Russet Valley
It’s SOLD! Closing is scheduled for July 17.
The Story
We didn’t have to look far to get this one. Sue Ann and Lee already owned Russet Valley before our company started. They’d bought it from a woman who had to move quickly and couldn’t afford the needed repairs (thanks to Carol for her hard work as our real estate agent on that one). Once again, we were following our model of making a better life for everybody!
They fixed it up well enough to rent, and proceeded to rent it to some friends, Mike and Martha (you know, the ones who just moved to Cameron). The house was rented and cash flowing for four years. Mike did a lot of work, but still, some stuff needed to be done to sell the house for retail.
So, yesterday Sue Ann and Lee sold the house to Hermit Haus Redevelopment for what it’s worth minus needed repairs and updates. This way, Carol can work her project management magic on the place and it can be sold in great shape for a new family.
Tell Us More!
Russet Valley is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house on a large corner lot in a nice Cedar Park, Texas neighborhood, Buttercup Creek. It has a very large master bedroom with a sitting area, a nice front porch, and an amazing back yard with a pond and garden areas. There are fruit trees and other great plants, too, just waiting for a gardener’s touch. There is tile flooring through much of the house, too.
The Plan
First, we are doing some deferred maintenance. Thanks to hail damage, we could replace the roof with upgraded shingles and only had to pay our deductible on that. We also need to replace some of the exterior siding and repaint the exterior.
Inside, there will be more updates to the kitchen and baths, upgraded lighting, and of course, fresh paint! We’ll share more about those plans when Carol has drawn up her plan and budget.

Pergola just as it was getting finished. Note the new roof and windows. That’s mostly new siding, too.
What We Did
Of course, we did more work than we originally set out to do. The most beautiful addition was the expanded patio and pergola out back. This will not only add outdoor living space, but it will shade the back doors from afternoon sun.
Other work we did, all managed by our partner Carol Mangum and performed by Oscar and his crew, who took amazing care of the newer floors that were already in the house, so they didn’t get damaged:
- New roof
- New siding on most of the house
- New windows
- Front porch rail removed and additional space added
- Decorative rustic features on front porch and garage
- Interior of garage painted, including floors
- Paint, inside and out, all neutral
- Removed carpet in master bedroom and tiled to match the rest of the house
- Cabinets rejuvenated and granite added in both bathrooms.
- New lighting throughout the house, rubbed bronze finishes
- Fireplace updated with marble surround
- Solid-wood kitchen cabinets revived with white paint
- New custom rustic cabinet replaces old peninsula
- Granite countertops in kitchen
- All new stainless steel appliances and range hood
That’s a lot, isn’t it?
Here’s a collection of “after” photos for this house.
- Note the rustic edges and how the paint color blends with the limestone.
- This brick edging made the porch a foot deeper.
- Looking out from the pergola.
- Back yard,
- You can fit a lot on this new patio.
- The fireplace looks new.
- Plenty of seating space in the living area.
- Looking toward the front of the house.
- Just had to share this one more time. What a transformation!
- New fence
- Looking toward the back.
- White kitchen. Notice the cool cabinets next to the refrigerator.
- Kitchen.
- Looking toward master bedroom.
- Main bathroom.
- Master bedroom sitting area
- Other side of master bedroom
- Master bath
- Master bath
- Closet and sink area.
- Sink with seating area.
- A garage you would hate to put your car in.
- Clean and shiny garage.
- Laundry room.