It All Started With a Pinterest Account, a Can-Do Spirit, and a Dream

This is my house.  We bought it in December of 2007 and got a "great deal" on it, which means it needed a great deal of renovation.

When we moved in, our living room looked like this.

Then it looked like this.

Now, it looks like this.

WHY???  

Because we decided to tackle some major and massive renovations.

All by ourselves.

All at once.

HGTV, DIY Network, Pinterest, and home improvement stores have conspired against us to make us think that home renovation is fun, easy, and rewarding.

This blog highlights the MANY projects around our house that we have undertaken and either have yet to come to fruition, or never turn out in the time frame and budget we planned.

A Not-So-Inviting Entryway

With my husband gone for weeks at a time for work, I often find myself with some free time.  Understanding that my abilities to work on my home are limited, I decided that while I may not be able to build things alone, I can take them down.

The Inspiration:

Our neighbors, who have the same house plan as we, took out the small coat closet in their entryway, making it more open and spacious.  Following their lead, I decided to do the same.  Naturally, I also found some Pinterest ideas as well.

The Plan:

Tear down closet walls

Sand and finish drywall corners

Time Frame:

A Few Hours

Projected Cost:

$0  

(It doesn't cost anything to take down walls, right?)

The Reality:

Our house is on a slab, and I didn't take into account that the flooring was put into place around the existing walls. Tile flooring, to be exact.  

Project started last year

Currently Unfinished

Cost Thus Far:

$75

Trips to Home Depot:

3

New Tools Acquired:

Hand Saw

Putty Knife

What It Looked Like Before:

What It Looks Like Now 

The Never Ending Stairway Project

One lovely morning, I awoke to my husband tearing the carpet off of the stairs.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I'm tired of the carpet and sneezing all of the time," he replied.

In his defense, we have two large dogs and he has terrible allergies.  It was summer, thus the windows were closed all of the time.

The Idea:

Tear carpet from stairs and refinish them

The Inspiration:

The Original Plan:

Remove carpet from stairs

Remove rails and balusters

Sand steps

Stain steps and paint risers

Time Frame:

2 Weeks

Projected Cost:

Under $100

Reality:

Some steps were broken, shimmed, and uneven, so we had to replace 4 steps

We decided to replace the wooden balusters with iron ones

We removed the following paint colors from the wooden posts and railings- White, Brown, Country Blue, Peach, and Mint Green

Started in May

Unfinished

Money Spent Thus Far:

$400

Trips to Home Depot:

15-20

New Tools Acquired:

Mikita Orbital Sander

Set of DeWalt Drill Bits

Paint Roller

3 Paint Brushes

What It Looked Like Before:

What It Looks Like Now:

Catalog This Under "Unfinished"

Our family room was a room that did not get used very often, until we started working on the living room.  Now, that we use it, our attentions have been brought to it's rather lacking state.

The Idea:

Take out existing sliding glass doors, insulate and wall in the area, and have built-in bookcases.

The Inspiration:

Projected Plan:

Build Frame for exterior wall on the screened porch 

Insulate the wall

Build wooden bookcases

Finish exterior wall

Projected Cost:

$250-$500

Projected Time Frame:

2 Weeks

Reality:

Project started in June

Unfinished

Spent $100 on wood for frame and insulation

What it looks like now: