You were supposed to see the little yellow house on San Benito Way months ago. When Investorade bought the 1938 craftsman back in August 2021, “it was such a unique opportunity,” listing agent Alex Gough says.
“A lot of these neighborhoods across DFW are like a carbon copy of the same house,” he says, but the Little Forest Hills home was a “blank slate” to renovate and flip. Late last summer, he and his team got to work coming up with a new design, but thanks to supply chain delays and COVID outbreaks, construction deadlines kept getting pushed.
But despite everything, Gough says this house, which was finally listed on January 30, “is my favorite one I’ve ever done.”
The first changes they made, Gough says, were the “big-ticket” items, like fixing foundation, installing a new roof, and checking plumbing. Then they got to work updating the design.
They got rid of the obnoxious, almost-neon yellow, and painted the front façade black, keeping the old planters, fence, and old-fashioned lamp post. “It’s not often you have such a perfect white picket fence situation,” Gough says.
Inside, they redid floors, laying down luxury vinyl plank floors, and put in new appliances, tile, and quartz counters in the gully kitchen and new vanities and lighting in the bathrooms.
Although the house is certainly not a Preston Hollow mansion, it has a “Pleasantville” appeal, says Gough. Tray ceilings in the living room play off light from the front windows, and a sweet bay window in the kitchen would make a great spot for banquette seating. There’s a wrap-around back patio and the lot is dotted with crape myrtles, which will “just [light] up the entire backyard” in the spring, he says.
The master isn’t large, neither are the bathrooms. There’s only one vanity in the master bath, but the herringbone subway tile in the shower certainly makes a statement. Plus, both bathrooms have plenty of modern touches.
There are LED Bluetooth speakers in the lights, so you can play music while you shower. You can also change the lighting color to whatever your fancy desires. There’s also a touch-screen mirror—tap it and it lights from behind, almost like a Ring light. While this could up your bathroom selfie game, it also prevents middle-of-the-night fumbling for the light switch.
Gough’s favorite thing about the house, though, is its location. The home is down the street from White Rock Lake and just a mile from the Dallas Arboretum. And the Little Forest Hills neighborhood has an eclectic charm, he says.
All of the houses “are kind of encouraged to be their own, and if that includes thinking outside the box, then more power to it.”
Scroll through the gallery to see the home for yourself.
Author
