Laundry Room Mini-Makeover

The laundry room has to be my least favorite room in the house. It even tops the nasty upstairs carpet on my list of not-so-awesome spaces in the house. As far as laundry rooms go, ours isn't bad and I am thankful for that. After all, it is a finished space and isn't in a dungeon. There are actually lights in this room vs. most laundry rooms in the torturous basement of a home. Plus, it is spacious. We can even store some things in there in awkward nook that leads back to our electrical panel/breaker box. Despite all of these positive qualities, it does have some negatives:

First, it's a bug haven. Sick. This is probably my #1, 2, 3, and 4 reasons for not liking the laundry room. I've seen more than 5 spiders in there. Thank goodness I have Monkey to protect me! Seriously, that dog and I were meant for each other. A few mornings ago, I heard her clamoring around in the dining room while I was upstairs getting ready for work. I thought she was getting into mischief, her usual mode of operation. I came down stairs to find her pawing at a spider, a giant nasty disgusting creep-tastic huge big extra large spider with scary legs. She plays a game with them, a game that usually ends in their demise. I typically notice the noise of her paws against the wood floor and come downstairs. Yikes! Then I grab my kills-any-bug-within-a-10-foot-range spider spray and take care of business. Unfortunately, I'm left with the aftermath of this bloodshed to clean up. You know, so the toxins in this arsenal don't kill my beloved spider killing dog. Back to the topic at hand, my laundry room.

Susie, Tim's mom, got us this cute little sign a few months ago (has it really been that long!?). Tim sweetly put this up in the hallway that leads from our living room to our bathroom, opposite the laundry room. It has a great vintage look.

Next, I installed this:

 

 

Can you tell what it is? Curtains! The previous owners had a curtain dividing the hallway from the laundry room. At first, I wasn't sold. They put up a tension rod and paisley/floral print, which made it look like a shower. It took us a while to find curtains that matched the look we were going for. This is a very large doorway, so it needed two tall curtains. Of course, I'm cheap so I wanted something that wasn't crazy expensive. We ultimately went with Woolrich Neutral Stripe Curtains from Target. The curtains were $29 total. Initially I researched making my own, but I found that the fabric was going to cost... wait for it... almost $100! Nuts! Absolutely nuts. I washed these curtains twice before hanging them to make sure that any shrinking happened prior to positioning the rod.

Please be advised, the photos are terrible. This is a very awkward space to photograph, but I assure you it does look nice (thanks Natalie!). Oh, and I still need to iron those curtains. Someday I'll get around to that, someday. We also struggled to find a curtain rod that didn't cost a fortune. We visited several stores and I was astonished at the price of curtain rods ($50 or more for just the rod)! This blog has a familiar pattern: I get a great idea, embark on said DIY project, and complain about the outrageous price of some of these items. I recalled that we so easily found a cheap one for our dining room ($15 for the rod and finials and $10 for the hold-back) from Meijer. Back to Meijer we went. I worried that the color wasn't exactly what we were looking for, but I was willing to spray paint it for that price!

Positioning the rod was also a dilemma. We didn't know whether to put it inside the laundry room or in the hallway. When I really examined the hallway, I knew that I would need to put it in the laundry room. There is very little space between the doorway in which this curtain is positioned and the doorway to the stairwell/living room. I hung the curtains so they would fall just above the floor. I don't like curtains dragging the floor. I know that creates a romantic look, but I prefer a crisp, meant to fit the space perfectly look.

 

I have many plans for this space in the future including: refinishing the floors (concrete) with some kind of epoxy or paint plus adding organization and storage. After we finish the upstairs with new paint and carpet, I think I'll try to tackle this room.

Garage

The Garage!

When Chanelle and I first moved into the house, we knew that certain things had to be done to the garage. There was a huge set of metal cabinets attached to the back wall and a small set of hooks. Other than that, there was little storage. To remedy, we decided to take down the metal shelves and purchase 2 sets of open shelves. On top of that, I wanted a work bench. My grandpa had a workbench, my dad has a workbench and it was my turn. My dad, mom and Molly came down and dad and I worked on the bench.

We started by building the frame. We got 90% of the lumber from the clearance bin at Home Depot! My dad also bought a couple of 8 foot hardwood planks to use for the top.

Monk and Sullivan helped of course. It was a challenge to keep them out of the garage while we used the saw!

And of course, Molly-dog had to help too. It was a fun visit having my parents down. They hadn't see the house since the day they helped us move in!

Dad and I were pretty proud of our finished product. It's a solid workbench; one that I'll be able to move around or move out eventually!

After that weekend, I also wanted to run some utility hooks along the side wall of the garage. This helps organize (Chanelle's favorite word!) and keep important tools off of the garage floor.

I even repurposed and old hook that the previous owners had left behind. It's sturdy enough to hang my wheelbarrow!

A good pic of me sizing up my work. This project was actually really easy. Mark the studs, level the board and screw it in!

This is the finished product of the back wall of the garage. Shows my new workbench, clean back wall and our new storage shelves.

And finally a final shot of the wall. All in all this was a very successful project; onto the next project!

Like a Cheapskate in a Thrift Store

Do you think that phrase can gain momentum? Kind of like a kid in a candy store, but for frugal folks like me. On my way to work each day I pass by Valley Thrift. It took me a few months to realize the bounty of deals at this wonderful place. This isn't just any thrift store. Oh no, this place is packed. Packed with stuff, packed with people.

Fun Fact #1- How do you know when the store is open? Silly question. Is the parking lot packed? Yes. Then it's open! The parking lot is always packed if they are open.

Fun Fact #2- When you tell people you live in Fairfield, what are the most common things they idenitify as 'in Fairfield'? 1) Jungle Jim's 2) Valley Thrift 3) Bowling.

Fun Fact #3- How much did this particular purchase cost? $0.99 No lie. Actually the tag said $99 and I was astonished. Are you telling me this piece of crap cost ninety-nine dollars? No, I'm telling you it's slightly less than $1. What an amazing find! I love it. I absolutely love it. Little find, you're not a piece of crap, I love you. This is my internal monologue... moving on.

Here is my lovely little find:

What is it?

It's a director's chair. What on earth are you going to do with it? It happens to be missing parts, which is just fine by me.

Can you see it yet?

It's a luggage rack! You just figured out Blue's Clue's, you just figured out Blue's Clues!

Enough of these shennanigans. Here's the step-by-step on what I did:

1) Buy a $1 chair

2) Remove arms

3) Cover the gold hinges in painter's tape

4) Spray paint with black paint you have on hand

Here's where you come in. I'm not sure how to 'cover' the top. I have several options:

1) Fashion a replacement fabric cover much like the red one in the original photo using the same fabric that I used on the upholstered bench. This has dowels that slide into grooves on the top of the former seat.

2) Create a cover (with the same fabric as the upholstered bench) much like the red one except don't use the dowels. Instead, staple the fabric cover to the underside of the rack.

3) Don't use a fabric cover at all. Instead, buy thick, sturdy ribbon and staple multiple straps to the top of the luggage rack. This would be similar to what you would see in a hotel room, like this.

Options 1 and 2 are nice because they use existing fabric, so this project would come to a whopping total of $1. Plus, that fabric is very cute. Option 1 does scare me a wee bit because I would have to sew precisely around small dowels and hope it stays. Option 3 is nice because it does not involve sewing. I have a sewing machine (thanks Mom!), but I am a novice seamstress. What do you think? Comment with your top choice: 1, 2, 3, or something totally different!

A Magical Vacation

I apologize for the lengthy and unintended hiatus. The wonderful and problematic thing about maintaining a DIY blog is the work that goes into each post. No, I don't mean the time spent putting the post together. I mean the time spent doing the project in the post! Alas, I'm back with a lot to share.

The guest posts were intended to mask our family vacation to Disney! Tim and I have been planning and researching this trip for a year. We had 9 people on the trip: Mom, Steve, Camera, Shon, Tiffany, Jordan, Brooklynn, Tim and me. My mom and Steve have been featured in several posts, so you've 'met' them. The others made a guest appearance in my Halloween post last year. Despite the 100+ degree temperatures and 85%+ humidity, we had a great time.

With a group that large, we thought a hotel wouldn't be a viable option and we also planned to eat several meals at home to save money (boy do I love a deal!). We rented a house with a private pool and hot tub, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a large living space for everyone. We used homeaway.com to find our property, but other websites like vrbo.com are great resources as well. The pool was pretty important for us because we have a large group. I read that hotel pools can be very crowded and difficult for large families, so we opted for the private pool.



Magic Kingdom

 We allotted two days each at Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom. This was Brooklynn's favorite park. She enjoyed the 'magic' of it all including princesses, the castle, and tons of characters. You can see the lanyards in our photo below. Disney sells pins all over the parks. When you buy a pin, you can trade with any Disney staff member, so this was a pretty fun game for Brooklynn.

Brooklynn & me

Tiffany had a birthday (age 13) while we were on the trip. Not to get all sentimental on you, but I remember when she was a baby not that long ago... We visited Animal Kingdom and Logan's Steakhouse on her birthday, both her choices. We actually didn't plan to visit Animal Kingdom, but we finished Epcot in one day, so we spent our last day at Animal Kingdom instead. The Safari is definitely the highlight if you're looking to see animals. In general, it's still a theme/attraction park rather than a zoo. All of the attractions/rides are animal themed while the safari had the animal component (as well as the petting zoo which we did not visit). Tiffany liked Logan's because you could throw peanut shells on the floor.


Camera, Tiffany, & me

 I first visited Disney when I was 5 with my mom, Steve, and brother Adam. My mom and I took a photo at this exact location almost 20 years ago!

Mom & me

Jordan liked Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) the best. He enjoys the fast thrill rides like the Aerosmith Rockin' Rollercoaster. This is also my favorite ride!

The Guys: Steve, Shon, Jordan, & Tim

Tim and Steve preferred Epcot. My good friend Mansi always says about her husband, "Calvin loves learning!" I would say that statement applies here. Tim and Steve liked the opportunities to learn about different countries and cultures. Steve and I went to an attraction about Walt Disney's life, vision, etc. It was remarkable the vision this man had. Interestingly, Epcot was his vision for the future (and the only park he planned before his death), which is why it contains so many futuristic rides.

The whole gang at Hollywood Studios.

Now that I've shared my vacation/absence from blogging, let's get back to DIYing! A lot has been happening in the 6 weeks-ish since I've posted, so look forward to seeing some great posts soon including a new paint color, an organization project, and a great caulk trick. Get excited!

A European Inspired Bathroom: Guest Post

I've mentioned my mom, Cathy, on the blog several times. She's an accomplished DIYer, expert, professional- you get the point, she's good. She helped us install overhead lights, tile our backsplash, install our kitchen counter, and answer many frantic phone calls. She recently renovated the bathroom in my childhood home. Her post has several people peppered throughout (Steve, Rex, Tim, and me), but she was the only constant throughout the project, meaning she did most of it herself.


Steve is an eager demolition guy, so you can always count on him to help you rip out a bathroom. As I've mentioned before, Rex is a capable handyman with skills in a variety of areas. My mom and I have both called upon him for electrical duty. Then there's Tim and I... as you know from reading this blog we're novice DIYers, but we get an A for effort because we sure do try! That's the motto in The White House. Now for the actual post:




As some of you may know or not know, I am Chanelle's Mom, Cathy. Steve is her stepdad and we have been together for over a lifetime now. We moved into our house in 1991 when Chanelle (aka "The General") was 3 years old. I have often over the years threatened to demolish the second bathroom.




Well, almost twenty years later... I did.


I took a week off for vacation and knew that if I didn't have a physical labor job to do I would just sit around, be lazy, and think about all the work that would be at my desk when I returned, so no time to waste.


We have well water where we live and the rust stains just seemed to appear faster than I could clean them. The bathroom was certainly outdated. Ewe!!! Steve thought there was nothing wrong with it... hum.

and did I say Ewe Gross!!! Sorry didn't take a photo before we ripped some of it out...

 

So day one of the renovation started with gutting, ripping, and tearing... with many complaints from Steve, but he also helped with the rip and tear. 

 

I never thought we were going to get the tub out, it was a one piece fiberglass mess... so I used my saw to cut the stupid thing in half and out you go!

 

Oh did I mention ewe... well water with horrible rust stains. Gross!
We ripped the entire bathroom down to the studs leaving only the ceiling drywall intact. The ceiling was in amazing shape so no need to rip it out. Steve had to return to work on Monday so he was more than happy to leave the rest to me.

Day three:  Then came the shopping.  I set out to install a jacuzzi tub and found an incredible deal at Lowe's for $399 plus delivery.  Between Lowe's and Menards I found all the material I needed at incredible prices.  With such an old house I was lucky to find a jacuzzi tub to fit the tight space I had and I thought I may have to settle for a smaller, non-jacuzzi tub. 

 

My brother stopped by to help install the tub and run the new electric line for the tub... oh I cant wait to use it... Once the tub was installed it seemed all downhill from there. All new plumbing was run and tested, cement board was installed on the walls and floors with some small exceptions, and one minor injury. A part of the cement board snapped the wrong way and I thought I might have broken my nose (not sure I didn't), but what good is it to do physical labor with no bumps to show how hard you worked? haha My brother and I built the frame for the tub and set it in place.




The idea was to renovate a small bathroom in one week; ok so it took a little longer.


Steve was asking everyday when I was getting the toilet installed. He felt like it was inconvenient to use the other bathroom I guess.


 

I finally set the toilet so Steve would stop complaining about no toilet in the bathroom yet. Please note no tile yet... I purchased a low profile one piece toilet. What a breeze to install after I fixed the rotting floor board. Oh did I mention the bathroom was ewe before....




Now back to tiling the walls...


 

Tim and Chanelle, the lucky victims, offered to come home and help and heck yeah I took them up on it.

 

Tim making a precision cut for me.

 

Chanelle hard at work on the floor tile and then the wall tile.

Once we were up half the wall I wanted to break up the floor to ceiling tile by installing a border in between.  Tim made a lot of cuts that day... poor guy must have felt abused by now.  After all of the cutting and drying overnight we began tiling again up the rest of the wall.

The toilet was removed... I thought Steve was going to faint... tile placed under it and grout was down.  

We did put up new drywall in a small area of the bathroom and I got Steve to paint... wow

Crown molding was installed, new shower head on, new door, heater, light fixtures and sink fixtures and the bathroom is finished... one small item yet to go the darn tub cap.  I will find one I like yet.

 

All this took about two weeks and $3,500. Not too shabby...


 
With that kind of price, you'd think she's a cheapskate like me! Sadly no, she does not venture into the land of coupon clipping and bargain hunting, but at least I get her Sunday coupons. The small injury that she mentioned wasn't really small at all. I don't have any pictures, but it was a nasty gash on her nose.

She's still in search of a tub cap. That's a piece of tile that's curved on the corner to lay over the side of the tub. Because this is a jacuzzi tub, the side of the tub is tiled too. She's waiting to install a piece of tub cap to wrap from the top of the tub to the side. She's still on the hunt for this elusive tub cap to match the color and style of the new tile. It's like hunting for truffles!

As you can see, she opted for a European style bathroom (no, not a bidet, but my coworker Kim says floor to ceiling tile is a common feature among European bathrooms). Perhaps their month-long adventure to Europe inspired this space... Floor to ceiling tile is great for creating a cohesive look, maintaining moisture control, and cleaning. I love the natural look of the tile, the smaller toilet and vanity, and high shower curtain. This hotel-like bathroom is gorgeous and tranquil. What a great room!

This shows that you shouldn't be afraid to tackle large DIY projects like a bathroom renovation. It certainly took skill, but novice tilers like Tim & I were able to help. Even hiring out the plumbing and electrical, but DIYing the rest is a great option for cost savings. The national average cost for an upscale bathroom remodel is roughly $26,052. Gulp. This total renovation was only $3500!? That's a cost savings of around $22K.