When builder Phil Keene called about remodeling the last house on the International Builder show, he initially hesitated and then jumped at the chance.
“It’s fun to play and show off our talents and show off a bit,” he said with a laugh.
Keene is working on the 3,341-square-foot home on Palmer Avenue in Winter Park. The show is the last one before moving to Las Vegas at NAHB International Builders’ Show’s new American Remodel Show Home in February.
“The house was built in the 50s and added more than 20 years later, and another addition was added more than 20 years later,” Keene said. “It had the style of the 80s to 50s in the 2000s, so there was a misstyled mash.”
Once the project is finished in October, the three-bedroom home will look very different both inside and outside.
“I think the big, amazing thing is the exterior facade.
“We’ve taken all of these styles and made them look like cottages like the 1940s Miami coconut gloves.
Before the renovation, the house had corner windows, mid-century house features and carved wooden doors (consulted by Phil Kean Design Group)
Keene maintains brick driveways and tiled roofs, but the house gets a job with fresh white paintwork with turquoise accents. The front window moves from the corner to the center of the room. The new Art Deco balustrade changes the front elevation. (Provided by Phil Kean Design Group)
The house had a spacious backyard with a small brick patio and shaded pergola. (Provided by Phil Kean Design Group)
Although not shown in the rendering, there is a new pool in the backyard. Keene said it’s a must for IBS Show homes. (Provided by Phil Kean Design Group)
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Before the renovation, the house had corner windows, mid-century house features and carved wooden doors (consulted by Phil Kean Design Group)
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There’s a better flow inside too.
This is what the industry calls “soft renovations,” with more open floor plans and making the kitchen and other living spaces part of the rest of the home.
“It’s the type of modification that most people do. They’re not going to tear the house all the way to the studs and start from scratch,” he explained.
But even that soft mod has a hefty price tag of around $1.25 to $1.5 million for some of the cutting edge products Keene can use as part of the builder show.
“We have a group of vendors called the major supplier councils and are suppliers of the industry’s builders,” he told GrowthSpotter. “These vendors like to showcase what’s not available in the market. It’s always fun, as everyone may be in a New American (modified) home.”
Keene was buying the house for $1.65 million, without knowing what he was going to do when the opportunity was knocked in the form of a call from the organizers of the remodeling presentation.
“He said he wanted someone to make a new American modification home, but (he asked) something had happened to me. I had just bought a house and said, ‘Well, I have a house that needs a soft renovation.’ He saw it and said it would be perfect. ”
We believe that the updated home needs outdoor accessories.
“I felt that for the Florida showhouse, we needed a pool.”
After the February show, Keene said the house might be put on the market for the Greater Orlando Builders Association or kept for a local home parade.
“In my opinion, it would appeal to people who want a small style,” he said. “They’re not in the big box, they’re in it for details. It has history. There’s a story to tell.”
The final home of IBS, which Kean sold for $3.75 million in 2021, was a modification that nearly doubled the living space of the house. This keeps the house the same size.
“This is the seventh new American remodel I’ve associated with, so I enjoy it. The people who run the program through the NAHB are pretty special.”
But he didn’t say yes right away.
“I was saying (after my last project), and I don’t want to do another project, but at least the next 17 years will be Orlando’s last (IBS show),” he said.
“I’m not sure if I’m building it in 17 years or not. It makes me quite old so I thought this was the last time I’d play.”
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