Why is your daughter looking at a property that she hates, and why are you trying to get her to like it?

Oh boy. This is a decision for the couple. I would never try to persuade my child to buy a house. Kindly back off.

Although I appreciate your opinions, I asked for help. My daughter and son in law knew I was remodeling my home and asked me to post those pictures and ask for help from the Houzz community.

Again, this is a “property” they are looking at for the land. It happens to have a home on it. Since my daughter is a visual person, she needed help visualizing the potential in this home.

Well I think we start by asking her what she does not like . I don't like it is too vague to even hazard a guess. I will say I am a designer but my kids rarely ask me for help with their homes and so I don't offer . Maybe she just does not want help . hat house could be awesome but who knows what is in her head. Maybe it is just too daunting to even start with 2 little kids. If they are just wanting land then why worry about the existing house at all. She needs to share waht she does not like then we can maybe help.

I am not a designer but my child did ask for help to visualize different styles by way of a mock-up. My daughter and SIL knew I used Houzz during my remodel and ASKED me to post for help.

I posted the pics and the style of house style she prefers. If anyone has suggestions on mock-up instructions or wants to offer advice relevant to the post, I would appreciate it.

This log home will be a huge challenge. It doesn’t have a Modern Farmhouse feel at all and really screams Country. It would be a pity to paint the whole exterior white, but if she did, that might help since it already has a red roof. Adding some black accents around the windows like the lower level might add some “modern” feel.

I hope she likes the interior more than the exterior since all of this can be expensive.

Are there any interior photos?

I can certainly appreciate buying a house because of land and location. I would have bought my farm even if it had a small 1950’s cape because I wanted the land. We can help her love this house if it’s in the right location and has a gorgeous setting.

You can fix a house but you can’t fix the location.

Ok, that is a different story:

"My daughter asked me to post pictures of the land and home they are considering purchasing. She hates the look of the outside of the home, but wants to see if she would like it if they could make it look more like the typical modern farm house because they like the land and the location. Can anyone make a rendering of the house if they fixed it up to look more like a modern farmhouse? She is a stay at home mom with two little kids."

Check for wood rot, then paint entire house bright white, or add trending white siding with faux vertical boards. The porch needs a real and sturdy railing in certain areas for safety with kids. Do it in black or a bright natural wood. Can she go with the red roof or would she want it replaced by a different color?

Paint the door black and put more modern porch furniture out. And, google pics shows a gigantic tank in the yard. I think she'd want that buried, removed, or enclosed somehow.

Here are some pics that show how color choices can bring home the look she is going for.

This seems like a real farmhouse make over rather than modern farmhouse but at least shows how big a difference white paint makes.

Thanks for info on the couple asking for advice.

For "asthetic Modern farm style. Earthy, whites, creams, beigesz": of these things, the most you can get is the color. This house exterior would require a lot of primer and paint after the deferred maintenance for the siding is dealt with (the poor condition of the siding is a red flag of deferred maintenance that may be extensive). They can use the Sherwin Williams visualizer to paint it white, cream or beige. On the inside, a massive overhaul of the 1970's style wood panelling would be in order. The varnished natural wood posts are likely to be expensive to replace. New paint and carpet inside will renew the house but not make it modern farm style.

There are a couple Houzzers who do visualizations. I hope they see this post.

Is it a log houce I do not see logs but I do see some issues with the siding that might need to be addressed. I do not think modern farmhouse per se will be right but for sure a lighter color for the siding and new windows could make a huge differnce in how the exterior looks . Is the house it self sound , I always satrt any renovation with the guts first .All plumbing, electrical and heating need to be right a new roof if the old one is in bad shape . All of that before any cosmetic choices for sure .

Is the couple DIY? If they are they will have the vision. If they can't see it and love it as it could be you'll never get them to commit to the amount of work this home will take.

When you undertake a project like this, there are times when the project will overwhelm you and if you don't have the internal vision, you'll come to hate the house and consider it a money pit.

If the house is cedar, that siding can be cleaned up.

It is hard to imagine a young couple with two children under age 2 who'd have time or energy to DIY much of anything on a fixer upper for a few years.

What part of the country is this? With wide porches all around, there will be no direct sunlight on the main floor - does it feel dark and gloomy inside?

It also looks like the porches are a little wavy - I would want to make sure everything is structurally sound.

I would also encourage them to concentrate on the inside first - if they love everything about the inside, they can make the outside work, but if BOTH have problems, this might be too much of a project house for them.

Painting the woodwork inside would help freshen it up. We recently bought a house with wood panel walls in the den. I was not a fan and wanted to remove it and drywall. After we have moved in, I realized that the paneling is great for standing up to kids (not only mine but the school friends and neighbors that are in and out). We will be keeping the paneling through elementary school, maybe junior high too.

The wood is beautiful. I would lighten the walls, runner and carpet on the stairs.

“this is a “property” they are looking at for the land. It happens to have a home on it” are they going to live in this home? I, too, would be concerned about deferred maintenance, structural integrity, plumbing and electrical.

Thanks for all the suggestions and positive feedback. This property is in central Mississippi on 140 acres. They plan to farm this property so the house is a bonus property that will not go to waste. It will be used as a primary residence should they love the rehab or it will be a rental should they not. My daughter is someone that has to see potential before getting on board. I knew during our remodel, there were some posts I came across that had mock-up visual aids. I explained that to my daughter and she asked if I could try to get some ideas. Structurally speaking, I’m sure the contractor in charge of the rehab would advise them on that. I was just trying to get her some “spruced up” mockups of the property or suggestions on creating them.

I would just like to add…how nice of you to jump in and help…with the added hope that you enjoy this project as well..but my main concern is whether this house will suit her needs and is in good enough condition structurally..if those two elements are there..then maybe delay the move-in until it can be made at least partly livable..so she can be there to participate …It is often hard for mothers and daughters to work together..but it is important that she be allowed to make her own decisions/mistakes ….without too much oversight…I have had several careers in design and some of my most important lessons,successes …were learned from having to work around a mistake ..

One other option would be to build a small caretakers unit..to live in temporarily….if you have enough land to need regular help to maintain..when the big house is done …you can use it as a guesthouse or actually have a caretaker live there to help maintain/ develop the property

My first question, now that we know this house is in Mississippi, is does the A/C work? No renovation will make them happy if they are melting in the summer. Make sure the HVAC is intact from day one. The porch hangover will be a blessing if the house faces south. They won’t care if some sunlight is unavailable in the front rooms.

The property sounds enticing. I see why she needs mock ups to convince her to take on the house.

Sadly, she is 6 hours from me. I do wish I could be more active but I am sure she will succeed

Please post an update about their eventual decision to buy or keep looking.

If you can provide a budget estimate for renovation you might get a more realistic feel for what can change assuming what is there is structurally sound. But for instance, I see only one small AC compressor. Unless there is another on the side we don’t see, I’d be concerned about needing an upgrade there. That could be a good chunk of change.

Amy, let us know if she buys this property.