From Rags To Riches

Have you ever seen a shack so beaten down it looks like God himself dropped an anvil on it?

Secondary question: Have you ever seen that shack turned into a cottage so freaking charming it would give Fixer Upper a run for its money?

Well I have. And let me tell you, it was one of the most incredible things I’ve witnessed in my entire life.

Contractor Jim Teller works for an amazing remodelling company. Jim has an incredibly high reputation for bathroom and kitchen renovation throughout the greater Orange County Area. And let me tell you, this reputation is well-earned.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jim as his team put the finishing touches on his newest project in Laguna Beach. The project was an utter masterpiece, and it looked nothing like the original photographs.

“This is the original building. These were taken around four months ago,” he mentioned off-handedly, handing me the pictures while surveying his builders. Calling it a “structure” was flattering to say the least; the flooring was so decrepit you could barely find one square foot of uncracked linoleum. The wallpaper was peeling on all edges, not to mention covered in stripes and roses (ahh, the 70s).

So “makeover” could not do justice to the piece of art before me. Similar in size and overall structure, Jim had taken the frame of monstrosity and transformed it into pure beachside beauty. The old tile was replaced by vinyl beechwood, blending well with the neutral tones of the cabinetry. Sleek white paint replaced the zig-zag garden wallpaper that had previously terrorized the area, calming the overall feel of the entire kitchen space.

The bathroom remodel almost outdid the kitchen’s, for he almost tripled its previous size. The dark granite of the countertop complemented the modern-style sink basin, giving a clean look to the vanity area. The shower was made of the same dark granite, walled with glass in place of a curtain rod.

The most impressive part, in my opinion, was how he managed to get so much light into a room plated with dark, sun-absorbing colors. A short, wide window stretched from one side of the bathroom to the other, high enough to provide both privacy and openness to the space. Instead of a loud fan mechanism, Jim installed a rod to the window so you can easily adjust how much steam escapes the room. The color of the walls matched the light feeling of the kitchen, allowing any unabsorbed light to properly illuminate every corner of the bathroom.

Although the master bedroom, living room, and entryway also brought tears to my eyes, I can never get enough of a good kitchen and/or bathroom remodel. It’s not easy to bring so many aspects of a room together to form a cohesive theme, especially from room to room. But this is why any sort of house flipping or renovating requires just as much book knowledge as left brain creativity. And given his latest work, I can confidently say that Jim Teller is one of the best artistic rennovators of his time.

If you’d like to find out about work like Jim’s check out:

Inspired Remodels, Inc.

Lake Forest, CA

(949) 716-1938