The Remodeling Series Wrap-Up And A New Video
For those of you who’ve been with me from the first part of the Remodeling Series (ahem…last August), I just want to say thank you for letting me write overly-long posts where I could ramble ad-nauseam about my likes, dislikes, failures, and successes surrounding DIY remodeling.
So, in gratefulness for reading, commenting, and hanging in there with me, I’m offering this (blessedly) short list of the ten things we learned throughout this process of remodeling most of our house mainly by ourselves on a ridiculously small budget during the last 5 years.
Top Ten Things Learned At An Oregon Cottage About Do-It-Yourself Remodeling:
- You can save lots of money. Sometimes you wonder if it’s worth it, especially if it involves tiling.
- On the other hand, you can waste money, too. Case in point: we now have a 4-ft long, 11-inch high window sitting in one of our outbuildings after discovering we needed a 15-inch high window. And yes, 4 inches did make that much of a difference.
- It takes a LONG time. As in months…and years.
- DO buy things in advance as you see them on sale, at thrift stores, or on Craigslist. You will never find it at the time you need it if you didn’t buy it when you saw it. I think this is a law or something.
- Enlist the help of knowledgeable friends and family. Their help will make you think you know what you’re doing (while all the time it was them…).
- Demolition makes a really big mess. And never just in the area you demolished.
- Rule of Thumb: A 20 minute job will take at least half a day.
- The right tools make all the difference. Beg, borrow, or rent and you will not be sorry.
- Just because you hired a professional doesn’t mean the job will be done right. How many hours spent fixing “professionals” mistakes? Countless.
- After successfully finishing a couple of DIY jobs, you start seeing everything as “I could do that,” prompting your children to ask,”Will there ever be a time when we’re not working on something?”
There you have it. The End.
Oh wait. That doesn’t seem like an adequate thank you for all the time involved, so how about one of Brian’s fun videos? I promise this will make you smile, maybe even laugh. And I want to clarify from the outset: It was all my his idea. Especially the title. Yes, he’s weird – that’s one of his endearing qualities.
View this in a larger size on YouTube.
Feel free to leave a comment and make me smile!
This is linked to:
Friday Inspiration
Show and Tell Friday
Finer Things Friday
We close on an older colonial at the end of September and I’m using your home as inspiration. I love what you have done. I wanted to pass on a tip about wallpaper to you just in case you ever encounter it again. I used to paint and hang wallpaper as a business. There is NOTHING whatsoever that compares to a fabric drop cloth placed under the wall you are working on to catch moisture and then to start at the top and score a bit and then soak the paper in white vinegar and warm water. This mixture breaks down the glue…ANY GLUE used in wallpapering. You then skim off the paper. Some papers have a vinyl coated front. You peel it away and you are left with paper backing. Wet it and it skims right off. I’ve taken wallpaper new and old off just about every surface you can think of. I never had to rent a steamer. Never bought a Tiger scoring tool when an exacto or mat knife works just as well. It’s a bit messy but I’m okay with that. Many blessings to you and your family. You folks did a wonderful job!
Oh, thanks, Shea! While I hope I don’t encounter it again, you never do know, so I’ll keep this in mind! Have fun with your new home!
I love your home. Thank you for sharing. Way to go! Great job. Love the videos. You have a great family. Big Smiles!