INTRODUCING: WEST MEADE MANOR

Our fifth project in our fifth year. Fitting!

This house is right down the road from Bresslyn Manor, so when I heard it was coming on the market I jumped at it. To be honest there are so many houses in this neighborhood that I would love to get my hands on, not only because they have so much potential, but because there are so many builders in the area putting up copy+paste homes right next to each other.

We got a lot of feedback during the showings at Bresslyn Manor that people were looking for more “modern”. Now, this is where my biggest struggle comes into play. While I’m not “competing” with the builders in the area, I am. In reality as buyers are going through houses with their agent, they are likely going from mine to a builder new construction right down the street. So I challenged myself to make this project feel more “modern” to maybe satisfy a few of those showings, but still staying in my traditional roots.

Now, I’m not changing the way I do floor plans. I’m still going to build something unique, functional, that has more character and personality than it does wasted space, but the design selections are going to make everything feel “new traditional” and perhaps a bit more fun.

Sitting at just over 2,300 square feet with a huge 3-car carport, by using our normal algorithm of going up with an attached garage we are going to be able to get this house over 6,000 square feet. Which is great news, because that is what this neighborhood calls for. The lot is incredibly flat which is amazing after dealing with the huge sloped backyard at Bresslyn Manor. We will likely not include a pool because that’s something that is easily done by someone who buys it if they want to. Instead, I’m going to focus my dollars on the covered patio and interior.

The existing floor plans has a very workable set up in three zones: left (private), middle (main living area), and right (public/utility). While we might have to add on to the back of the private zone a bit to make it a great primary suite, the other areas are incredibly workable for a new layout. The existing breakfast area will be a massive scullery, we have a great spot for a formal dining room, and the space off the back door gives us plenty to work with to give us a big mudroom.

But I can already anticipate the difficulty I’m going to have with the exterior. This is a long house left to right, which means that in order to not be boring you need depth and dimension without being too busy. I feel like I’m hating on builder homes (sorry, not sorry), but the plethora of gables on some of these homes is just too much. Not to mention the chaos from above when it comes to the roof lines. So, how do I make this house not look like one plain wall across the front without having too much going on?

First off, I wanted to compliment some of the other (older) houses on the block and the ones directly left and right of us have beautiful and subtle dormers so I knew I want to incorporate that element somehow to make it feel like it fits on this block. Secondly, we need something over the front door that isn’t a gable. With the zones set backward and forward of the center of the house, one or both of those will likely be gables, so we need an architectural element that isn’t a gable but still fits. Thirdly I need as much natural light as possible. One of the beauties of this neighborhood are the massive trees, and there are a ton of them. Unlike some people (cough cough builders cough cough), I refuse to take them all down just to build a huge house. No, these trees have been here long before we have and should be long after, so we’re keeping them. But unfortunately that means that certain times of year the house might feel darker than others. So a big priority of mine is to give the house as much opportunity for natural light as possible.

You know that I have threatened my builder that if anything happens to this tree, heads will roll!! I mean what a beautiful view from your patio to this beauty. If someone chooses to take it down in place of a pool and patio, then so be it. I’ll just have to close my eyes…

Next post we’ll be sharing the floor plans and what we have in store for this beauty! I will be working with Walk Your Plans to get an in depth look at what we have put together so I’m so excited about a new experience in the planning process. So stay tuned for big news here and don’t miss our Substack (twice a month) which has more behind the scenes quick hits! 2026 is coming in with aaaallll the information.

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PROJECTS

10.27.24

INTRODUCING: BRESSLYN MANOR

I did it again…

And when I tell you this one had me nervous, that’s a bit of an understatement! So, I actually bought this house a year and a half ago, which was before we even bought The Manor Cottage! It was at a time that we were right in the middle of Woodvale construction and had no idea we would end up holding three properties at one time, but this was a property that we could not pass up. The size of the existing house and the footprint, and the acre lot! There were too many factors going on to not consider it.

Now, more about this house…

To be honest I had seen it on the apps for a few days and kind of dismissed it, never looking at where it was in the area. When I got a notice about a price reduction I pulled up its location, grabbed my keys and went for a drive. Y’all I got excited immediately. The neighborhood is absolutely amazing, loads of beautiful homes, with massive trees making it feel like it has been there forever. Not to mention that there are at least 3-4 new construction homes on the verge of being finished in the next few months, which is always a great sign for resale.

For a house built in the 50’s, it’s in great shape. As my contractor said when we were walking around the basement, “this house has been loved”. Which is not always the case, as my realtor and I can attest to the experience of being in homes we are genuinely afraid to stand in for too long. So the first item off the check list? It was in great shape and didn’t need to be torn down; the structure is there to build on.

And that’s not even including the fact that it’s on an acre! The lot feels huge and while it needs some work to clean up, you don’t need to do much to make it look beautiful. We might have to do a little bit to the front to add a retaining wall and some steps leading up to the front door, but when you find a lot almost perfectly rectangular like this that can fit a much bigger house? You jump at it!

Luckily we won’t need to touch the footprint too much because it’s already 3,000 square feet. Now, that includes the basement but the original structure is there to build a big house and the lot size allows for it too. The area’s comps call for 6,000 square feet or more but our immediate thought would be to add an attached garage in place of the carport, then taking everything up and add a second floor. When you do the math, that’s a 6,500 square foot house!!

That’s a huge house.

I never thought I would have an issue with an old house/lot where it allows for too big of a house! But in this area, there are actually 7-10,000 square foot homes so the resale is better for larger houses around here. However, a house of this size does present a few concerns:

On the design front, this is a very lateral home, meaning it is just one long rectangle. That’s great from the standpoint of redesigning the interior, we don’t have a weird shape we have to fit rooms into, but for the curbside appeal? That would mean you drive up to the house and see aaaaalllll 6,500 square feet. There isn’t anything hidden in the back, it’s all right there in front of you, so it could feel almost too big.
There are going to be a lot of bedrooms and baths! So the balance of an affordable design cost but also maintaining the level of home needed for resale in this area is going to be a focal point during the process.

One thing I have spoken to my realtor about when designing the plans is efficiency is what features do people expect when looking at a house at this price point and size? I’ve never dealt with a house this large so having the space to play? That’s new for me, but we want to be smart about it and ensure we aren’t adding things that just sound great but people aren’t really looking for when buying a house at this size.

But I think we have reached an amazing place with the plans, and I’ll be talking all about it next week! Stay tuned.

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PROJECTS

10.11.23

INTRODUCING: THE MANOR COTTAGE

This all came together rather quickly. And thank goodness.

This 2,300 square foot house is such a special little house, nestled on .3 acres with a beautiful stone lined creek in the back yard. I could not wait to get my hands on this house, and while this project is going to be very different than our others, we’re still able to make a big impact.

The Manor Cottage will be our first quick-turn flip! That means we aren’t adding any square feet or anything structurally, merely giving her a major facelift, and she needs it.

This was the perfect house for our first quick-turn because while the original character is there on the exterior and the floor plan and footprint are super workable, she still needs lots of work. Not only is it super dated, has carpet on the second floor that I don’t even want to think about (gross), but also has loads of electrical issues due to some DIY project the last few decades.

We’re going to make this house feel completely different from the second you walk in, adding an entrance hallway and adding grand double doors into the new dining or office space! The biggest changes to the first floor? Moving the kitchen. We’re going to expand that space and move it closer to the living room so that we can get a bit more of an open floor plan as well as a nice sized laundry. The existing kitchen space will host the mudroom/laundry, and next to it a new powder room.

I‘m hoping we can expand the primary bathroom and closet a bit, but this space will get absolutely gutted and redone along with the bathroom upstairs. I don’t even want to mention this nasty carpet again, but yes, that’s gotta go! We’ll do a new durable carpet up here with a slightly new layout to allow for one bedroom to have an en suite bathroom.

Now, what I’m really excited about? The exterior.

Like I said she’s already got so much character, which is a necessity when looking for flips. This adorable little fence in the back is absolutely going to stay, plus the old brick pathways. We might give them a little cleanup along with the yard which will already go a long way… I mean, some of the weeds are taller than I am! Adding a fresh coat of paint, accent shutters and maybe a modern railing above the front porch and you’ve got yourself some great curbside appeal.

I’m so excited for this new challenge in a different and quicker project and can’t wait to take you all on the journey with me! Stay tuned for loads of updates, because they’re going to come quickly on this one.

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PROJECTS

7.7.23

WOODVALE MANOR: THE PLANS ARE HERE!

The plans for Woodvale Manor are officially here!! And we’ve even already submitted for permits so we are well on our way with Woodvale Manor.

I’m really excited about these plans because while we had an architect help us with the final drawings, they were off of my initial designs, so seeing these ideas come to life will be so gratifying. While Haverford Manor had such a workable first floor plan, this was a little trickier, but I think we made the best of it. Adding a good 2,000 feet of livable square footage to the footprint, we were able to get a great flow from the garage to the mudroom to the kitchen and living area. Because I loved the flow from Haverford Manor so much with the easy access to the pantry from the garage, that I incorporated a similar concept in this house.

With a large mudroom right off the garage, and immediate access into the kitchen, we had enough room to add an opening into the pantry as well. So instead of walking the groceries all around the kitchen to access the pantry, it’s right there off of the garage for a quick drop off!

A fun detail about upstairs is that the front two existing bedrooms are going to stay as is! Well, kind of. One is going to get a little bigger, and they are both getting en suite bathrooms. Then we have a super private “guest wing” as I like to call it, which is a large guest room with an en suite bathroom and walk-in closet above the garage. It’s super private because you have to walk around the hallway to access it. With that and the primary bedroom with vaulted ceilings and walk-in closet, this house is turning into a 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath!

Not bad…

A few of my favorite details?

– the nook in the kitchen was super intentional, not only did the bump out in the footprint allow for a much bigger pantry too, but having a little sitting area for every day was a must-have and I’m so excited we were able to fit it!

– the dedicated office is small, but the perfect size for a desk and chairs. Plus we are going to include some built-ins on both sides of the pocket doors for some storage + character.

– the bathroom in the guest wing has the vanity in front of the mirror and I’m actually super excited about that. We’ll be able to fit to sinks in that vanity and for a touch of character + function I’ll get pivoting mirrors to put on the walls. So what might look like a bad idea on paper is actually going to turn into a unique design moment.

Ready for the really exciting part? Here is your exclusive look at the 3D rendering of the exterior. I’m so glad I did this to be able to visualize the outside, not only did it help with finishes and colors but it also is an amazing resource to reference in the coming construction months.

Plus, it’s like, really exciting!

And don’t worry, we aren’t losing the courtyard! That sloped brick half wall is still there, and the fence line will get a bit of an upgrade but there will still be a beautiful little courtyard off that side entrance. And I’ve even brought that slope detail into the back porch as well! Adding a beautiful punch of style to what could have been a simple back porch. Not that there was anything wrong with the original screened-in porch, but now we’ll have a covered sitting area with an extended uncovered patio with stairs leading to a walkway to the garage + rough-in for a grill!

Stay tuned on social media for concepts and designs coming soon!

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PROJECTS

6.11.23

INTRODUCING WOODVALE MANOR

Yup, we did it again!

I had been on the hunt for months before finding this cutie and instantly fell in love with it. To be honest I was really unsure we were going to be able to find another one after we lost a historical find that I loved, but this one has its own beautiful charm. Built in the 1930’s, it has great bones and is in shockingly great shape for its age!

Plus, the view from the front is absolutely adorable.

This courtyard had me swooning, and thankfully we are able to make updates to the footprint without losing it. While it currently stands at under 2,000 square feet, we know that for a better resale we need to make it closer to 4,000 square feet. Right now we’re thinking we can make it almost 4,200 by adding on to the back, and attaching a two-car garage.

It already has a cottage feel to it and I want to stay true to that in the renovations. And with over doubling the space I’ll have plenty of opportunity to enhance that with finishes. But, we actually closed back in August so not only have I had tons of time to think over the concepts but we have already made some progress on it that I’ll be excited to share soon.

Like I said, so much character! To give you a little idea as to what’ll be doing…

the front will stay pretty much the same! While she’ll need a coat of paint and new windows, the biggest change will be the location of the front door. Instead of hiding it to the side (like it is now) we’re going to bring it front and center!
The footprint will actually change drastically! Taking down the detached garage and adding an attached 2-car garage with space above it as well as bumping the back exterior wall out quite a bit. Unfortunately that means losing the darling screened in porch, but hopefully we’ll make up for it with a great new outdoor space.
Because we are bumping the back wall out we’ll be making room for a great kitchen and living space. While the house will be bigger and still feel completely different I really want to lean into the cottage feel on this one to enhance its original character.
That living room pictured above will get enough of a facelift to feel like a new space but honoring what is existing. Keeping the fireplace mantel but upgrading it with a new paint color and surround. I also think we need some fancy lights in here too, what do you think?

Up next? We’ll be sharing more of the plans that we worked on super diligently to make sure that we maximized the space but also made it feel like the floor plan was always planned that way and felt familiar, but also completely different. That doesn’t sound too hard, right?

Stay tuned!

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LIVING ROOM

4.11.23

HAVERFORD MANOR: THE LIVING ROOM

I think this is my favorite transformation of the entire house, let me explain.

This room stayed the exact same in size and location. Seriously! We knew the size of the room was plenty for a great living area and that the flow into the covered porch would work beautifully with French doors. Sure we could have had more square footage by continuing the second floor above this room, but come on, those vaulted ceilings? That’s a dramatic moment I didn’t want to miss. But let’s just do a quick side by side shall we?

Ya, loads better. And that’s not even to mention the horrible smell of dog from the carpet.

What you can’t see from the before picture is that the photo was taken from the old dining area, now the kitchen. And while that flow worked well for us, it was closed in a bit with walls and a large cased opening going into the living room. It was amazing how much bigger the whole space was when we simple opened up the entire opening to the room, taking down that drywall and cased opening. It completely opened up the space to what is now the kitchen making it flow much better and an open concept floor plan.

Because we added on the attached garage we lost the a set of windows, therefore a good amount of natural light. But by adding the French doors we kept that natural light and even enhanced it a bit. Plus with the vaulted ceilings everything feels lighter.

While I love wooden beams, I know they aren’t for everyone. And I felt like this house was a bit more on the traditional side to stylistically fit wood beams. So, as a compromise we ceiling beams in the same paint and finish as the ceiling. So there was still some dimension to accentuate the tall ceilings. I love how they turn out and think they really add a design element to the room, even when it’s empty.

And one of my favorite parts about this area? Is the view from the kitchen. I worked really hard to get the range and sink centered on the fireplace so that when you are washing the dishes, you have a direct line into the living room. And while I would have loved to have done a cast limestone fireplace surround, we went with Taj Mahal Quartzite. Definitely on the expensive end of materials but it was neutral enough to fit the space but nice enough to be a real accent in the living room. I added the 3 inch ledge around the outside to again, add dimension but to also give a little big of a ledge.

I absolutely love this transformation. It proves that you don’t need to completely change a floor plan to get a big new house. I’m so glad we were able to accomplish what we wanted to out of this space and so thrilled with the result.

Sofa + Chairs

Coffee Table

Jute Rug

Mirror vintage c/o Gaslamp Too

Chandelier c/o Visual Comfort & Co.

Floor Lamp c/o Visual Comfort & Co.

Ottomans c/o Canterbury Antiques

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PROJECTS

11.14.22

HAVERFORD MANOR: AN UPDATE II

Well, this took a lot longer than anticipated…

I’m not gonna lie these last 3-4 months of the process has been frustrating. We hit delays with windows, and then more delays with windows which put everything on the interior on hold so there wasn’t a whole lot to update you on. But after two months of ‘we aren’t sure when your windows are coming in’ we finally got them and finished installing them. And that means that we could get going on the interior: hvac, electrical, mechanical and inspections.

Yup, all the fun stuff :-/

Waiting for the windows didn’t just put a delay on the interior but the exterior as well. We couldn’t apply the brick until the windows were in, but it didn’t take long to go up which led to an immediate sigh of relief! Same with the drywall and hardwood floors. Luckily both of these groups started early and worked quickly so the progress started to feel real and exciting.

Now, for some changes to the plans.

Originally we hadn’t planned on a porch or patio of any kind merely because of cost. However, after we saw the way the neighborhood was improving and the recent comps in the neighborhood I decided we should have one. So, we extended the living room roof line and voila! Our covered porch. With a fireplace and vaulted ceilings I think this is going to be a major selling point! I know we use ours so so much and I think that this space is going to be beautiful.

Another change to the was adding a butler’s pantry. Instead of having a (too) big mudroom, we decided to take up some of that space with a powder room and instead put a butler’s pantry in the place where the powder room was before. So now there is a whole area for storage and then the second half that has a wall oven/microwave combo and more upper and lower cabinets as well! So much storage.

This past week the cabinets went in, and while we’ve had more scheduling issues with that, a majority of them are in and I’m really starting to feel the designs come to life. The next big step here would be countertops, which have been selected and templated and we expect install the week after Thanksgiving… hopefully! Because then the real fun begins; trim outs for faucets, and other hardware that I have been laboring over for months. I’m so excited to see all of those to go in, in particular the light fixtures! Hopefully all of that will start sooner rather than later.

From now until the big reveal I’ll be sharing all of the updates and teases on social media, but cannot wait for the big reveal on my portfolio in mid January. To stay up to date on everything as well as the date of the reveal, sign up for the newsletter below! In the meantime, take a look at my social channels for an inside look at everything going on at Haverford Manor

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PROJECTS

12.31.21

WELCOME TO HAVERFORD MANOR

My first flip! I cannot begin to tell you how excited and nervous I was at just the idea of doing a flip! I mean, this is the dream, right? Free rein of design, a whole house to play with? And Chip and Joanna Gaines make it look so dang fun 😀

And yes, it’s obviously a ton of work too.

Originally built in the 50’s this guy was in need of some serious love. I don’t think it has been updated at all since it was built except for the living room which looked like it was an addition, as well as the weird laundry/sitting room that looked to have been the old garage. So, while they did increase the square footage, let’s just say we had some other improvements in mind.

The biggest change we have planned? Adding a whole floor! That’s right, we are taking this puppy vertical. We’ll be putting the primary bedroom and three other bedrooms upstairs along with a MUCH improved primary bathroom + closet. Jon literally could not believe his eyes when he saw this bathroom. Not only could he not even fit into the shower, but the overall functionality and layout, woof. That’s not even mentioning the pink plastic shower.

The biggest item we had to figure out was where to put the stairs and how to maximize the kitchen. There were a few issues with the location of the Mudroom and its proximity to the kitchen because I didn’t want that entrance to interrupt the kitchen or to lose counter/cabinet space to that door. So, we are adding a hallway from the back door that will have access through a pocket door to a HUGE pantry. So you’ll be able to easily drop off your groceries and access the kitchen if you’d like to, but also be able to walk through the hallway to the front of the house as well. We’re also going to be making the powder room way more glamorous than the scary one they had in their “garage”.

The only downside to the plan we have right now is that we are not able to provide a formal sitting room and/or dining room. Now, personally? I never used either of those rooms when we had them. And most people don’t want a formal dining room now days. I totally get it! But I would have loved to have been able to offer the option of that. Instead we are making the entrance the absolute best that it can be. And to be honest? Jon is already scared that we are going to move into this house because it is going to have an awesome kitchen nook 😂.

A benefit to adding a second floor is that it is no problem to raise the ceiling heights as well! So we’re aiming for 9’ all around the first floor and I’m hoping to find a way to vault the living room. I’m hoping we can afford the roof pitch to be able to include some dormers as well! I know there are going to be so many things that I’m going to have to give up and I am fully prepared for the final project to look VERY different from what I have in my head, but as long as I can manage those expectations and stay within budget? I’ll be a happy girl, and this will (hopefully) be a beautiful home!

I’m so excited to share more of the plans with you as they become a reality!