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!
Rebecca says
Once, for a big family reunion we rented a house that had a super-smart bed layout: all of the en-suite rooms had either a queen/king and a set of bunks. So, a each family of four had their own bedroom and their own bathroom. Bonus was the kids each had their OWN bed, rather than sharing a pull-out sofa. In the rooms without an en-suite, there were queen beds or, in one, a twin over queen bunk. We all talked about how the house would be just as great for groups of couples without kids, since every bedroom had at least a queen bed in it. Good luck on this project and I can’t wait to see what magic you come up with!!
jaime says
Are those slit-like windows legal in Florida in a bedroom? And the bedroom without a window cannot possibly meet code requirements. My understanding is that all rooms used for sleeping must have two points of egress, one for escape and/or rescue from the outside. None of the bedrooms do in your new property. Personally, I would put the pool on hold and ensure that the safety of the guests was addressed first.
https://www.storm-solutions.net/blog/what-are-floridas-egress-window-requirements
Jenna Sue says
You only need one egress in each bedroom (the bedroom door itself counts as the second) so all of the bedrooms do comply. The primary bedroom has a patio door as well.
Barbie says
I have had the displeasure of a home with those round windows before. How I fixed the problem is basically building a cornice box starting about a foot down from the ceiling, then ending with an arch just as the window starts at the top. I extended the wood down the sides of windows, and finished the top with crown. It is possible to add blinds behind as this unit would extend out from the wall. Shoot me an email and I will send address to old home we used to own, you can look up photos on zillow. Even though this home has been sold a few times, no one yet has taken those cornice boxes. As for the ceiling, I would try ripping out just the corners, making the tray ceiling square. Add a single planks for beam look but not a box beam to keep it simple, could add the faux brick panels to fix between the planks and finish with white mortar smeared all over it ( see pinterest for look) . As far those horizontal windows, I was thinking at the bathtub, you could trim out the window, then repeat framing down the wall to tub, adding mirrors in the empty frames. I was also thinking about the travertine tile in bathrooms. Have you ever worked with semi transparent concrete stain? I have used it on exterior brick of a home I used to own as I hated the color of the brick, turned out great. It may work well as travertine is very porous, could put white over the tile let it absorb. Semi transparent stain should still give you the colors of the natural stone, just tone it down.
Will enjoy seeing what you come up with.
Jenna Sue says
Thank you Barbie!
Lyndel Colman says
Great project.
For the sleeping arrangements, I would suggest a sofa/hide a bed in bedroom 4 plus a bookcase along the opposite wall for a TV, etc. This will give one space to “get away” which is nice when there are lots of people. I would put double bunk beds in bedroom 3 and a king-size bed in bedroom 2. In bedroom 1, I would use 2 queen beds. Finally, I would ad a sofa sleeper in the great room.
You could name the project Hacienda “whatever the street name is”.
If you went with tropical decor, you could use grass-cloth paper on the tray ceiling inserts.
Finally, consider beefing up the porch post, adding another, to look more like columns.
I am a realtor in Scottsdale, AZ and I often stage homes for my clients.
I will enjoy seeing what you do with this project.
Karen says
I like the King beds for 2 of the bedrooms and perhaps a bunk room in the third. I would be shocked if that second bedroom passes fire code without any windows. That would make me uncomfortable renting a home that had a bedroom with no windows. So, I’d open that door and replace it with a window. For sure! Good luck. You always have the most amazing ideas and I’m sure this will be another winner!
Crystal Brown says
Lots of comments and if I suggest the same as several others have, forgive me. Before you do anything I would check with Hillsborough County about the window problem in the bedroom. We just had new windows installed and had to have a window in my husband’s office that opened because the floor plan calls this a bedroom. There must be egress from any bedroom with a functioning window large enough for a human to use in the event of emergency. I’d hate to see you begin reno only to be forced to deal with this issue after you’ve sunk a lot of money in it. As for the tray ceilings, wood planks at least would fit in with the overall spanish feel and tile around the trays? so that it looks purposeful. Either that or just add 2×4 framing to the trays and drywall the entire ceiling so that it’s flat. I saw a tray ceiling in Mexico with tile around the trays and wood planks in the middle and it was stunning. For inspo, have you been to The Vinoy in St Pete? (The “other pink hotel”) it has magnificent original spanish tiles and is a wealth of design ideas, kind of a Pinterest Board come to life. This should be a fun reno… for us anyway. 🙂
Jenna Sue says
Ah great idea — I haven’t had a chance to check out The Vinoy yet but that would be a lot of fun! We’re going to turn the door into a door with a window so that will solve both problems!
Julie M says
Congrats on the purchase, know buying a home is such a big process these days. And so much work complete in just a week – wowzers! We only purchase homes near us, because the commute makes a big difference.
Don’t you have to have a window in a bedroom? Just think if there was a fire and your guests could not egress. Take that doorway and make it work. I would never feel safe sleeping in a room with no emergency exit. I would never feel safe letting my guests sleep in a non-conforming room like that.
I’m looking forward to all your DIYs and a whole year of magically progress to watch! And so many great comments here, what a great community you have!
Jenna Sue says
Thank you Julie! Bedrooms in FL need a window or a door, and we’ve decided to turn it into a glass door so that will solve both issues 😀
Lori says
Mediterranean Mecca
Lynne says
Love the potential this home has and can’t wait to follow along in the transformation! As for your questions:
1. If I were staying as a group of 14, I’d rather have the second option for sleeping arrangements.
2. My ideas for the tray ceilings would be wood planking, tiles lining the tray, or textured/ patterned wallpaper, or even stenciling could be very striking.
3. The low arched windows are tough. Of course curtains and shades could help balance them, but I think a low floor cushion seat type situation could be fun !
4. I like Villa Tranquila. Not an alliteration but they have a similar sound. But, I also think Hacienda Hideaway is really nice. ?
Jenna Sue says
Ooh Villa Tranquila is really nice too! Thanks for the suggestions Lynne 🙂
Pam says
To me the awkward part of the tray ceiling is the shape. Could you make them rectangular or square?
Jen says
We definitely like to travel with other families and having two bedrooms for couples to have privacy is a must. I agree with others that trundles over pull outs is preferred. Also, for your bedroom 4, is their room lengthwise to do built in double bunks on one side to make that a kid bunk room and still keep the other half of the room open? I love the look of built in bunk rooms.
I love this project and can’t wait to see you put your magic in everywhere. I mirror what someone said above, please add enough comfy seating in the living room for the size of group you are wanting to host. It seems like that will be too small. I would take that over a fireplace always (if both can’t be achieved).
Good luck. Excited to follow along!
Dolores says
I’m so excited to see what you’re going to do here! You’re so creative, I’m constantly impressed.
For the tray ceilings, I don’t mind them and think you could either put some beautiful wallpaper up inside them, or paint them a bright color that goes with the theme of the room. Natalie from Home Ec. does that and it really brightens the rooms.
As for the door, if you don’t want to use it as a door, you could block it off and make it look like a built-in bookcase. Just trim out the casing.
Whatever you do, I’m sure it will blow us away. Good luck! I’m looking forward to watching the progress!
Pam says
Love the house, lots of possibilities!
Check out the tray ceiling that Thrifty Decor chick did in the master bedroom with faux wood beams around the inside edge-looks great and not too hard of a DIY. Or line the flat inside with wood and stencil the sides with a morrocan-look tile design. Stenciling might be an issue with the rough texture though….think it would be beneficial to try to skim coat at least some of the walls, it would look SO much better and a great DIY
Emily says
1. Could you put a door in bedroom two that had a full glass opening or just add one to the existing door to get some natural light?
2. Could you just frame and Sheetrock the dropped ceilings so they are flush instead of raised?
Excited to follow along and see what you do!!!
Sue says
WOW!!! I know it will be a stunning villa!!!
I may be suggesting things others have already posted. We’re on the road…sorry in advance!
We stayed in a VRBO that had trundles under the king beds! Also is it to late to add a small closet in the bunk room #4 (for resale & extra storage) and are you going to double up the bunks… for a total of 4 beds in there…Maybe full/queen under a twin?!
The tiles in the bathrooms look like stone…can they be washed with a paint that works on tile? That could save on time taking out the tile…which kinda looks like it has those earthy Mediterranean colors!
Can’t wait to see the backyard!!
I know it’ll be an incredible transformation with your vision and Lucas’ help!!! Love your style!!!