Vintage Flip: A Ranch House Reno in Rancho Cucamonga

Jessie and Tina Rogriguez, hosts of HGTV's Vintage Flip, find a mid-century time capsule of a home in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. and, with most of the features original to the home still in place, have a rare opportunity to restore the home while retaining many of its distinctively vintage attributes. Check out this snapshot gallery with before-and-after photos of some of the key spaces.

By: David L. Haynes

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The Rancho Cucamonga Project

Jessie and Tina Rodriguez help bring new life to vintage houses. Here they pput the final staging touches on a mid-century ranch style home they restored in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

BEFORE

This 2700-square-foot house was built in 1957 and is a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home located directly on a golf course. Jessie and Tina purchased it for $500,000 and anticipated spending around $50,000 on renovations. Houses in the neighborhood not directly adjacent to the golf course sell for $600,000 or more. Once restored, this one, with it's highly desirable location, is likely to resell at a premium price.

AFTER

Horizontal wood siding in natural finish and dark, and contrasting accents, give this home major new curb appeal. "One-story ranch houses, also called ramblers, are built with low rooflines and large windows," says Jessie. "They typically have a minimalist design with neutral colors, mixed textures and an open floor plan."

Behind the Scenes

Tina and Jessie discuss the design plan as they prepare for demolition to get underway in the old kitchen. The plan includes restoring original solid-wood cabinets and doors, repurposing existing porcelain bathroom sinks and bringing back era-specific cork floors.

Behind the Scenes

Kitchen, BEFORE

The kitchen was in need of some functional updates such as new appliances and countertops, but the original cabinets are in good shape and worthy of retaining. Where most modern cabinets are made using MDF and veneer, these period cabinets are solid wood.

Kitchen, AFTER

The kitchen now opens onto the family room via a new pass-through. Upgrades include modern state-of-the-art appliances and new countertops.

Living Room, BEFORE

Most of the architectural and interior features in the house are original, including the natural rock walls, slate floors, wood beams, trim and the cabinetry. Original cork floors were still present but had been covered over with wall-to-wall carpet and somewhat damaged.

Living Room, AFTER

Jessie and Tina retained as many of the home's vintage features as possible, including the original stone fireplace.

Living Room, AFTER

For the renovation, the carpet was removed and modern cork flooring added throughout the living space as well as in the kitchen.

Living Room, AFTER

"With a mid-century home, you don't want to overstage," says Tina, "so I kept with a minimalist vibe."

Family Room, BEFORE

This awkward space is at a slightly lower level and was likely once a covered porch. It's divided into two areas separated by a sliding glass door.

Family Room, AFTER

Jessie and Tina opted to remove the sliding doors and open up the space to create one large open floor plan. "I really wanted to highlight the indoor-outdoor living," says Tina, "and I think it was able to do that."

Master Bedroom, BEFORE

The original master bedroom had generous closet space and a connected bathroom, but the dimensions were small for a master by contemporary standards.

Master Bedroom, AFTER

Jessie and Tina opted to revise the floor plan, enclosing what had originally ben a den to create a new and larger master suite which still had access to the closet and bath. This could have the added benefit of increasing the resale price since it takes the house since it adds a fourth bedroom.

Master Bath, AFTER

Two original period bathroom sinks, in a style difficult or impossible to find today, were retained and repurposed, but were re-porcelained in white to work better with the new color scheme and materials.

Guest Bath, AFTER

In the second bathroom, the original wood cabinetry and a built-in hamper were retained, but old tile and countertops were replaced with dark granite and pebble tile in a metallic finish. Old laminate flooring was replaced with tile and a surface-mount sink added.

Back Yard, AFTER

Improvements to the back yard include a new deck for dining and entertaining as well as a golf-cart ramp onto the adjacent golf course.

Retro Perfection

Jessie and Tina celebrate a completed renovation at the open house in the Rancho Cucamonga home. The house ultimately sold for $600,000. With a purchase price of $500,000, renovation costs of $61,000 and closing costs and interest, they realized a profit of $19,000.

Vintage Flip

Vintage Flip: A Ranch House Reno in Rancho Cucamonga

Related To:

Shop This Look

The Rancho Cucamonga Project

BEFORE

AFTER

Behind the Scenes

Behind the Scenes

Kitchen, BEFORE

Kitchen, AFTER

Living Room, BEFORE

Living Room, AFTER

Living Room, AFTER

Living Room, AFTER

Family Room, BEFORE

Family Room, AFTER

Master Bedroom, BEFORE

Master Bedroom, AFTER

Master Bath, AFTER

Guest Bath, AFTER

Back Yard, AFTER

Retro Perfection

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