What is their budget and what is to be included in it?

what is decent?

can they, or anyone close to them, do any type of DIY? construction? Demo work?

what exactly do they want to change? Flooring? complete kitchen redo? what's their style?

have they thought about recessed lighting in this large, open concept room?

Obviously paint and new window blinds are a must, but we need more info.

Like, the kitchen is super tiny and you really have no where for the kitchen to expand even if you did remove the phone wall.

The large window pink room, what will that be used for? It would a nice large area for the new kitchen (but you'd have to lose some windows) the current kitchen could be part of that other family room/dining room.

It might be worth a few hundred to call in a kitchen designer to walk the space and throw out some ideas

Sorry, I should have added that.

Yes, they can do DIY and my dad can help who has done a lot of work on my parents house. I believe they're looking to change just about everything.

New flooring, new appliances, new kitchen layout, etc (keeping appliances where they currently are probably)

Budget is about 15k without appliances.

To start- I am assuming they'll do things in phases. That's what they have immediately to work with.

15k is not much for “changing everything”. Just changing flooring could eat half that budget. If they remove that wall, they will have flooring problem. I fear they may have to really real in their expectations. Painting just for paint will run a couple thousand if you do all the painting. That’s just for materials. Have they closed on this house?

new flooring and new kitchen? 15K ? That's going to be rather tough.

If they're choosing a cheap 1.99 laminate flooring, it could work, otherwise, I don't know. What's the square footage of all the new floors? And for that budget they have, they will have to do their own demo. ( getting out those ceramic tiles and all the mortar will be god-awful job).

imagine the phone wall removed. now what? what else can be done w/that kitchen space? there's no where else to put anything (unless you plan on encroaching on that front room.

You are so sweet and loving to help them. What an exciting time. But my advice is the same I give to everyone. I have moved more times than I can count (15 or 18 or something) and love to make our house special, but there is no rush. “Haste makes waste” as my grandma used to say. Clean thoroughly and maybe change some paint in their bedroom and bathroom. That gives them a good idea of their skills and outlook on working on a house together. Don’t do anything permanent yet. Live in the house through a full year and find out what works and what doesn’t as far as entertaining friends (does the kitchen need more cupboards or a bigger fridge?), spending a quiet evening at home ( are there enough outlets for reading lamps or the music system?), or celebrating the holidays (is there enough patio space for the family 4th of July bar-b-que?). Gather all their wants, needs, and wishes and build an idea book along with a budget. Shop together on trips to tile and appliance stores to get an idea of each other’s taste, but don’t buy anything until they have a plan and a way to pay for the projects. They need to decide if everything can be done at once or if they need to do one project or room at a time. There is no rush because this is not a sixty minute HGTV show-it is the beginning of a lifetime together.

I'm not sure taking down that wall will be a huge help. OR, perhaps remove that wall but create another wall by the front door to create a foyer? Then the wall extending from the end of kitchen counter can have more cabinets or a peninsula? But of course, then after entering from the foyer, you are heading straight into a kitchen or small sitting room.

Sounds like a bigger job than $15K. Appliances will cost a lot too.

Thanks, all! I know that 15k is not a budget enough to change EVERYTHING right now. They understand that as well. They're mostly just looking for a place to start. :)

They are fine living in construction and making more improvements along the way. They also have 4 months left on their lease that they're going to live in while doing improvements here.

Surely need more info. Could you post a floor plan with measurements and we can help more. Then a “need” to do list can help prioritize so they don’t waste money. Interior is one thing, how about roof and landscaping. Married couples have stress over reno work so engaged couple will surely experience even more stress. A big adventure too!

calidesign can’t they make that wall a peninsula so they don’t have to worry about the floor?

First thing we did was make sure that our electrical and plumbing were up to code and in a safe condition for current demands. That in itself cost us around $15K. After that, I'd follow remodeling1840's excellent advice.

Thanks for info on $15K budget and items. If they have a repair fund in addition to the $15K, they are in good shape for new homeowners. If not, they can set aside $10K for unexpected repairs and have $5K to spend on improvements. Live with it without making structural changes for a year.

In order:

1- Get the ceramic tile professionally cleaned and sealed. Use a grout paint on the grout to make it look new and fresh.

2- Paint the interior from top to bottom.

3- Do not throw out the blinds until they have actually bought the new curtain rods and curtains. Chances are good they'll be shocked at the expense of curtains and blinds for an entire house that provide privacy and light control. Even at Walmart-level prices of $25 per window for a cheap rod and two white curtain panels, it adds up fast.

4- Wash the windows. Consider getting rid of the outside metal awning, but the need for sun control depends a lot on the geographical location.

5- Replace any lighting they really, really don't like.

Wow, now that is a blank canvas. The kitchen appears to be the only designated room from what I can tell from the pics. Will you posting dimensions/blue prints soon ?

Agree with the consensus above and both apple_pie and remodeling1840 gave excellent advice. I particularly like the advice from apple_pie about setting aside $10k for unexpected repairs. Those repairs don't typically show up until you close and have lived in the house 1+ days. Ever hear of the saying: 'When it rains, it pours" ? That pretty much sums up buying a house IMO.

Congrats to your brother and his fiance....it will be a wonderful adventure if they take their time and plan, plan, plan first.

@misecretary yeah! It's kind of weird. I think that all window room was used as the dining area (but the fan is confusing??). There were no photos of previous furniture in the home.

@apple_pie_order thank you! They have someone coming for deep cleaning and floor restore very soon. that was first thing they scheduled. I appreciate all of your other recommendations.

@2beachlovers this budget is after all of that. The sellers fixed some things and they have already fixed the rest to bring it to code. :) Thank you though, good call out. I'm sure most people do not consider that.

I’m going to second (and third and fourth) living with the layout for a year. We did that two houses ago and it was perfect. When we redid everything it was exactly what we wanted. Then we unexpectedly moved and thought we knew what to do in the next house...but architecture is a funny thing and how you use one house’s spaces isn’t how you use the next. I desperately wish we’d waited a year before we moved a wall, plumbing, closets, doors, etc.

Right now, paint it a color they like and see how it “lives” before deciding anything.

A peninsula won't work to replace the wall without encroaching on the main space and won't leave enough kitchen room. They need to wait on the whole kitchen design. It also wouldn't make sense to put in a peninsula without changing all the cabinets and counters. They really need to wait on a big kitchen renovation until all the other things have been addressed.