Home Decorating, renovation and DIY

[Olivia]

Home remodel starts tomorrow. Been waiting for this for a long time. After 6 months of getting quotes and almost 3 months of confirming plans, picking materials, etc. tomorrow is finally the day! I'm sitting here at home in an empty room, on the floor, with my iPad. We had to clear the whole house with exception of 2 rooms to prep for tomorrow. It's been a long past few days getting here.

We were told about 4 months from start to completion, which means it'll probably be 6-7 months. Regardless, I'm super stoked to finally get this project going! Bring on the stress, patience, and even more stress and patience with my bf as we get thru this.

So exciting! We did our house twice - when we first bought it in 2009, we renovated only (didn't extend). And in late 2011/early 2012, we extended it to go from a single storey 2 bedroom place to a 2 storey, 4 bed and 2 car garage place. The only advice I have is to not get handleless cabinetry because it's a freaking pain in the ass. And if you are carpeting, invest in a great vacuum and a carpet cleaner.

[Missmandy9]

So exciting! We did our house twice - when we first bought it in 2009, we renovated only (didn't extend). And in late 2011/early 2012, we extended it to go from a single storey 2 bedroom place to a 2 storey, 4 bed and 2 car garage place. The only advice I have is to not get handleless cabinetry because it's a freaking pain in the ass. And if you are carpeting, invest in a great vacuum and a carpet cleaner.

Thank you for the advice! We are redoing the whole kitchen- literally ripping it to shreds, including two walls- flooring throughout the house with exception of the bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Glad to have somebody here that has gone through all of this already. I constantly hear horror stories, so I'm trying to prep myself for it, although still hoping things will go smoothly.

You did a shit ton to your house! Did you guys do it yourselves or hire a company/contractor to do it for you?

[Olivia]

Thank you for the advice! We are redoing the whole kitchen- literally ripping it to shreds, including two walls- flooring throughout the house with exception of the bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Glad to have somebody here that has gone through all of this already. I constantly hear horror stories, so I'm trying to prep myself for it, although still hoping things will go smoothly.

You did a shit ton to your house! Did you guys do it yourselves or hire a company/contractor to do it for you?

My brother is a builder, my husband is a landscaper and my dad has a plumbing business - so we were pretty set. My brother did the building work both times. During the first renovation, we did everything ourselves such as pulling THOUSANDS of staples out of the floorboards before they were polished, painting etc. But the second time, I was heavily pregnant and then had the baby before it was all finished. So we got people in to do pretty much everything.

I think we got lucky - it was relatively painless for us. I think that was because my brother ran the job and wanted to get in and out asap. Be tough with your tradesmen and keep track of everything so they dont rip you off.

[Missmandy9]

My brother is a builder, my husband is a landscaper and my dad has a plumbing business - so we were pretty set. My brother did the building work both times. During the first renovation, we did everything ourselves such as pulling THOUSANDS of staples out of the floorboards before they were polished, painting etc. But the second time, I was heavily pregnant and then had the baby before it was all finished. So we got people in to do pretty much everything.

I think we got lucky - it was relatively painless for us. I think that was because my brother ran the job and wanted to get in and out asap. Be tough with your tradesmen and keep track of everything so they dont rip you off.

Nice...that seems like the way to go. That's another thing I'm worried about...getting taken advantage of throughout the process...and also all the 'extra unforeseen' costs. My bf is pretty damn anal when it comes to $ so that's helping keep track of every little detail thus far- its also the reason it took so damn long to pick a company. Which I am thankful for tho because we're pretty happy with them so far. I just hope excitement and satisfaction (at the very least) cancel out all this stress.

[bermstalker]

Home remodel starts tomorrow. Been waiting for this for a long time. After 6 months of getting quotes and almost 3 months of confirming plans, picking materials, etc. tomorrow is finally the day! I'm sitting here at home in an empty room, on the floor, with my iPad. We had to clear the whole house with exception of 2 rooms to prep for tomorrow. It's been a long past few days getting here.

We were told about 4 months from start to completion, which means it'll probably be 6-7 months. Regardless, I'm super stoked to finally get this project going! Bring on the stress, patience, and even more stress and patience with my bf as we get thru this.

Yay! I envy you, but I don't. Such a stressful time. That's why we haven't had our basement finished like we've been planning for years. 1700 sq feet of wide open space just sitting there.

My brother is a builder, my husband is a landscaper and my dad has a plumbing business - so we were pretty set. My brother did the building work both times. During the first renovation, we did everything ourselves such as pulling THOUSANDS of staples out of the floorboards before they were polished, painting etc. But the second time, I was heavily pregnant and then had the baby before it was all finished. So we got people in to do pretty much everything.

I think we got lucky - it was relatively painless for us. I think that was because my brother ran the job and wanted to get in and out asap. Be tough with your tradesmen and keep track of everything so they dont rip you off.

OMG! The staples. We did that. My hands had blisters on them.

One thing I would advise- Get plenty of electrical outlets. Also, pay attention to the air vent placements. It drives me nuts that in my office I have 2 vents RIGHT IN the way of where I would move stuff.

If I could redo anything in my whole house that was put down- it's the hardwood floors. I hate them. Yeah, I know-everybody loves hardwoods. Not me. We jumped on it b/c of the fad with them. Thought we would love them.

[Olivia]

Berm - we restored all the floors in our place in 2009 and carpeted over all of them in 2011. We hated them too.

Do all the fiddly things now too - like light Dimmers, tv plugs, heat lamps in bathroom, anything that will be painful after!

[Missmandy9]

Yay! I envy you, but I don't. Such a stressful time. That's why we haven't had our basement finished like we've been planning for years. 1700 sq feet of wide open space just sitting there.

One thing I would advise- Get plenty of electrical outlets. Also, pay attention to the air vent placements. It drives me nuts that in my office I have 2 vents RIGHT IN the way of where I would move stuff.

If I could redo anything in my whole house that was put down- it's the hardwood floors. I hate them. Yeah, I know-everybody loves hardwoods. Not me. We jumped on it b/c of the fad with them. Thought we would love them.

Berm - we restored all the floors in our place in 2009 and carpeted over all of them in 2011. We hated them too.

Do all the fiddly things now too - like light Dimmers, tv plugs, heat lamps in bathroom, anything that will be painful after!

We're doing tile throughout the house, with exception of the living room. Too much tile makes it feel too cold and not comfy enough to me, so we're putting carpet in the living room. My biggest thing is the ease of cleaning. I brought home numerous tile samples that we liked and mocked food spillage and dirt and then cleaned them all. That helped filter out a couple for sure.

The company we hired seems to be pretty good with pointing out all the little extras. In addition, my bf has been planning this remodel for about 4 years now so he's been compiling his list for quite a while. I'm SURE there will be something that we miss tho and kick ourselves for it later. Light dimmers isn't one of them we thought of tho. I'll make sure to bring that up to my bf tonight.

Thank you guys for all the advice! I can't get enough of it.

[nestlequikie]

Anyone have any summer projects going on???

[McMama]

Anyone have any summer projects going on???

Only my entire house

No, but really. When Syd and I moved into our new house late last month, I wasn't "allowed" to take anything. I had a little money saved up but I didn't want to go blow it all on furnishings for the house because I knew I needed some sort of safety net to fall back on if I ever needed it. PS: Furniture is SO freaking expensive. Anyway, I ended up buying a brand new twin over full white-washed wooden bunk bed for Syd, and I bought out this local older lady's storage locker to furnish my bedroom. She had super nice furniture, but it was all in bad need of a cleaning and most of it needed to be re-finished. I bought a queen bed and dresser from her for around $100, minus the mattress and box springs (which I bought new at Big Lots), and I stripped, sanded and painted it. It was an oak color and now it's black. I really like how it turned out.



I didn't even know this thread existed? I could have so many before/after pictures to post here. It seems as if I'm doing something different everyday.

[Miller22]

Ooooooo

[easily_distracted]

I'd like to put an island in the kitchen.

Thinking of finding an old dresser and refinishing it.

[queenaevadamthng]

Beautiful job Mama. There is something so rewarding about bringing something back to it's original beauty. I'm proud for ya..Sistas doin' it for themselves..lol

They have a little store here in SC that is run by one of the churches. They have really nice and cheap furniture. I know when I finally get my shit together so I can leave, I'll be leaving with the clothes on our backs. I have several items there that I really want.

[Miller22]

When we have the cash for it, we're going to upgrade to a king sized bed. We're going to do an old door as a headboard and move the dresser into the closer and put a fireplace where it is.

[debk589]

Yeah McMama start taking before and after pics! I love this shit too.

[Miller22]

Only my entire house

No, but really. When Syd and I moved into our new house late last month, I wasn't "allowed" to take anything. I had a little money saved up but I didn't want to go blow it all on furnishings for the house because I knew I needed some sort of safety net to fall back on if I ever needed it. PS: Furniture is SO freaking expensive. Anyway, I ended up buying a brand new twin over full white-washed wooden bunk bed for Syd, and I bought out this local older lady's storage locker to furnish my bedroom. She had super nice furniture, but it was all in bad need of a cleaning and most of it needed to be re-finished. I bought a queen bed and dresser from her for around $100, minus the mattress and box springs (which I bought new at Big Lots), and I stripped, sanded and painted it. It was an oak color and now it's black. I really like how it turned out.

[IMG]http://i59.tinypic.com/iy3bz4.jpg[/IMG

I didn't even know this thread existed? I could have so many before/after pictures to post here. It seems as if I'm doing something different everyday.

McMamma - I troll craigslist on the regular. When we moved into our house we got a whole BUNCH of furniture and it was all in really great shape. We got this really NICE display case for a great price. So keep an eye on there - esp in the free section. Also freecycle. Also garage/yard/estate sales. It's summa time, you'll find lotsa great stuff at yard sales!

[u2addict]

I bought a new couch and recliner. The couch is a Serta convertable.

Before throwing on a bunch of crap....


After throwing on a bunch of crap....


I have had the quilt for about 30 years, my Granny in Tennessee made it. Must be 100 years old.




I am think about moving the round table that is between the recliner & couch, and replacing with an antique table that is in my bedroom...

[puzzld]

Our campus has a Christmas tree contest every year. This year it's "A Hogwarts Christmas." So behold. Our invisible tree.

https://www.facebook.com/DevereauxLi...52634650513731

[debk589]

I REALLY hope we end up getting this house, cuz I've already bought all new furniture and have begun decorating it in my head. The walls in the living room and dining room are yellow, so I've decided on grey furniture and accessories. Basically my living room will be based entirely off this:

[Miller22]

Do you have a pinterest board for each room? That's what I did before moving. Painting is easier before moving too.

[debk589]

Yup! That was from my pinterest, and yup, got all the paint colors picked out too before the move. YAY!

[Miller22]

I'm so excited for you!!

[PeaceBeWithMe]

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE REDECORATING!

Yes, more before and after pics, please! I'm always open to great ideas!

I wish I was so color coordinated but I'm addicted to bright colors and patterns. Everything in my house looks like a gypsy vomited it up!

[Shins]

Love it Deb.

I tried finding things to show my home style but I can't. I kinda of have a weird thing going on though. It's like rustic meets art deco meets shabby chic. Dark "weathered" looking wood floors with light beige/grey walls (depending on the room) and random pops of color everywhere. I couldnt decide on committing to one accent color, so I have things that have red/green/blue/yellow...

This house has made me realize how necessary accent rugs are.

[Angiebla]

Here's the extent of my creativeness:

I put wallpaper in the background of the bookcase. It was a pain in the ass!

[Angiebla]

Here's the kitchen. The best room of the house:

I don't know why my pics are upsidown