Renovations by Anna Salazar

Oleander Street, San Antonio

The Hardest Flip I've Ever Done

I bought this house in 2013 and then, if I'm honest, I was too afraid to start. It sat untouched for five years until 2018, when my friend Don Herring and his business partner Norma Valles talked me into finally doing something with it — converting a dilapidated single-family home into a duplex.

Anna smiling and pointing at the city rezoning sign on the property fence — Rezoning was the very first step, since we were converting a single-family home into a multifamily property.

Before: Anna standing in the doorway of the dilapidated house, assessing the work ahead — This is what we started with in 2013

Before: severely worn exterior siding with graffiti, a blue door, and makeshift wood stairs — This is what we started with in 2013

If there's a hard way to do things, I'll find it and do it that way — and that's exactly what I did for my first reno. Oleander was about as close to a teardown and rebuild as anyone could possibly get.

We ran into every problem a first flip can throw at you — contractors who didn't show up, and plenty of my own procrastination to push through. Life didn't slow down to make it easier, either: in the middle of it all, I welcomed my first grandbaby, and I lost my stepfather. Through everything, we kept going. In December of 2019, we finally opened one side as an Airbnb.

During: the crew framing the new foundation and walls in winter — Framing, wrap, and drywall — turning one house into two

During: the new metal roof and Tyvek house wrap going on — Framing, wrap, and drywall — turning one house into two

Two separate electric meters mounted side by side, confirming the duplex conversion — Two units, two meters

After: the finished duplex exterior, painted gray with yellow doors marked 101 and 102 — The finished duplex, units 101 & 102

After: a bright kitchen with a stainless fridge, range, and open wood shelving with glassware — Furnished and welcoming its first Airbnb guests

After: a sunlit living room with a tufted gray sofa, blue floral pillows, and a cream armchair — Furnished and welcoming its first Airbnb guests

Surprisingly, that wasn't the end of the story. Shortly after we welcomed our first guests, I got a call from them saying the sewer seemed to be backing up. I tried to troubleshoot it myself, but soon realized I needed a real plumber. To my complete shock and dismay, I discovered that the plumber who'd installed the new plumbing at the start of the project had never connected it to the city sewer line — he'd simply buried it in the ground, and all the drainage had been running right under the house. It was truly awful, so that first weekend, we paid an honest plumber an additional $5,000 to get everything hooked up correctly. This is exactly what I mean by fighting with contractors. Nonetheless, Norma and Don stuck it out with me, and we pushed through.

Ask Anna About the Oleander Project

Dahran Street, Georgia

Five Weeks, Mostly on My Own

Near the end of the Oleander project, my mom decided to jump into the mix with me. She'd met a retiring military contractor with a rental in Georgia that wasn't in great shape — he needed to sell it cheap, and we got lucky. I drove out and spent five weeks there: hiring contractors, doing some of the demo and work myself, and getting it ready to sell in much better condition than we found it. It was a simple 3-bed, 2-bath — perfect for a young family.

Before: the front exterior of the Dahran Street house, with siding damage and debris piled in the driveway — The day I got the keys

After: the same house with fresh white siding, a dark garage door, and a tidy front yard — Five weeks later, move-in ready

My first stop was the flooring. The carpet was smelly and badly stained, so pulling it up was the very first thing I did when I arrived — down to bare concrete, then sweeping up every bit of the dust and debris before any contractor set foot inside.

Before: a bedroom with peach walls and heavily stained brown carpet — Carpet out, dust swept — day one, solo

Close-up of the badly stained carpet before removal — Carpet out, dust swept — day one, solo

Before: a dated kitchen with brown cabinets, a navy floral backsplash, and tile flooring — Day one in the kitchen

After: a renovated kitchen with white cabinets, dark countertops, and stainless steel appliances — New cabinets, counters, and appliances

A few more rooms, before and after:

Before and after side by side: the entryway with old carpet and a ladder, then finished with new wood-look flooring — Entryway & flooring — and the bathroom, refreshed

Before and after side by side: the bathroom with dated wallpaper and an old tub surround, then renovated with a new shower surround and flooring — Entryway & flooring — and the bathroom, refreshed

Before and after stacked: the bedroom with peach walls and stained carpet, then repainted gray with new wood-look flooring — The bedroom — from stained carpet to a clean, ready space.

Ask Anna About the Dahran Project

Martinique, San Antonio

Keys in Hand, Right Before Everything Shut Down

I bought this house right before COVID shut everything down, which meant figuring out how to keep a renovation moving while stores closed and deliveries stopped happening altogether. Home Depot, thankfully, stayed open — I just didn't have a truck at the time, so trips there usually meant loading pipe and lumber into the back seat of my own car and picking up everything curbside myself.

Before: the front exterior of the Martinique house with plain white brick and no landscaping — The day I got the keys

After: the same house with navy siding, a coral front door, whitewashed brick, and fresh landscaping — Navy siding, coral door, whitewashed brick

Every supply run was an adventure that spring, loading pipe, fixtures, and lumber into the back seat of my own car for every trip.

Selfie in the car packed with renovation supplies, including a faucet and lengths of pipe across the back seats — Hauling every supply run myself, one car load at a time.

Right in the middle of all this, a major storm rolled through and knocked the electrical line down at the house — one more thing to sort out on top of everything else going on that spring.

Video thumbnail: Rehab Surprises — The storm that took down the power line, mid-renovation

Inside, the house needed the usual dated-finish refresh: popcorn ceilings throughout, tired paint, and worn-out fixtures in every room.

Selfie in a hazmat suit and respirator, suited up for popcorn ceiling removal — Dated finishes throughout — and suiting up for the popcorn ceiling dust

A gutted kitchen mid-demo, with the popcorn ceiling scraped away, cabinets removed, and a broom leaning against the stripped wall — Dated finishes throughout — and suiting up for the popcorn ceiling dust

The biggest surprise came once my foundation team started working. The reason the slab kept cracking turned out to be the bathtub plumbing — it had come completely detached from the drain, and water had been pouring under the concrete foundation the whole time. Tracing and fixing it meant cutting open the slab in multiple rooms, and it added about $10,000 in unexpected plumbing work to the budget.

The bathtub jackhammered open, exposing the drain that had come detached from the plumbing — Tracing a leaking drain through the slab, room by room

A deep excavation pit dug to access the foundation and plumbing beneath the house — Tracing a leaking drain through the slab, room by room

The kitchen was dark and closed off from the living room. Once I confirmed the dividing wall wasn't load-bearing, I opened it up and built a bar in its place — it changed the whole flow of the house.

Before-and-after composite: the cluttered dining area and kitchen before, and the same open space with a wood beam accent and dark plank flooring after — Closed off and cluttered, then opened up with a bar and a wood beam accent

Before-and-after composite: the cluttered kitchen counter and sink before, and the same galley kitchen with white cabinets, black countertops, and a stainless sink after — Closed off and cluttered, then opened up with a bar and a wood beam accent

The house had no access to the backyard except through the enclosed garage, so I added a sliding glass door through the laundry room to give the layout some symmetry and convenient backyard access from inside the house, right off the living room.

Before: the laundry room with no direct access to the backyard — A sliding door where there was none — flow to the backyard, and some symmetry

After: the finished laundry room, bright and open with the sliding glass door leading to the backyard — A sliding door where there was none — flow to the backyard, and some symmetry

Once the drain was fixed, the bathroom got a full makeover — a new tile surround, patterned floor tile, and a fresh vanity.

Bathroom mid-renovation with tile going up around the tub — The tub surround takes shape, tile by tile

Bathroom tile surround further along, near the window — The tub surround takes shape, tile by tile

Patterned cement-look floor tile being laid in the bathroom — Patterned floor tile, laid piece by piece

Finished white tile tub surround with the patterned floor tile installed — Patterned floor tile, laid piece by piece

The finished bathroom with a white tile tub surround, patterned floor tile, a floating white vanity, and a new toilet — The finished bath — tiled surround, patterned floor, and a fresh vanity.

Linoleum ran throughout the house, so I replaced it wall to wall with dark brown vinyl plank.

Dark brown vinyl plank flooring being installed over underlayment in a dining room — Linoleum out, dark vinyl plank throughout

Finished room with dark brown vinyl plank flooring installed throughout — Linoleum out, dark vinyl plank throughout

My second grandbaby was born while I was working on this one, and between that and the surprise plumbing repair that pushed me $10,000 over budget, it was a lot to manage at once. Even so, I still made a small profit. I sold it right at the beginning of the big real estate run-up, and since none of us knew what COVID was going to do to the market, I was relieved it sold in about 10 days. It turned out great, but there were plenty of unknowns along the way.

Ask Anna About the Martinique Project

Hacienda, San Antonio

So Many Gorgeous Bones, We Couldn't Walk Away

When we first walked through, I genuinely wondered if we were crazy — but the solid wood beams in the living and dining rooms, the stucco archways, the original 1930 hardwood floors, and a third of an acre in one of San Antonio's most beautiful pockets had us hooked before we left. Of everything we've renovated, this is the one I loved the most, and the most demanding — we lived inside the mess the entire time we brought a genuinely dying house back to life.

The most important things we saw on that first tour were practical, not pretty: someone had already updated the electrical and the plumbing, which would have been a very expensive undertaking on its own, and new tile was already in place in the primary bathroom and the downstairs half bath. We also saw plenty of room to build a two-car garage with a casita — complete with its own kitchen and bath — and that sealed the deal for us. We still joke that it looked like whoever started the renovation got overwhelmed and just walked out one day, leaving behind a half-drunk beer and a hat. Whoever it was had a genuinely creative, artistic vision, and we used what he started — along with a few things he left behind — to build the home we thought we'd live in forever. Life had other plans for us.

Before: the overgrown front yard and dingy white stucco exterior of the Hacienda house — Overgrown, tired, and dingy white

After: the same house with a red tile roof, crisp white stucco, a lush green lawn, and a black iron fence and gate — Crisp white stucco, a red tile roof, and a lawn to match

We moved in while the work was happening, which I would not recommend if you can avoid it. Every finish — the floors, the plaster, the ironwork — got done around us, one piece at a time, while we were living in the middle of it.

Refinishing and staining the original 1930 hardwood floors — Living in the middle of the renovation, one finish at a time

Repairing and re-plastering the original stucco archways — Living in the middle of the renovation, one finish at a time

We kept the kitchen cabinets but painted them to brighten up the space, cut down the high counter behind the stove, then cleaned up the already-exposed backside of the brick chimney for a beautiful contrast — it's now the first thing people notice walking in.

Before: the kitchen with the original cabinets, a high counter behind the stove, and the exposed backside of the brick chimney — Original cabinets, a high counter behind the stove, and the brick chimney's exposed backside

After: the finished kitchen with the original cabinets painted white, the counter behind the stove cut down, quartz counters, the cleaned-up brick chimney as a feature wall, terracotta tile floor, and a beamed ceiling — Cabinets painted, counter cut down, and the brick chimney cleaned up for contrast

Before: an aged mint-green plaster wall exposed in a cluttered galley kitchen — Original materials, kept and built around instead of covered up

After: the same wall with gray cabinetry and the aged plaster kept as open-shelving feature — Original materials, kept and built around instead of covered up

Before: the living room prior to renovation — Before — dated and closed off

After: the finished living room with a beamed ceiling, chandelier, stone fireplace, cream sectional, and wood stairs — The beams, the fireplace, the whole reason we fell for this house

Upstairs, an unfinished loft with a bright yellow test wall and exposed rafters became a large secondary bedroom with lots of windows and ample closet storage — wood beam ceiling intact and dark hardwood refinished throughout.

Before: an unfinished loft space with a bright yellow accent-wall paint test, exposed rafters, and bare wood subfloor — Unfinished loft, exposed rafters, a paint test on the wall

After: the finished secondary bedroom with a wood beam ceiling, white wardrobes, refinished dark hardwood floors, and a mini-split unit — Now a large secondary bedroom with lots of windows and ample closet storage

Before: the tiled archway entry with plastic still on the window — The signature details that made this house feel like ours

After: the same archway entry finished with a house-number plaque and an American flag — The signature details that made this house feel like ours

Before: a bathroom with bright teal walls, an unfinished shower stall, and an exposed outlet — Teal walls, unfinished shower, exposed wiring

After: the finished bathroom with black fixtures, herringbone black tile accent, a black-framed window, and a radiator towel warmer — Black fixtures, herringbone tile, and a radiator towel warmer

The previous owners were using one room as storage for building materials, but it was originally a dining room — so we restored it to that purpose, adding a beautiful arched glass door where a window once was for secondary access to the backyard, outdoor kitchen, and pergola. Next door, a cluttered den full of exercise equipment became a sunroom we painted a vivid burnt orange that still makes me smile.

Before: the original dining room used as storage for building materials, with an exposed refrigerator and lumber stacked against the wall — Restored to its original life as a dining room, with a new arched glass door to the backyard

After: a dining room with a dark wood table, an arched black-framed exterior door, wood beams, and a chandelier — Restored to its original life as a dining room, with a new arched glass door to the backyard

Before: a den with arched niches cluttered with exercise equipment — A cluttered den became the sunroom we never wanted to leave

After: a sunroom painted a vivid burnt orange, with arched niches, built-in shelves, mid-century chairs, a jute rug, and a fiddle-leaf plant — A cluttered den became the sunroom we never wanted to leave

The two of us in masks, smiling, standing on the freshly stained wood floor — The two of us, mid-project, on a freshly stained floor.

The Garage and Casita, Built From an Empty Slab

Behind the main house there was nothing but an old, cracked concrete slab. We built a full two-story garage and guest apartment there from the ground up — foundation pour to final finish.

Before: bare dirt and a cracked concrete slab with a dilapidated white shed and a dead palm tree — An old slab, a dying shed, and nothing else

After: a finished two-story white stucco garage and guest apartment with a red-brown metal roof, a wood pergola, an exterior staircase, and a hot tub and outdoor kitchen underneath — A full two-story garage and guest apartment, from scratch

Rebar grid and vapor barrier laid out in wood forms for the foundation pour — Slab poured, framed, sheathed, and staircase built within weeks

The concrete slab poured with workers finishing the surface — Slab poured, framed, sheathed, and staircase built within weeks

The structure wrapped in house wrap with the exterior stairs and deck built — Wrapped, stairs built, ready for stucco

A close-up of the house wrap with the garage opening framed in — Wrapped, stairs built, ready for stucco

Finished drywall and texture inside the casita with wiring still hanging — Inside, the guest apartment came together room by room

Hexagon floor tile being laid in the casita bathroom — Inside, the guest apartment came together room by room

A wide shot of the finished casita with the outdoor kitchen, hot tub, and gravel drive — What was once an empty concrete slab is now the anchor of the whole backyard.

The finished guest living room with wood floors, a TV, a wardrobe, a mini-split unit, and a barn door — A fully finished one-bedroom guest apartment, from the living room to the bath

The finished guest kitchen with navy cabinets, quartz counters, stainless appliances, and a hexagon tile floor — A fully finished one-bedroom guest apartment, from the living room to the bath

We built Hacienda to be our forever home. A job opportunity in Fredericksburg changed our plans, and looking back, we sold it too soon. Everything always seems to work out the way it's supposed to — we were excited for what came next, but leaving this house was bittersweet.

Ask Anna About the Hacienda Project

Paradise, Canyon Lake

Bought for the View, Kept for the Lake Life

A 2-bedroom, 2-bath house with lake access and a jaw-dropping view off the back deck — the second we stood on that deck, it was a no-brainer. We ran it as a short-term rental for several years, giving it a fresh coat of paint inside and out, real structural work under the deck, and a lounge downstairs that made the lower level actually livable.

Before: the tan stucco exterior of the Canyon Lake house, viewed from the driveway, with the original roof and shutters — Tired tan stucco, day one

After: the same house repainted white with charcoal trim, a matching carport, and a new hot tub tucked underneath — Fresh white and charcoal, inside and out

Before: side exterior view of the tan stucco house with a Texas star medallion on the shed — Every side of the house needed the same refresh

Before: the detached shed in matching tan stucco — Every side of the house needed the same refresh

The deck was the whole reason we bought the place, but it needed serious additional support before we could trust it with furniture and a crowd. We shored up the structure underneath, then restained and refinished the decking on top.

Before: the deck with a bare wire and wood railing and unfinished decking — Bare boards, unfinished railing

After: the same deck with the decking restained a rich brown and the railing repainted — Restained, resupported, ready for guests

Repainting the exterior trim while the newly restained deck dries below — Finishing touches, then furnishing it for real use

The finished deck furnished with a wood-framed lounge set — Finishing touches, then furnishing it for real use

The existing hot tub was a hot mess and didn't even work. We pulled it out and replaced it with a brand new, sparkling one tucked under the carport — it made a bigger difference to the guest experience than almost anything else we did.

Before: the old, broken hot tub being hauled out of the backyard — Hauling out the old, broken tub

After: the new hot tub bubbling and running perfectly on its pad — Brand new and sparkling

Downstairs, we'd added extra sleeping space in the lower-level lounge over our years running it as a rental. When it came time to sell, we decided that space made more sense split in two — a second living area with a wet bar tucked under the stairs, and a third bedroom.

The finished lower-level lounge with a sectional, wet bar, and a staircase behind it — One lounge, split into a second living space and a wet bar under the stairs

Close-up of the wet bar built into the space under the stairs, with a butcher-block counter and a retro mini fridge — One lounge, split into a second living space and a wet bar under the stairs

Testing paint swatches on the front door before committing to a color — Testing colors before committing, then finishing the carport to match

The finished carport in white and charcoal, with the new hot tub visible underneath — Testing colors before committing, then finishing the carport to match

Sunset view of Canyon Lake from the finished deck — The view that made this a no-brainer, every single evening.

A second, covered lounge area on the lower-level patio, furnished with dark wicker seating — A second lounge on the lower patio — and the lake, just down the hill

Aerial view of the property showing its position just up the hill from Canyon Lake — A second lounge on the lower patio — and the lake, just down the hill

Years of short-term rental guests got to enjoy that hot tub and that view before we finally let it go. Between the paint, the deck rebuild, the new hot tub, and reworking the lower level, it took real effort to bring it up to what the location deserved — but nothing beats lake access and a view like that.

Ask Anna About the Paradise Project

Travis, Fredericksburg

Beams, Transoms, and Endless Possibility

As I've grown more experienced at spotting quality property, this one stood out in Fredericksburg. What caught my eye was the incredible beams and woodwork throughout the house, beautiful transoms above every door, ample decking on the side and back, and a gorgeous courtyard — all on an expansive property with so much possibility. I kept this one simple, choosing complementary paint colors that let the eye focus on the beauty that was already there. My husband and I bought it knowing it needed real work, and instead of hiring it out and disappearing for six months, we tackled the renovation ourselves, room by room.

The exterior needed the least convincing and the most patience — sparse, patchy landscaping and a bare yard gave way to a full lawn, mature beds, and the kind of curb appeal that matches what's inside.

Before: the front of the Travis house with sparse, patchy landscaping and bare dirt patches in the yard — Sparse landscaping and a yard waiting for its potential

After: the same house with a lush full lawn, mature landscaping, and an American flag on the front porch — A full lawn, mature beds, and a flag on the porch

Walk through the front door and you're standing under one of those beautiful transoms I fell for — a wall of stacked stone anchors the entry, and it only needed some warmth and furniture to feel finished.

Before: an empty entryway with a tall stacked-stone chimney corner, purple and maroon walls, and a wood front door with a glass transom — A dramatic stone corner with nothing to soften it

After: the same entryway warmed up with a leather chair, plants, framed art, and the same wood front door with its glass transom — The same corner, warmed up with furniture, plants, and art

Just off the entry, an oddly painted spare room with empty built-ins under vaulted wood beams became the library and game room — we filled the shelves, warmed up the palette, and gave it a reason to be everyone's favorite room in the house.

Before: an empty room with deep purple walls, a bare window, and unfinished built-in wood shelving under vaulted wood beams — Empty built-ins under vaulted wood beams

After: the same room turned into a library and game room, with filled bookshelves and a pool table, under the same vaulted wood beams — Floor-to-ceiling books and a pool table, under the same beams

The main living room came with its own showstopper: a carved stone fireplace stretching to the wood ceiling. It didn't need to be replaced, just built around — new paint, furniture, and a mirror over the mantel turned it into the heart of the house.

Before: an empty living room with a dramatic carved stone fireplace, maroon walls, and a wood beam ceiling — A dramatic stone fireplace with nothing around it yet

After: the same fireplace now cream-colored with a mirror over the mantel, anchoring a living room with a navy sofa, checkered rug, and mounted TV — The same fireplace, now anchoring a cozy living room

The primary bath needed far less than it looked like it did. We left the tile and shower as they were and simply repainted — swapping mauve pink walls for a calming beige that let the space breathe.

Before: a primary bathroom with mauve pink walls and dated vanities — Mauve pink walls felt busy against the tile

After: the same primary bathroom, now with calming beige walls and sheer curtains — A calming beige paint lets the space breathe

A close-up of the finished primary bath vanity with brass fixtures, a brass towel warmer, and an arched mirror — Brass fixtures and a towel warmer finish off the primary bath.

Upstairs, a loft with a striking black spiral staircase and bare concrete floors sat empty and unused. It's now my husband's home office, personalized with his own flags and a proper desk.

Before: an empty loft office with a black spiral staircase, bare concrete floors, and empty built-in shelving — An empty loft, a spiral staircase, and bare concrete floors

After: the same loft furnished as a home office with a wood desk, an iMac, an American flag, and an Army guidon flag beside the same spiral staircase — A proper home office, flags and all, beside the same staircase

But the courtyard is what really sold me on this property's possibilities — a wraparound porch tucked in behind the house that we've turned into our favorite spot for evenings outside.

The finished courtyard at dusk, wrapped by the house's metal roofline with porch lights glowing along every wall — Building a fire pit gave the courtyard new purpose — so many lovely evenings with family and friends

The same courtyard at twilight with string lights overhead, a fire pit and lounge chairs on the lawn, and a Happy Hour sign on the porch — Building a fire pit gave the courtyard new purpose — so many lovely evenings with family and friends

This property taught me to look past the surface and see the bones underneath — the beams, the transoms, the stonework were always there, just waiting for someone to notice them.

Ask Anna About the Travis Project

The Renovation Stories