Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack’s Most Expensive Project in ‘Flip or Flop’ History Netted Them $1 Million
While Flip or Flop may have come to an end, HGTV fans still talk about the time realtors and house flippers Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall tackled their biggest and most expensive flip yet. While the show won’t continue, the Flip or Flop duo filmed 10 seasons of the hit series, some while married and some while divorced.
‘Flip or Flop’s’ Corona del Mar townhouse renovation
The two purchased the townhouse for a whopping 1.4 million dollars, the most they’d spent on a “fixer-upper.” However, the home was also in a much sought-after neighborhood near the beach, and condos and homes in the area sell for a premium.
It wasn’t just the initial layout of cash that was huge, though. The actual cost of the renovations exceeded their already lofty budget. Let’s see what they did, and how much it cost them.
During the episode titled “The Flip” on HGTV, the couple detail the costs of the remodel and what was done. Both Hall and El Moussa had plenty of ideas for taking what was already an impressive property and giving it an upscale makeover.
How Tarek EL Moussa and Christina Haack renovated the outdated condo
One of the first things to change was the patio. While the quaint brickwork wasn’t horrible, it didn’t exactly scream modern, upscale, multi-million dollar home near the beach, either.
“What I’m talking about is this entire patio, gone, rebuilt,” El Moussa says. “Maybe we put in some bi-fold doors right here, some big glass doors, open this up this way.”
They ripped out the bricks and the windows and replaced it with gray tile, sliding doors, and a $4,750 custom fire pit. Sure, they could have gone cheaper, but they clearly felt confident that the expense would pay off.
Did they really paint it black?
They didn’t stop with the patio area, of course. Haack decided that something dramatic needed to happen with the exterior, so she decided on painting the lower half of the townhouse exterior black and the upstairs white.
“As far as paint colors go, I really like the idea of doing this area right here black,” she says, gesturing to the first floor. “And then, up there we can do white. That way it pops.”
What did they do with the rest of the house and how much did it cost?
Now that they had the patio area sorted and turned into an upscale hangout perfect for entertaining guests, they set to work on the interior, gutting the kitchen and living area to give it a more open feel.
The kitchen was the next set of upgrades and El Moussa underestimated what it would cost for a full kitchen remodel with high-end appliances.
“Custom kitchen, high-end appliances, 25 grand?” El Moussa asks contractor Israel Battres.
Battres laughs, saying, “Just the appliances are going to be, like, 15 grand!”
In addition to the high-end appliances and black walnut custom cabinets, they decided to go with Hall’s suggestion of a brick backsplash. El Moussa liked the idea so much he decided to go with brick for the whole kitchen wall.
However, Hall was not a fan of the final product.
“When I was looking at the sample, I thought it was all just going to be bright white. I didn’t know it was going to have variation. There’s a lot of gray in it,” she says, looking at the kitchen. “I feel like it’s really dark.”
The brick work wasn’t cheap. The cost for the materials and work came to about $15,000, but Haack decided to have it painted over white. While this move cost an extra $3,000, the clean, bright, and modern effect ended up working well for the space.
How much did the house sell for?
According to the Realtor.com listing sales history, El Moussa and Hall paid $1,400,000 for the home, then listed it at $2,999,900 on May 12, 2022. However, they recently increased the price on May 18, 2022. The new asking price is $3,500,000. If they sell the home for that much, they will have made a cool million in profit even after the remodel costs.
At this point, the home has not sold. According to Realtor.com, the home is currently pending sale.
Fans of the show are curious how the Corona Del Mar townhome will pan out but will have to wait and see. As for Christina Hall and ex-husband Tarek El Moussa, it will be interesting to see what their futures hold. For now, they co-parent, work on their individual projects, and have fun naming their yachts.
