Good Bones: The Purple House and the Voodoo Curse

Mina and Karen take on the renovation of a 1910 duplex in Indy's historic Fletcher Place neighborhood and, along the way, are obliged to deal with poison ivy, historic zoning restrictions — and a Voodoo doll in the attic.

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July 25, 2017

By: David L. Haynes

Show: Good Bones

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Photo By: Mary Ann Carter/Getty Images

The Lexington Duplex

For this Good Bones project, Mina and Karen took on a project of a slightly different sort. Rather than purchasing a house to renovate and flip, they agreed to take over a partially completed renovation for a client who had already purchased the home.

Before

Half of the home's interior — one of the duplex units — had already been renovated, but the remainder was incomplete. The exterior mainly needed some general freshening up and new landscaping to deal with overgrown shrubs and ivy.

After

The home's owner wanted to retain the home's purple exterior. Mina and Karen's renovation retained the purple palette, but the house got a fresh coat along with white trim and vibrant, darker purple to accent the brick surround.

After

The home's worn siding and old windows were replaced. New wood siding was used — in the style in keeping with would have been used when the house was built in 1910 — in order to conform with local restrictions for improvements to homes in the historic district.

The Nickel Tour

Mina and Karen selected furnishings that mixed old and new, in a masculine and eclectic style.

The Nickel Tour

The home's owner had already removed two walls from the original floor plan of this duplex unit to create a single, elongate main living space. Mina's design plan defined three distinct areas, creating a contiguous overall space that incorporated a front living room, galley kitchen and dining area.

The Nickel Tour

The unfinished attic space was converted into this spacious upstairs master suite, one of two full-sized master bedrooms in the new layout.

Backyard, Before

The house had a nice-sized, private backyard, with room to add a deck, but was weedy, overgrown and unkempt.

Backyard, After

The backyard gets a whole new look with a raised deck with seating area and outdoor furniture.

Spirits Served Here

After Andy, the homeowner, found a Voodoo doll placed mysteriously beneath the home's attic floor boards, Karen seized upon the discovery as an omen and embraced the Voodoo motif. She and Mina fashioned this patio bar out of upcycled pallet crates and dubbed it (with apologies to the Rolling Stones) the Voodoo Lounge.

Spirits Found Here

The black pins in the dolls were replaced with white ones, signifying posiitive and healing magic.

Before

Homeowner Andy, an engineer, had begun renovation of the duplex on his own. He had updated one of the units himself, and was living in that portion of the home. When it came to this second unit, he found that he had taken on a bigger project than he had intended. At that point he enlisted the help of Mina, Karen and crew to complete the renovation.

After

The new kitchen is laid out in galley style with a small center island and prep areas on either side. New highlights include stainless appliances, herringbone tile backsplash and an integrated wine cooler.

Before

After

A contemporary neutral living room with an open concept floor plan is shown, as seen on HGTV's Good Bones.

After

The staircase and railing were rebuilt, replacing the old narrow staircase with full width stairs.

Kitchen, Before

In the original floor plan, the kitchen was small and located all the way at the rear of the house, in a space that was likely an addition to the home's original structure.

Kitchen, After

Mina's new floor plan moved the kitchen forward, making it more open and a focal point within the home. The new kitchen features a mix of open shelving and enclosed storage that includes two-tiered upper cabinets in pastel gray.

Kitchen, Before

Kitchen, After

The refrigerator and wine cooler are tucked beneath the stairs that lead to the new upstairs master suite.

Kitchen, After

Kitchen, Before

The space that housed the original kitchen was gutted and transformed into a new downstairs master suite.

Kitchen, After

Other highlights in the new kitchen include an apron front sink, herringbone tile backsplash and new wood flooring in a dark finish.

Kitchen, Detail

A distinctive hall tree complete with dog treats — and squirrel portrait — make for a welcoming addition for any canine co-occupants of the newly updated space.

Dining Room, After

The dining space, adjacent to the kitchen, accommodates a contemporary dining table with seating for six.

Dining Room, After

In the new floor plan, the rear door in the dining room opens onto the new downstairs master suite.

Downstairs Master Suite, After

The downstairs master bedroom is furnished with a king size bed with upholstered headboard and features recessed lighting and wood flooring in the same finish found in the main living areas.

Downstairs Master Suite, Detail

Downstairs Master Suite, After

Bathroom, Before

Prior to the renovation, this unit of the duplex had only a single, small bathroom at the rear of the house, behind the kitchen.

Master Bath, After

The renovation added a small guest bathroom and this full-sized master bath downstairs, as well as a new master bath upstairs.

Upstairs, Before

The upstairs of this unit, prior the renovation, was unfinished attic but provided ample space and high ceilings.

Upstairs, After

The attic afforded enough space for the creation of this spacious upstairs bedroom.

Upstairs, Before

Upstairs, After

A portion of wall was removed to enable the expansion of this space into what had previously been part of the adjoining unit, providing a more spacious upstairs master on this side for greater rental income potential.

Upstairs, After

Upstairs Master Bath, After

This all-new upstairs bathroom features a double vanity and walk-in shower with Carrara marble tile.

Backyard, Before

Backyard, After

Backyard, Before

At the rear of the backyard, this garage wall exterior was badly overgrown and covered with ivy.

Backyard, After

Once the ivy was removed and the garage repainted, Mina and Karen added this metalwork trellis, custom made at local metalwork shop, Indy Art Forge. Newly planted hops vines add fresh greenery.

Backyard, After

Voodoo Lounge, Detail

Backyard, After

A new privacy fence and deck were added, making the ideal spot for an outdoor seating area.

Behind the Scenes, The Reveal

The Good Bones crew films as homeowner Andy gets his first look at the newly renovated interior.

Behind the Scenes, The Reveal

"Overall the quality of work that they've done is unbelievable," said Andy of Mina and Karen's renovation. "They've taken something that was run-down and needed a lot of care, and they've essentially created a masterpiece."

Behind the Scenes, The Reveal

Homeowner Andy bellies up to the bar at the Voodoo Lounge.

Behind the Scenes

Mina and Karen finish up the staging on the newly renovated spaces.

Behind the Scenes

Before

After

The original purchase price of the duplex was $190,000, and Mina and Karen's renovation was $110,000, for a homeowner investment of $300,000. The appraised value of the renovated home is $325,000, and the anticipated monthly rent of the updated unit is $1600, which should cover the owner's monthly mortgage costs.

If you enjoyed this Good Bones project...

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