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There aren’t many people who see the term “builder grade” and immediately associate it with plans for their future dream home. However, Cait Pappas, founder of Nest Out West, has molded her creative foresight into both a career and brand where she helps clients turn their style aspirations into reality—even while on a budget.
When it came time to upgrade from their first transformed builder grade, Cait and her family began looking for homes in a sought-after Denver suburb. Of course, as with many desired neighborhoods, location comes with a lofty price tag.
To stay under budget, she said yes to another builder grade that had remained nearly untouched since the late '90s. While her new home was dated, Cait’s visionary spirit pushed past the tiled tub and trendy fixtures of yesterday to design a cottage-chic dream most homeowners would envy.
In her renovation, Cait says that going with an older builder-grade home not only saved her money at closing but also had more environmentally conscious benefits.
“First of all, you don’t want to pay the premium for a flipped home that is not your style,” she says. “And second, you feel bad if you were to buy it and change things; it feels so wasteful when it’s all brand-new materials. It just doesn’t feel good for the environment, from my perspective. So we didn’t really feel comfortable buying something that was already nice, ripping it all out, and making it ours.”
Cait describes her style as, “organic, neutral, and clean,” with all of those elements distinctly present throughout her home. Her primary bathroom, specifically, is a model example of her taste and showcases her strengths as a designer.
“The primary bathroom was one of the major parts of this house that stole our hearts,” Cait says. “Even though it was really dated, I kind of looked at it like, ‘If this space was stripped, what would we do with it?’ Even before we put an offer in on the house, I noticed its beautiful vaulted ceilings, big corner window, and square footage; it would be a really beautiful bathroom if we made it happen.”
Fast forward to move-in, their original plan was to gradually update it over five to ten years. However, while she was pregnant with her and her husband’s second child, the old shower started leaking into the basement bedroom and repairs could no longer wait. With a baby on the way, the pair decided to hire a general contractor to streamline the renovation. However, as an avid DIYer herself, Cait was involved in every step of the design process.
“I started by putting together a concept board and piecing together elements I loved, like brass, wood, concrete, and white,” Cait says. “From there, I went off and figured out what all of the other finishes and fixtures would be.”
After laying out her plan in Canva, she began ordering pieces that would match her vision and the rest of her home. For the bathroom’s major players, Cait chose a matte white tub and a teak vanity—both of which emit a soft warmth and create an inviting ambiance within the space. To make matters even better, stunning barn doors bridge the gap between the bedroom and the bathroom, all while bringing out the wood tones seen throughout.
Polished brass accents top off the look and create even more cohesion in the neutral scene. Paired with modern silhouettes, the bathroom itself is a perfect balance of timeless centerpieces and fresh, modern touches.
Truly a night and day transformation, this primary bathroom is proof that any renovation is possible with the right mindset. For others who want to upgrade their outdated spaces or try their hands at a fixer-upper, Cait recommends looking at things in a top-down manner to prevent visions from getting too overwhelming and cloudy.
“So often people will go into homes and be turned off and not even look at the rest of the space because it has all of these outdated fixtures,” Cait says. “Just start with the big things: paint, flooring, lighting, and work your way down.”
After all, renovating your home is comparable to a journey. While fixer-uppers may take longer to complete, at the end of the process you have a space that is entirely yours. Take your update one day at a time and your dream home will follow.