Archive for the ‘What I Learned From My Home Renovation’ Category

Given all the cost and planning that goes into most every renovation or remodeling project, you want it all to go right. Practically everyone I know that has had to camp out in their living room or eat out in fast food joints while the hammers banged away in their kitchens or baths understands. And they have a story to tell, no matter how it all turned out.

Sharing your nightmares and your victories can spare others from renovation hell.  That in mind, the editors over at Repair-Home.com have launched a Share Your Project section on their website.  You can share your own experiences as well as garner tips from those who have been there.

Share Your Project Details
According to the site, you can write a post, upload project photos, and receive ratings for your home improvement project.  Categories include:

* Kitchens
* Cabinet Refacing
* Bathrooms
* Landscaping
* Outdoor
* Home Decor
* Flooring
* Windows
* Doors
* Plumbing
* Electrical
* Heating & Cooling
* Siding
* Roofing and Gutters
* Painting
* Home Building

I took a test drive through postings and found a great idea for completing a quick and effective bathroom makeover, made possible by changing out lighting, cabinets, and mirrors.

The homeowner describes an effective and inexpensive way to remove fluorescent lighting in the bath and lay in fresh sheet rock and textures to get plenty of bang for your renovation dollar.

Help With Renovating Bedrooms and Kitchens
Other homeowners posted details and photos of their efforts to remodel a small kitchen, choose a pergola over a deck, and install an effective coffered ceiling treatment in the bedroom.  The ceiling project involved plotting and installing coffer boxes in a ceiling that was not perfectly square.

Project galleries at the site enhance the homeowner stories and fire fresh ideas for your own project. One homeowner provided excellent views of the 1926 marina-style home in San Francisco where they remodeled the original, tired kitchen to open it up and add light. The renovation project involved adding space, knocking out a wall, and installing fresh cabinets and flooring.

The web is a sad repository of plenty of awful projects, too. In searching for additional victories and disasters, I discovered Dark Roasted Blend, a site that gathers photographs of renovation disasters.  Several commercial and home construction designers and contractors should have lost their jobs, since it’s clear they lost their minds when building doors or stairways to nowhere.

Here’s the second installment of our new feature from fellow home bloggers talking about what they learned from embarking on their home renovations. Last week we got some insight from the interior design and home renovating wizards at ThisYoungHouse, and today we’re happy to have Leah of HouseObsession.

Leah has a historic home in the seeming-to-get-hipper-everyday city of Philadelphia. With corporate headquarters for pop culture mega store Urban Outfitters in the city, trend setting is woven into the lifestyle here.

Leah is managing to create a home that intertwines current designers and patterns (Orla Kiely wallpaper), with classic historic features. The final product (like this kitchen) is both modern and timeless — a difficult feat to accomplish.

Read on for Leah’s take on doing your own window installation, removing old paint, and the one thing that totally irks her about her gorgeous kitchen:  

1. What has been your greatest accomplishment while working on your home?

Installing my living room windows myself.  I hired someone to do several windows when I first purchased the house, but now I’ve learned how to do it myself, and I wish I’d tackled it on my own beforehand.  I’d have saved a lot of money.

2. What is one thing you wished you would have done differently?

I think there are always things you wish you’d done differently.  There are quite a few things in my bathroom I wish I’d done differently…but one small thing that constantly bugs me involves my kitchen countertop.  The seam in my marble counter is right in the center of my sink.  Because it’s right there, it is very small…as opposed to being on the side and being quite large.  However, it drives me nuts that it’s right there in the front.  My eye always goes to it.  I sometimes also wish I’d gone with Corian.  (Oh, wait…that’s two things.)  

3. Has there ever been a project you started where you realized it might have been way over your head?

Trying to remove the paint off my banister.  I thought it would be easy to remove.  We purchased Peel Away, and although we got down to the wood in many places, it’s not been so easy to remove overall.  There is still a ton of pain left on it, and I finally gave up.  I need to get back to that soon.  It’s horribly ugly at the moment.

4. If you had one piece of advice for someone starting out on major renovations, what would you tell them?

I’d tell them to meticulously budget every single detailed item they can think of to get a sense of what the costs will be, then I’d tell them to expect to add another 20% on top of that for things they didn’t see coming.

5. What are some of your favorite remodeling resources?

Charles & Hudson blog, Re-Store Philadelphia for recycled house parts, HGTV for fun projects and inspiration, my local True Value Hardware Store (never underestimate your local, small hardware store!), Apartment Therapy for inspiration.

Thanks Leah! Good luck on your continued remodeling and renovating!

As the old saying goes: Hindsight is 20/20.

Looking back it’s easy to see where things went wrong, or what you would have done differently.

For a homeowner, having the helpful hindsight of others can be priceless, especially if you’re a new homeowner with big renovation plans on your mind. 

To help you avoid having “woulda, shoulda, coulda” renovation moments, I’m working on compiling the insights and experiences of a number of my favorite bloggers who are working through their own renovations and remodels…and doing it successfully!

Our first feature is from John and Sherry of ThisYoungHouse.com. This young couple is documenting the remodel of their home in Richmond, Virginia.  A modern, fresh and young take on home renovation this couple’s blog is a testament to the great changes you can accomplish – even if you’re on a budget!

Because of their success on their own home, they’ve also taken to helping others fix up their spaces as well. When readers write in with pictures of a space screaming for a makeover, John and Sherry provide mood boards and color swatches to help the reader understand a vision for their space. More often than not the transformation is breathtaking.

Sherry was kind enough to answer my questions and talk about her backyard wedding, working through some 50-year-old bathroom plumbing issues, and of course where she goes for inspiration.

Take it away Sherry:

(John and Sherry’s Final Kitchen Remodel)

3. Has there ever been a project you started where you realized it might have been way over your head?

Switching out our bathroom’s shower knobs was quite a debacle! With 50 year old plumbing we knew we were in over our heads the minute we tried to loosen a bolt and were sprayed in the eye with water. Thankfully a local plumber came out and saved the day. Three hundred dollars later we had completely updated bathroom plumbing behind the walls and shiny new bathroom fixtures too. The lesson: we can handle electrical projects, but we’ll leave major plumbing jobs to the experts.

(The oh-so-chic! master bedroom remodel)

4. If you had one piece of advice for someone starting out on major renovations, what would you tell them?

Well, first we’d tell them that budgets will be exceeded and timelines will never be met. It helps to manage your expectations ahead of time so you can enjoy the ride instead of gritting your teeth the whole time. Then we’d just say have fun! There’s nothing like watching your house become your dream home before your very eyes.

(The remodeled den)

Thanks John and Sherry!

Next week: Check out another interview with Leah of House Obsession