faced, and I’d love to hear your suggestions. Here are a few questions that are top of mind right now…
- If you were staying as a group of 14, would you rather have a sleeper sofa in the living room and 2 of the 4 bedrooms sleep one couple each, or sleeper sofas in the two ensuite bedrooms and only one bedroom that sleeps two?
- DIY ideas for the tray ceilings in the bedrooms?
- What would you do with the arched windows that are off center and too low, and the off center skinny window in Bedroom 1?
- What should we name this place? I love alliterations (i.e. Riverside Retreat, Poolside Palms) and want to stick with the Spanish/Mediterranean theme. Currently entertaining Hidden Hacienda or Hacienda Hideaway… any others?
If anyone comes up with the winning name or a genius problem-solving idea, there will be a reward involved ?
What’s first on the to-do list? So far we’ve removed the flooring throughout the entire house (both the laminate and original tile underneath), completely demo’d the kitchen, and Lucas is finishing the new bedroom framing.
I’m anxious to share allll the details with you in the coming months! Get ready for a whole lotta room design plans, new DIY projects, product sourcing and budget breakdowns.
Next week I’ll be sharing the budget-friendly high end dupes I’ve been sourcing for the house. You can also take a tour of our current progress tomorrow in my Instagram stories, so make sure you’re following me there for all of the behind the scenes action. A very happy May to everyone!
Cindy Shaffer says
Can’t wait to follow along and see what you do with this home! I don’t have any answers to your questions except the name. Hacienda Haven? Hacienda Heights? Spanish Sahara? 🙂 Moroccan Mirage. I could keep coming up with names.
Jenna Sue says
Thank you Cindy! I think coming up with a name is the funnest part 😉
Cathy says
I recently bought a house with one of those skinny horizontal windows in the master – and it was not placed where I wanted to put the bed. The solution my contractor and I came up with has worked great! We put reflective film on the window so that from the outside the window looks normal. Then inside the window was framed, insulated, sheet rocked, textured and painted. From the inside you can’t tell there was ever a window on that wall. I love how it looks – both inside and out!
Jenna Sue says
Great idea!
Debbie says
Can’t wait to see what you do to this beautiful home…how fun!
The bedroom ceiling…fill the tray part in with wood to brace…do a ship lap and paint them white!
The window…I think you can decorate around that…maybe a cute shutter at the bottom of the window make it appear higher! You said Florida vibe…
Jenna Sue says
Thanks Debbie!
Katelyn says
Love that you’re taking on a new project! Can’t wait to see!
An idea for the slit window – what if you trimmed it out as if it was a taller window, and then added blinds or roman shades above the slit, so that they appear to just be pulled down over a larger window? Like a “faux” larger window? Might be a surprise if the guests try to lift the blinds, but overall would improve the look!
Jenna Sue says
Thanks Katelyn! That is what I’m thinking for the arched window — the slit window is much too narrow and high up for blinds! 🙂
Pixie Gibson says
I second the idea of Spanish/Moroccan themed wallpaper on the ceiling if the ceiling texture allows. Otherwise some sort of beams or timbers which would mimic Spanish architecture in those spaces.
Fun project!
Jenna Sue says
Thanks Pixie!
Shana says
For the tray ceiling if you have to keep it what about squaring it off? Then you could do faux beams across or something similar. I think If it was squared you would have more options with it. However doing a hacienda and Moroccan vibe does lend itself to that shape. You could paint the interior of the tray like a cool piece of tile or find a wallpaper that makes it’s more intentional.
Jenna Sue says
That was my first thought too! We just have to figure out how involved that is and if it’s worth the time and money. Maybe we could at least try it for one of the rooms 🙂
Amy says
Like others, I agree, embrace the tray ceilings with fun design (wallpaper, planks, tiles) anything you can tie into your room themes…, can’t wait to follow along – your projects are always some of my favorite to watch on IG!
Jenna Sue says
Thank you Amy!
Emily Lane says
1. We have a family of 15 – my sisters and their families, mine, and my mom. I would rather have sleeper sofas in the bedrooms so my (young) kids are close by. Then the bedrooms are for sleeping and the living room is for play/hanging out.
2. I like the idea of using tiles or stenciling along the tray ceilings to bring out that Spanish flair!
3. Wall treatments and curtains can balance out those windows
4. All your other (vacation) homes are something side, like Poolside, Riverside, so what about something like Coralside Casa?
Jenna Sue says
Thanks Emily! Haha I didn’t even realize the other two rentals included ‘side’ — Coralside Casa is cute!
Daniela says
Question 1. It depends on what type of vacation rental this is. If it’s more adults/couples, I definitely would prefer dedicated rooms for couples and the sofabed in the living room if I were staying there, but my friends and I are couples with no kids. However, if you think you’ll be renting more to families who might have kids staying with them or even sororities / bachelorette parties (where girls usually don’t mind sharing beds and spaces), I’d go with the alternate option of putting the sofabeds in the rooms.
Question 3. Ughh off-centered anything… 🙁 I would make the off-center slit window visually centered by adding a tall and narrow piece of furniture on the right (left? Can’t tell) side to balance the space. If I were a guest, I would love any extra storage space I can get – so maybe a tall skinny IKEA “closet” where you can hang 4 or 5 pieces of clothing? For the arch windows, an idea would be to make the area under the window it’s own separate space by making a reading nook area under the window and putting a bench, floor pillows, or daybed there that’s comfy enough for reading. Then balance the other side (if that window is also off-center) with another piece of furniture and create visual balance that way.
Question 3. I don’t despise the tray ceilings! I think you can tile the inside with peel and stick (for budget purposes) Mediterranean or Spanish style tiles to give it extra flair. Annoying shape, but can still be charming and themey in a beautiful way. You can also do that textured/anaglypta/vinyl wallpaper that’s paintable and looks like textured tile too!
You got this!! Can’t wait to see the progress!!
Daniela says
Oops I meant question 2* for the last suggestion about the ceiling trays
Jenna Sue says
Thanks for all the great ideas Daniela!
Jennie Crawford says
So excited to watch this design unfold! You are definitely one of my favorites to follow because of your excellent balance of work/cost/diy while always keeping things beautiful. This will no doubt be any different. Sending you all positive vibes from Iowa!
Jenna Sue says
What a sweet comment, thank you Jennie!
Kerry Malcangi says
Great property. Congratulations! Could you maybe put a big artwork over the slit window in the bedroom? It sucks that it would take out the natural light but it’s a cheaper way to get rid of them.
Also Id personally like 2 bedrooms for 1 couple.
For the vaulted ceilings, you could use wood planks or beams to match what you’re doing in the living room. Or a nice brick pattern could also work with the Spanish theme.
Jenna Sue says
Thanks Kerry! Covering it up with a large piece of art was my first thought too. I think I’d rather have something blocking the light anyway!
Allie says
For the bed/sleep sofa question – after traveling as both adult couples (no kids) and as adults with kids, I would recommend sleeper sofa option in 2 of the bigger bedrooms. That way you can fit more people with kids in the same room as an option without losing the adult only version. Could you make a bunk room out of the new 4th bedroom? Maybe a twin over queen built in? Would fit for both adults and the addition of a kid or 3. That would give you at least 13 sleeping spots.
For the tray ceiling I would recommend wood beams to match the living space or wood planking. I did a pinterest search of Spanish design tray ceiling and one option was even a Moroccan wall paper design with a beam at the center. Another option was like a tin ceiling tile or medallion.
Jenna Sue says
Thank you Allie! Great ideas 🙂
Terri says
Love to watch your visions come to life. How about ceiling tiles for the ceiling. You could paint them, the large 2×2 size.
I also like the idea of the sleeper sofa in the living area. Or is there rm for 2 doubles in one of the other rooms.
I like Hacienda….but it is not tucked away somewhere…so maybe something else to go along with it. Hacienda House.
Jenna Sue says
Thank you Terri!
Sharon says
Yay! How exciting! I like the idea of adding a wood accent to the tray ceilings. I’m not sure how, but Mediterranean homes with beams are so beautiful. Maybe it could be a nod to that?
Camila says
This is going to be AMAZING! Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Have you thought about turning the room with no windows into a “secret room”? Maybe hide the door with a bookcase or something fun like that? Could be a nice twist into the whole “this is why this room has no windows, totally on purpose” sort of thing
Jenna Sue says
Hah, that would be fun! I like it 😉