Meet John Gettle and Lana Tufo, the Gettle Team on FlipWars: Buying Blind

Imagine walking in the shoes of two realtors, John Gettle and Lana Tufo from The Gettle Team on FlipWars: Buying Blind. You're flipping two houses and need tile to transform those homes. Where do you go?

In their case, they went to Tile Outlets of America in Sarasota, Florida. As a result, we got to witness what they chose and how they used tile to profoundly transform these two spaces. You can, too.

We caught up with John and Lana of Gettle Real Estate to learn more about flipping house, Flip Wars: Buying Blind, and how they used tile to radically reimagine two houses in the Sarasota, Florida area.

Meet John Gettle and Lana Tufo of The Gettle Team on Flip Wars: Buying Blind

TOA: John and Lana, tell us about yourselves and your background. Are you from the Sarasota area?

John: I was born and raised in Sarasota, Florida. I have a background in construction as my parents have been in the pool building business for over 30 years and I've worked on job sites since I was 5 years old!

In 2007 I co-owned and operated a brick paver and remodel company. Shortly after, in 2009, I moved to Las Vegas to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. I was a cage fighter for Tuf-N-Uff alongside alumni Ronda Rousey, where I held the title of middleweight champion.

Lana: I'm from New York City, and although my father was in the car business, my parents began flipping homes in Manhattan in the early 2000s, before flipping became mainstream. It was through them that I developed my keen sense of style and eye for design.

Now living in Florida, I like to bring my Park Avenue touch to the country lifestyle.

TOA: How did you get started flipping houses?

Lana: When we were together in Vegas, John decided to come back home to Sarasota and I moved with him.

We were brainstorming work opportunities that we could do together. My college degree is in Biology and broadcast communication. We knew we wanted something we could do together, while also not having such a strict 9-5 schedule. So real estate seemed like a good opportunity, and flipping houses and remodeling fell into place along with it.

TOA: How did you connect with Flip Wars: Buying Blind?

Lana: I had a friend who worked in development for the production company. They were looking for a third couple that flips houses in Florida. When he made the connection, we had a Skype interview with the network and we were filming two weeks later.

TOA: So, what makes a flip successful?

John: Profit. If you lose money, it’s an unsuccessful flip. You can go over budget, but as long as the budget matches the outcome, you have a successful flip.

TOA: What do you look for when you’re buying something sight unseen?

John: Comps and recent sales in the neighborhood, home values, minimal damage and labor necessary to turn a profit.

TOA: What did you like about the first house? What made you think it had potential?

John: The property had a great floor plan and bones.

The lot was oversized, big enough to park a boat or an RV on the side. It was very appealing to have a yard of that size in that price range.

We were able to make the home an open concept, which people love nowadays.

The home was also block construction and the windows were in good condition.

TOA: What surprised you most when you actually saw the property?

Lana: There was trash and cat hair everywhere. The amount of trash left inside the home was not as noticeable on the episode. But there were layers and layers of animal hair and fur all over!

The entire yard was dirt and tree leaves, with trash and auto parts scattered everywhere. The before and after of the outdoor area and yard are truly astonishing. Laying sod really helped tidy up the place.

TOA: What were the biggest changes you made to the property?

John: We really tore out the kitchen, re-positioned the island, and decked it out!

We totally redid the bathrooms as well.

Lana: The flooring made a huge difference in this flip: Castle Cenere Ceramic Tile in 8x24 planks. As soon as we saw it we knew we wanted to use this flooring! It is a rustic driftwood with barn house feel, but not too busy. With the neutral walls and white cabinets and countertops we picked, it really gave the house the rustic glam feel we were going for.

John: Also, the bathroom showers came out phenomenal.

Lana had a vision of what color she wanted the house to be; Taupe. And she refused to settle for any other color. Once we walked inside Tile Outlets and she spotted the Taupe U789 3x6 Subway Tile (item no. 203957), she knew immediately that that was her guest bath wall tile.

In the master shower, we went with a more classic design so we picked the Statuary Carrera White Marble Polished 3x6.

Both came out incredible. Both showers had mosaic listellos that matched up perfectly with the designs.

For the kitchen, Lana spotted a backsplash she fell in love with Tour Grey 2" Hexagon Glass Stone Mosaic. It was a mosaic hexagon-shaped pattern, which is really in style right now. It wasn’t super noticeable from a distance, but up close the pattern had New York Times newspaper clippings, as well as Marilyn Monroe portraits.

Being that Lana is from New York City, she fell in love with the backsplash. It wasn’t overwhelmingly busy but had a very unique vibe to it that really stood out against the white cabinets and countertops.

TOA: What inspired you to choose the tile and the colors you did?

Lana: All the tiles and colors we chose were unique in their own way, but not too jarring. We wanted to make sure the patterns and colors weren’t too busy, and that they collaborated well with each other.

In the end, we really pulled off that rustic glam look we were going for. The flooring set the perfect foundation for the modern farmhouse vibe. The tile selections added the elegant touch we were looking for.

TOA: Would you have done anything differently?

John: In retrospect, I do not believe we would have done anything differently. After all, we went under contract in 10 days! It was good to see that homebuyers enjoyed our designs as much as we did.

>> Learn more about the tile in this home in Partnering With Flip Wars: Buying Blind

TOA: What did you like about the second house? What made you think it had potential?

John: House number two was a no-brainer. It was located on Siesta Key. Factor in its number one beach in the county rating last year, as well as the fact that it is both a highly sought after living location and travel destination, and we knew it would be a hit.

The thing that was different about this house is that we knew it would be a huge renovation… The permits alone took a month and a half. But in the end, it was worth it.

TOA: What surprised you most when you actually saw the property?

Lana: When we saw the property we liked that it sat on a lagoon. Each time we were outside, turtles would swim up!

We also saw it had a great split floor plan and a large, deep two-car garage.

However, for most people, this would be hard to envision considering it came with a tiny galley kitchen and walls everywhere. We had to knock down all the walls to create a large open-concept living space.

TOA: What were the biggest changes you made to the property?

John: We made several huge changes to the property.

The first being we enclosed the lanai area and added another 100 square feet to the interior of the house. This added over 100 square feet of under air square footage to the property.

We also tore out plants that were invasive to our native and protected mangroves and opened up the view of the lagoon.

We used composite wood decking around the pool, brought it back, and created an outdoor kitchen and fire pit.

We made the outdoor living space as usable as possible and created a resort-like tranquil space for entertaining and relaxing by the pool.

TOA: What inspired you to choose the tile and the colors you did?

John: On this property, Lana decided to make it a modern beach house vibe. We used neutral and light driftwood colored tile plank flooring, and cool blues toned down with whites.

The guest bath has a beautiful and striking blue tile accent wall.

Lana: In the master bath, we decided to use a classic Carrera marble tile with a hexagon accent piece in the center.

But out of all the materials we used in this house, the one we receive the most compliments on is the kitchen backsplash.

We used a teal colored glass subway tile, which is both bold and unique, and really helps create that beach house vibe that people look for on Siesta Key.

We actually were sent so many photos of both builders and flippers who recreated our exact color scheme and style of this property in the following months, down to the kitchen island custom color!

During a couple of open houses, we had people come in and take pictures of the kitchen wanting to recreate it. I’m glad we are doing this interview because now they will be able to know exactly which products we selected and used from Tile Outlets of America.

TOA: Would you have done anything differently?

John: With this grand finale flip on Siesta Key, I can’t say we would do anything different. We are very proud of our work here, and believe we created the masterpiece we had envisioned! We hope everyone enjoys the season finale of Flip Wars!

>> Learn more about the tile in this home in Flipping Houses? Remodel with Tile From Tile Outlets of America ;)

TOA: Thanks, John and Lana. Congratulations on two beautiful Flip Wars: Buying Blind houses!

Inspired by John Gettle and Lana Tufo? Explore Tile Options for Your Home!

Are you considering flipping houses? Or simply want to remodel your existing home? Check out the tile possibilities at Tile Outlets of America. As John and Lana did, you too are sure to find just the right products to bring your dreams to reality... at a whole lot less.