My husband and I buy ugly houses and turn them in to beautiful homes.  We have done this many times.

We start out with something that looks like this

And end up with something that looks like this

The key to buying an ugly house and making it into a great home is looking for a house that has good bones.  Is the foundation in good shape?  Does the roof look level?  If you have good bones you can over come many of the other deficiencies that an ugly house may have.

When we go looking at ugly houses we always are thinking how can we make this house more functional for today’s lifestyle.  Most people want an open concept living area and more than one baths.  Many of the smaller ranches were not designed that way and just don’t work for the way we want to live now.  So can we take out a wall?  Is there space that can be turned in to a second bath.  Or if it is a 1.5 baths can the master bath be expanded to include a shower?  How about the closet space, any way to enlarge that?  (we have so much more stuff then they did in 1965 when many a ugly house was built)  .  How about the floors? Remove old carpet, install ceramic tile in the bathrooms.  Refinish wood floors or install new wood (not plastic laminate!)

Then think about the outside, ok sure it is ugly blue now with a tiny porch on which you can’t even stay dry to open the door in rain storm.  Can a small porch be added?  Siding will make a great difference.  Clean up the landscaping put in a few new shrubs, fix broken side walks and slowly you see the ugly go away. 

So while we won't live here long until we buy the next ugly house, I love this house due to the way the kitchen turned out!  And I love the new front porch, just perfect for my rocking chairs

But really what makes it a home is this!  A great place for the grandkids to hang out