THAT'S NOT YELLOW!!!

Today is a short post.  Yeah, I know.  None of my posts are EVER short.  Well, mark this date on your calendar because it will be of historical significance as being the day I wrote a short piece for my blog!  Hahahaha  Now onto more important things.

Have you ever shopped from a catalog or online and found the most perfect (insert name of item here)?? For the sake of argument, let's say a comforter set like the one pictured below.

Nice shade of yellow and gorgeous brown accents.  Love it right?  So you order it.  Not wanting to waste time, you begin the room transformation before the comforter gets to you.

You've painted your walls a wonderful shade of brown that according to the picture above, will match the set perfectly.  While you wait for your comforter to arrive, you've picked up a few accessory items to really make that yellow pop.  Maybe even a brown shag area rug and some fun yellow throw pillows!!  You are ALL ready!  All you have to do is wait until the comforter set arrives and then throw it on the bed for a finished, polished and extraordinarily marvellous bedroom!

Well, not so fast.......because when you finally get the comforter set you notice the "yellow" is actually a gold and the "brown" is actually more of a burgundy mixed with brown.  Nothing about this comforter set matches anything that you either bought or painted in your room.  As a matter of fact, it kinda clashes....sigh....

The fun part begins when you have to figure out exactly how on earth the people working at the factory ever got this huge comforter, bed skirt and shams crammed into this obviously too small plastic envelope.

Then you ship it back and begin the search for the perfect yellow and brown comforter set - all over again.

My point to all of this?  Pictures whether they be in print or on the internet, almost never reflect the actual colors.  Paint chips almost never reflect the actual colors.  Paint chips come pretty darn close and sometimes pictures - but never exactly.  That's why it's always better to shop in person - but if you can't - get a sample of the fabric if possible, before you order the comforter set or curtains or throw.  It's always better to get a sample jar of the paint before you splurge for enough to paint the entire room.

There are many things that will alter the color.  The way the light reflects onto it.  The way the item reflects the light.  The amount of light in the room.  The items sitting next to it will alter the shade.  That's why I always tell folks to never ever have an all white bathroom because no matter how hard you try, there will always be varying shades of white in that room.  The toilet will never ever be exactly the shade of white that the tub is and the tub will never ever be exactly the same shade of white that the tiles are and when you mix those varying shades of white together what you get is dull, dingy and sometimes even a dirty look.

My advice is to always (in the case of paint) get a sample jar.  Go home and put some paint on all 4 sides of the room.  Use every last drop in the sample jar.  Then live with it for a few days taking note as to how it looks at different times of the day/night and with different lighting.

Do the same with fabric if possible.  Tack a sample of the fabric up in the room as close to the area in which it will be used as possible and then see what it looks like.

What to do in order to prevent all this chaos from happening?  Buy your comforter set first.  Before you even think about the paint for the walls or the accessories or the curtains.  Then take one of the shams with you when you go to pick out your paint color and accessories.  Then you will know that once you are finished, your room will be perfection.

But that's just me.

New/High End doesn't necessarily mean better or prettier

Ever decided to redo your kitchen?  Get quotes and they are outrageous? Salesman pushes you to purchase the latest fad such as granite, wood laminate floors, sea glass tiles?

I think everyone has at some point run into the above scenarios.  Here's the thing.....pricey updates aren't necessarily the best use of your time or money.

Let's assume that you live in a 1940's bungalow.  Not a Craftsman or true Tudor style bungalow - just a plain old nondescript squared bungalow.  Room sizes are good (as is the case with most bungalows). Layout works for you.  But it's kinda plain.  No real architectural details that draw your eye to them and then make you sigh with pleasure.  Nothing that really sets your house apart from all the others on your block. What to do?

Scenario number one would have you hire a contractor to knock down walls between the living room, dining room and kitchen.  Then he puts in all new windows and doors.  Next he guts your kitchen and puts in all new cabinets, granite counter tops,  runs laminate floors throughout the entire space and finishes the project off with a nice neutral paint color that runs from living room all the way into the kitchen.  Done.

The finished product looks something like the picture below. (this is an actual picture of a renovated bungalow that is currently for sale).

Nice enough. Good selection of materials.  Lighting's good....but to me it looks like a condo or apartment.  It doesn't look like a 1940's bungalow - at all.  And I hate that.  If I wanted to live in a condo or apartment, I wouldn't have bought a bungalow, now would I?

I think people get confused when they decide to renovate their houses.  I think in their minds to renovate means to rip out anything and everything that is original to the house and fill it with brand new, latest fad products.  Then when it's all over with - they wonder why they feel as if they're living in an apartment.

Nothing annoys me more than to see the outside of an old house, love it, then walk inside to a "new" house.  It's a feeling that I would imagine I'd get from being teleported.  I was in front of an old house but once I entered the door - old house gone!  I'm not saying that if the house doesn't function for you that you can't alter it until it does.  I'm just saying that if you don't like the character of your old house then maybe you need to move rather than destroy it.

I read yesterday that the average homeowner stays in their house between 5 and 7 years.  Homeowners who stay longer than 10 years normally only remodel once during that time.  Remodeling is a big expense and is hard on the nerves.  My advise to all homeowners is take your time and make certain that the end results will accomplish the following 3 goals.  (1) it will increase the value of your property (2) it will enhance the esthetics of your property by staying as true as possible to the character of the house and (3) it is something that you will love for at least 10 years.

If you fall for the salesman's sales pitch and go with the current fads rather than staying true to the character of the house you own, you might be able to sell your house quickly if you put it on the market as soon as the remodel job is done.  However, if you wait a year or more - that fad will have been replaced with another and when folks look at your house they will immediately think it's outdated and will envision thousands of dollars coming out of their pocket for a remodel.  Also, remember that most folks who even agree to view an old house when they're looking to buy are doing so because they love the character and uniqueness of the old houses.  If they wanted a new house feel, they'd probably be looking elsewhere.

Another way that the big box stores dip into your pockets is by selling you custom cabinetry.  Custom is always good but salvaged is even better when you're dealing with an older house.  Why?  Because of the dollar difference, the quality of craftsmanship and the uniqueness of the designs.

You can literally spend tens of thousands of dollars on new custom cabinetry for your kitchen and several thousands more on the counter tops.  The end result will be beautiful no doubt.  But it will scream NEW and it will immediately date the rest of your house.  When people walk in your front door, they will see character and charm of an old house and then they will walk into your kitchen and see new and shiny.  It will be as if they have walked into a different house.  It won't have the flow and consistency that it should have.  If you use salvaged cabinets and a butcher block counter top or even a marble, concrete or Quartz counter top, it will still give the impression of vast improvement, higher functionality but at the same time it will feel as if it belongs in the house.  It won't be in your face new. More subtle and charming.

Now the downside to salvaged cabinetry is as follows.  (1) it takes time and patience to look around until you find exactly what you want - that will fit into your kitchen. It may also take some research in order to find salvage stores.  I'd recommend checking on craigslist and maybe even calling some contractors and asking them where you might find some.  The local newspaper will sometimes also have ads from folks who are remodeling their kitchen and want to sell (and sometimes give away) their old cabinets.  Remember, just because someone else is throwing their cabinets out - it doesn't mean the cabinets aren't perfect for YOUR house.  It probably means the owners got suckered into buying new because they fell for the sales pitch at the big box store. (2) it takes a little time and patience to look around until you find a contractor who is experienced in installing salvaged cabinets as there will undoubtedly be some modifications needed in order to make these cabinets fit into your kitchen.  If the contractor you find is really experienced in doing this type of install, he (or she) may actually know of a source for you to get your cabinetry. (3) You can just about bet that there will be some refinishing necessary in order to get the finished look and uniformity that you want in your kitchen.

The upside?  The price and the finished product.  Once you've finished modifying the cabinets to fit into your space, you've added extra moldings and you've refinished them, they will become truly custom.  No one in the whole world will have cabinets just like yours.  Also, you can save even more money if you're willing to roll up your sleeves and refinish the cabinets yourself.

Refinishing cabinets is not a hard job at all.  It takes some patience, elbow grease and the realization that it's not a one step process. However, there are new products on the market now that will allow you to refinish without all the sanding and stripping needed before.  There are better paint products on the market now that will self level and won't show brush strokes like in the "old days".  For a normal sized bungalow kitchen I would think 2 weekends would be all the time you'd need to completely refinish all the cabinetry needed for your space.  If you doubt the amount of money you'd save doing this, simply go to the big box store and price cabinets, then go to a salvage store and price their cabinetry.  It's usually a huge price difference.

The finished product will be something that blends into your old house yet functions in a vastly more modern way.  It will also be timeless because you didn't fall prey to the newest fads.  In 20 years, your kitchen will still be appealing and functional.

Below are a few examples of what salvaged cabinetry can become with just a bit of elbow grease.

Hutch before:

Hutch after:

Southwall view of kitchen with cabinets partially completed.  I include this picture because I want you to see how these really don't "match".  However, once they are all painted, the hardware is all the same and a little molding is added to tie them all together, you'll never know that these aren't high end custom cabinets.  You just can't get more custom than this.

So what does a well done salvaged bungalow kitchen look like?  Below are some shots of remodels that utilized salvaged cabinets.  They were all updated with a fresh finish, great hardware, molding and accent pieces (such as the chunky legs added in the cottage remodel).  The end results are very functional, stays true to the period of the bungalow and looks uniquely amazing.  There aren't two of these kitchens anywhere in the world.  If you replicate this effect, when you put your house on the market it will stand out from all the others in the similar price point and area because you can pretty safely bet that the other folks will have fallen for the big box sales pitch and their kitchens will be filled with the latest trends.

Look at this cottage remodel.  Love it!  Lots of storage, soft color palette.  While they added modern conveniences such as pot lights, stone counter tops and floors, they stayed in line with the style and age of their house by using the farm house sink, color palette and added chunky furniture legs to the cabinets effectively mimicking the look and feel of furniture.  Remember, back in the day, kitchens didn't come with tons of cabinets.  Usually they came with a shelf below the sink and maybe 2 upper cabinets.  Folks brought in actual furniture pieces to add storage and prep space to their kitchens.  What my grandma used to call "pie cabinets", "dry goods cabinets" and oftentimes even dressers served as prep space and storage for the kitchen.

I'm not big on all white rooms be it the kitchen, bath or any other room.  Too institutional for my tastes. However, this kitchen is pretty awesome.  Farmhouse sink, marble tops, glassed cabinets, subway tiles that go all the way up the wall and meet the ceiling.  The lighting choices are great too.  Not a lot to complain about with this kitchen.

Below is a Craftsman Kitchen using salvaged cabinets.  Lots of wood in this room. Personally I would have preferred that they not use wood on the floors as it really is a bit of wood overkill to me.  Had they gone with a cork or stone floor, this kitchen would be incredible.  It would have toned down the wood and made the cabinetry pop (as it should).  As it is, it's highly functional, extremely attractive and again, stays true to the house.

Like I said earlier, it's not hard to refinish cabinetry.  It doesn't take a lot of skill - just a lot of elbow grease and patience.  A few tips on this process in case you think you want to try it.

1.  Always remove the doors and drawers.  Take them outside under a carport or porch if at all possible.  The reasoning for this is too much sunlight will speed up the drying process which will make it extremely difficult to work with the paint or varnish.  By speeding up the drying process it will also prevent you from going back over your work and smoothing out any visible brush strokes.  This means you'll have to wait until the paint or varnish has completely dried.  Then  you'll have to perform the extra step of sanding the brush strokes out and redoing the piece.  Another reason for taking them outside is that there will be lots of dust.  If you sand your cabinets inside with either the heating or air system on - the dust can and will get sucked into your unit and can (I've had it happen) clog it up to the point that it will no longer work.  AC repairman bill in the making.  Sanding them inside will also make for a nightmare of a clean up because that dust will blow everywhere. The final reason for taking them down is the simple fact that it is much easier on the body and finished product if you refinish the doors/drawers when they are flat.  The paint or varnish won't drip or run and you won't have to stand on a ladder for the entire day.  Ugh.

2. LABEL THE DOORS AND DRAWERS!  If you don't, when it comes time to put them back up - good luck remembering what door/drawer goes where.  Sometimes it appears they are pretty much all the same size - but they're not.  I like to draw a diagram of my cabinetry and beginning at the left, I number each door and drawer with a pencil on the lower right hand side of the piece.  Then I replace the door or drawer before I do the inside.  Otherwise you're going to paint right over your number.

3. Always refinish the inside as well as the exterior.  Nothing spells out a DIY job like opening a beautifully refinished cabinet door or drawer to see an old and unfinished interior.  My favorite thing to do is to paint the interior an unexpected color that is different than the exterior color of the cabinetry.   Another idea is to wallpaper the interior completely.  Using a geometric pattern on the interiors of the cabinets and drawers adds a fun surprise for those who open them up.

4. Don't forget your hinges.  Too many people paint over the hinges which is another scream for DIY.  While you're removing the doors, simply remove the hinges too.  Drop them into a bucket of stripper and let them soak while you redo the doors and drawers.  Once the years of grease, grime, paint and varnish has fallen away, simply take them out (being careful to wear good quality rubber gloves), rinse them off thoroughly and then using a steel wool pad, give them a really good going over to get any remaining gunk off them.  Of course, if they aren't going to match or even blend in well with your choice for new pulls for your cabinets - just drop them into an old coffee can and put them on a shelf for the future.  Then just replace them with new ones that will match or blend in with your new pulls.

5. While you have the doors off the cabinet boxes, take your upper doors (or just a couple of them) to a glass shop and have the wood inside the frame replaced with glass for the upper cabinets.  Nothing opens up a kitchen like glass.  If you're worried about not having nice enough dishes to show off, then go with a frosted glass or buy an etching kit and stencil at your local crafts store and make your own design.  You'd be surprised how cheaply you can replace the wooden inserts with glass.  If you ask nicely and the guy at the glass shop isn't really busy, they'll even put the glass into your doors for you.

6.  Do not (I repeat) do not scrimp on your prep work.  I hate prep work as much if not more than any other human on this planet.  However, I have cut some corners and shaved off a few steps in the past and had to start all over because the finished product look like hell.  So tape off anything you don't want to get paint on.  Use a drop cloth liberally to prevent a clean up nightmare in your future.  Tape newspaper over your windows and over your backsplash and/or counter tops if they've already been installed.  It takes about 10 minutes to rip all this out and toss it in the trash but it can literally take a day or longer to clean up spills or splashes if you don't do this.  While you're covering areas you don't want painted - don't forget your floor!  I wish I had a dollar for everytime I neglected to cover the floor and then inadvertently got paint on the bottom of my shoe and then proceeded to track it all over the floor.

7. My last tip on this subject?  Don't scrimp on quality materials! As the old saying goes "you get what you pay for".  I redid a house a few years back when I was just getting started in my design business and was green behind the ears.  Also, I was still struggling in my business and had no budget to hire professional painters.  It was a rental house and the landlord (my client) had evicted the tenants.  My job was to go in there and get that house ready to rent for a premium rental price.  Other than the pure filth, the tenants had also chosen to paint the large entry room a Pepto Bismal pink and the den a deep hunter green.  So off to the big box store I go.  I opted to get the cheapest primer I could find.  It took 4 gallons of the cheap stuff just to get the entryway to the point that no pink was showing through.  Sigh.  So when I moved onto the much large hunter green den, I chose to use a more premium primer.  The den was about 10 times the size of the entryway.  It only took 3 gallons of the "good stuff" and I was ready for the actual paint.

Another reason to use the "good stuff".  When you are painting or staining one thing of great importance is the durability not only of the actual paint job but of the color or shade of varnish.  The cheap stuff will look really nice when you finish it but the color/shade fades rather quickly and when bumped or rubbed - it will come off or cause those awful black streaks.  The good stuff tends to maintain its color/shade for a long time and is far more durable and resistant to bumps, scratches, stains and cleaning.  So while you could conceivably paint an entire room with the cheap stuff for under $30, you would probably have to do it again inside of a year.  With the good stuff, you could paint an entire room for around $60 but it's going to last you 3 years or longer.

I think you can tell from this post that I am all about saving some cash while creating a unique and stylish kitchen that will still be unique and stylish for years and years to come.  I think you have also noticed from this post that I like to maintain as much of the original charm and character of old houses as humanly possible.  I hope you've been given some good points, ideas and tips so you too can create the kitchen of your dreams!!

You like purple? Well...good for you!

I guess it just can't be said enough times.  If you're going to put  your house on the market.......fix and clean it up!!  And yes, that means painting.

I realize that the market is slow to recover so houses are still not selling as quickly as they once did.  Certainly they're still not selling for the over inflated prices they once did.  However, if you want your house to sell at all, you are going to have to paint, clean and declutter.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  Why would anyone buy your house when they can go around the block and buy a similarly designed house for just a few thousand more that is turn key??  The answer is - they won't.

Little girls love purple and pink.  Grown girls love red.  Lots of men (and women) love hunter green.  Prospective buyers don't love any of them.  When a homebuyer looks at your house, they are not only mentally measuring the size of the rooms and closets, they are also mentally drafting a list of items that must be done before they can move one piece of their furniture into the house.  It's not so bad when they see white walls or beige walls because those are easy to paint over.  But when they see red, purple, pink and hunter green??  They are thinking of how many gallons of primer it will take before they can even begin to paint.  Any color with a red base or a green base is incredibly time consuming to cover.

Below are a few examples of a house for sale that will stay for sale for a long time.

The dreaded purple.......

Not to be outdone by the purple, this house also has an entirely red room....

And here's the kitchen.  Outdated appliances, laminate counter tops, wall paper instead of back splash, hanging fluorescent lighting, inadequate counter space which they emphasis by keeping it cluttered, old kitchen cabinets that are not only old, but blandly painted with old hardware AND a very liberal amount of pure grime thrown in for good measure.  See the doors above the stove?  Ewwww.

The house pictured above looks nice from the curb.  It's in a decent neighborhood and is actually listed at a decent price - if it were clean, decluttered and painted.

Remember folks - before you ever list your house do these three things:  Clean, Declutter, Paint.  You won't regret it and you will sell your house in record time for the highest price the market will bear.

Promise.

Decorating Ideas utilizing Cans & Bottles!

Even if you rent, you can personalize your space.  Warning:  Always check with your landlord before removing or adding any fixture.  Once you've gotten the okay from your landlord, you are ready to make these amazing fixtures.  Most landlords don't mind as along as you put the original fixture right back where you found it before you move....some landlords might like the new one so much, they won't mind if you leave it....who knows?

But what do you do if your landlord doesn't want you to alter his property at all or if you don't want to leave them when you move?  You can still make these amazing fixtures.

Instead of wiring them for electricity, you can use candles.  Another way to make them more portable would be to hang them from your ceiling with plant hooks and add an actual plug in type cord to the fixture so you can hang your fixture and then plug it in rather than hardwire it.

Here are some great ideas for empty coffee cans, mason jars (or any pretty jars with a screw top) and empty paint cans!

This is actually SO easy!  Go to Michael's (or your favorite hobby store) buy 4 lamp kits, drill holes in the lids and board, thread the lamp cords through the board, connect the wires and voila!!  Instant mason jar lamp. However, it's the whole connect the wires thing that stumps me every time....so I took mine to a local lighting company and they did that for me.  Still cheaper than purchasing them already made AND I had an extra bonus in that I was able to pick and choose the materials.  Win-win. BTW they are using rods normally intended to drop a ceiling fan.

Yet another use for those pallets I mentioned in an earlier post!  This one I know I can do because there's no electrical involved!

What a great light!  I may just have to make a visit to my friendly electrician when I get this assembled!  Notice the first one is made utilizing a wire basket!

This would look awesome over my sink!

Nothing beats the playful light of a punched tin shade!

These paint can lights are great for an industrial look!

These crafty ideas are super easy.  Pick your materials, put them together and then (in the case of people like me, who are electrically challenged) head down to your local lighting or electrical company and get them to wire it up for you!  Done!

Enjoy your space!

HGTV & DIY Shows

BUYING AND SELLING

I love Drew and Jonathan Scott.  I watch their show "Property Brothers" faithfully!  Never miss it!  However, their new show "Buying and Selling" sucks in my personal opinion!

In case you haven't watched it yet, let me give you the "plot".  Couple wants to buy their dream home but can't seem to sell their current home.  Enter Drew and Jonathan.  Drew is a real estate agent and Jonathan is a contractor.

They convince the couple that they will never be able to sell their current home for enough money to allow them to purchase their dream home - UNLESS they renovate their current home.

One couple was asked to invest $15,000 in reno costs and at the end of the day (and 5 weeks later) they sold their house for only $20,000 more.  So this couple only gained an extra $5,000 to add to the cost of buying their dream home.

Now I'm not real estate expert, but it would appear to me that they would have been in a far better place had they just added the $15,000 to their down payment on their dream home.

To be fair, maybe had they not done the reno work, they never would have sold their current home for any price?  But we'll never know because they did the reno work.

2017 Update:

Still don't like this show....sorry guys.

PROPERTY BROTHERS

As I said above, I always watch this show....always.  I love the concept of buying a house for the bones and then putting the bulk of your money into customizing the house to suit YOUR taste - not the previous owners taste - or lack thereof.

While Jonathan's design taste differs from mine - a lot - the before and after results are amazing!  My problem with Jonathan's design choices are always the same.  He goes into old houses and knocks the character right out!

I try to be fair (there's that word again) so I will say that I understand the current fad is the dreaded open concept so he's giving them what they want.  However, I would think that Drew, being a real estate professional, would try to rein it in a little bit because this whole open concept fad will eventually go away and when these folks get ready to sell their reno'ed houses, they're going to have to put up some walls.

The only part about this show that annoys me (besides the open concept craze) is the part where they insinuate to the couple and the audience that Jonathan can turn an entire house into their dream home on their budget.  In actuality, the couples only get either a main floor or the bedroom suite for their money.  I've never seen them do an entire house and only very rarely do I see them doing a kitchen, bath, bedroom and living room.  That's a very rare thing.  You get living room, dining room and kitchen OR you get master bedroom, closet and master bath.  Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that once Drew and Jonathan are gone - the homeowners will still have to come up with enough cash to finish the rest of the house.

But considering everything - I still love this show.

LOVE IT OR LIST IT

Where do I begin with this show?  I love it AND I hate it.  I love it because David (the real estate agent) is hilarious.  I also love trying to guess which way the home owners are going to go.  I even love the end when I get to see what Hilary (the designer) has done to their home in an attempt to make them stay.

But the thing I hate the most about this show is the apparent bad choices made by Hilary.  I realize this is a TV show and sometimes, well most of the time, every decision made by the cast is made for shock or entertainment value - not for reasons of logic.  However, it never ceases to amaze and frustrate me when the homeowners give Hilary their list of must haves in order to keep them in their current home and Hilary immediately ignores their wishes and goes her own direction with their money.

Example.  Homeowners give Hilary a huge must have list and a very small budget.  At the top of that list is a new kitchen and somewhere near the bottom is to have a family room (or extra bedroom) in the currently unfinished basement.

The show is filmed mostly in Canada and I'm not at all familiar with real estate values up there so I can't say with any certainty that there's more resale value in a house with a new kitchen versus a house with a finished basement.  However, where I'm from, a new kitchen trumps a finished basement all day long.

The other thing that never ceases to annoy me about her ignoring the kitchen in favor of the basement is the surprise factor.  I'm no construction expert but even I know that anytime you head to the basement of an old house and start pulling out walls and digging up the floors - you're going to find expensive problems that have to be addressed before you can go any further.  That means your initial budget has been reduced by half - at least.

The final thing that drives me insane about this show is the fact that she tells the homeowners "I can't do your kitchen because the basement costs so much" then at the reveal you discover that she spent $5,000 on custom window coverings and $3,000 on lighting fixtures. All the other furniture and decorative accessories were similarly over priced.  I really think that when she noticed her money was getting tight, maybe she should have scaled down on her shopping and put that money into at least refacing the kitchen cabinets.

During the show you almost always see the contractors making a mistake and then charging the homeowners to fix their mistake.  Example.  On one episode, the contractors put in new stairs to the basement.  The inspector came back and said they were a quarter inch off so they had to rip them out and do them again.  They charged the entire cost to the homeowner.  Sorry but if YOU make the mistake then YOU pay for it.

Or what about the time they were going to put in a skylight or something and when the contractor got up on the roof, he noticed the roof needed to be replaced.  Did they just get off the roof, tell the homeowner and then let the homeowner decide what to do?  No.  They replaced the roof which came out of the homeowners budget.  They weren't there to do exterior or roof repair - they were there to work on the inside of the house.

Hmm.  In reading this section of my post over, it makes me wonder why I watch this show.

BRONSON PINCHOT PROJECT

This show ROCKS!  Every time I watch it I learn something new.  Everytime! Shows like this one reminds me why I watch home improvement channels to begin with!  The plethora of information that Bronson Pinchot imparts is so varied and plentiful that you really almost have to watch each episode at least twice to catch all of it.  He doesn't just tell you about what he's going to do to the attic space - he tells you why it's called an attic.

His style is not at all the same as mine.  Most of his work is - but he deviates from my taste most of the time and a lot.  I personally like paint.  He, too likes paint, but only after it's aged for about 200 years.

Great show in every way! Educational, instructional, entertaining......love it!!

2017 Update:  Unfortunately this show is no longer airing.  This makes me sad because I adored it and loved the information that I received every single episode.

REHAB ADDICT

What can I say about this show?  Nothing bad, that's for sure.  Nicole Curtis is a beautiful woman who rolls up her sleeves and gets down and dirty with her rehabs!

There have been other woman led DIY shows in the past.  Tons and tons of them.  However, Nicole Curtis isn't just a woman led DIY show.  She is a force to be reckoned with.  Most of the other woman led shows only depict the woman as a "part" of the process whereas Rehab Addict depicts the woman as nearly the entire process.

The show doesn't just show her made up and pretty it shows her sans make up, dirty, disheveled, hot and tired.  It doesn't show her fluffing pillows and talking wall color, it shows her knocking out walls and sanding floors.

During the whole process, she talks about the mistakes she's made when doing houses and how she's learned from it - so we can learn from it. She shows us how she "shops the curbs" to get items to reuse.  She walks us through her design and rehabs and tells us not only what decisions she's making but why.

If I were going to have hero worship, it would be aimed directly at Nicole Curtis.

Again, I say, I love this show!!

2017 Update:  Where to start?  Somewhere between season 6 and season 8, Nicole Curtis lost her damned mind.  Maybe she is still the same old gal but was able to camouflage it better?  Who knows?  What I do know is that when she kept her personal life separate from her show, I loved it.  I learned something new every episode and I loved watching it.  I never missed an episode.  Then came season 6.

Season 6 was the beginning of the end for me.  That was the season when Nicole began inviting us into her personal life more than ever before.  She renovated a house for her son in that season.  Then we saw her work with Lebron James to redo a house for an impoverished family. We were shown how she uses volunteers to do a lot of the grunt work on her houses.   There were hints that this was the norm for her in past episodes but it appeared at the time, to be an exception rather than the rule until this season.  This habit of hers particularly annoyed me since she sells the houses for a profit once she's done with them.  So she gets folks to pitch in, do most of the grunt work like painting, cleaning, raking, planting flowers/shrubs and even to the point that she sells tickets to view her houses and then she turns around, sells them and makes a profit??  WTH?  Am I the only person who sees this as a rip-off?

Then she gets all involved in the life of Tessa.  I get that she was touched and wanted to help but she gets on these sanctimonious tirades about the whole thing that borders bragging.  She talks ad nauseam about how she is going to fight for Tessa and help find a cure....huh?....did she go to medical school?  Does she really think she is so powerful that she can prevent that child from dying of her disease?  Unfortunately, Tessa did pass away and I am saddened about that.  But the mighty Nicole Curtis made a few bucks in the process which saddens me as well.

Season 7 finds Nicole purchasing her grandparent's old place and fixing it up.  I watched the first episode and skipped this season.  The episode just comes across as being so fake to me.  When Nicole begins waxing on about how family oriented she is and how important family is to her it makes me ill.

Then her personal life surfaces all over the internet.  News of her being dumped by (of all people) Dave Coulier.  News that she moved to another state in an attempt to interfere with her baby's daddy getting to spend time with his child.  News of her desperate attempts to keep that baby away from his father.

Then there's the whole breastfeeding scenario.  You want to breastfeed your child?  Fine.  Do it.  I don't want to hear about it nor do I want to see it.  That's my personal choice as much as breastfeeding your THREE-year-old is your personal choice.  I won't push my choice on you and I'd appreciate your not shoving your personal choice in my face.  Deal?  Apparently not with Nicole because it's become glaringly obvious that in her mind, HER opinion is the ONLY opinion that matters.  

Newsflash Nicole Curtis:  I don't watch your show to hear your views on personal matters, or cancer, or poverty or breastfeeding.....I watch your show....or I should say "watched" your show to learn about home renovation.

Did you know that Nicole and her parents are involved in a nasty lawsuit?  Yep.  Apparently, Nicole and her parents butted heads over the care (and estate) of her grandmother and Nicole's oldest son (Ethan) ran away from home and went to his grandparent's house which didn't sit well with Queen Curtis.   At one point during this family feud, Nicole's mother tried to get a restraining order on Nicole - that's how contentious this family feud became.  How ugly do your phone calls with your daughter have to get that you decide to head to the Court to make them stop her from calling you?  Pretty ugly I'd say.  Nicole even tried to ban her mother from coming to the hospital to see the grandmother.  WTH?   

Putting all of that aside, I have tried to watch season 8 of her show.  It is no longer filled with helpful tips.  It no longer focuses on the job of renovating houses but more on Nicole's personal opinions and on her and her new partner flirting and frolicking.  Was it really necessary to show her getting in the backseat of a work truck to pump her breast milk?  Is that a part of renovation?

HGTV if you're listening......either pull her in line or cut her loose.  I'm not watching and no one that I know who used to watch is watching either.





I kinda hate the direction that home improvement and decorating shows have headed.  For years HGTV and DIY focused on showing us how to make our homes more comfortable and attractive and more importantly, how to do that on a budget.  There were a few shows out there whose format depended on contractors, designers and such but for the most part, it really was a do it yourself atmosphere.  However, now most of them focus on how wonderful your home can be IF you hire a contractor and a designer and a big crew of other miscellaneous folks to come in and do the work.

I miss the shows below because when I watched them, I headed for the DIY store to buy some paint, or to the thrift store to find a dresser or whatever piece of furniture I saw them transform.  It was cheap.  It was fun.  It was educational and instructional.  Not so much anymore.

TRADING SPACES

I watched this show from the first episode in 2000 all the way to the end which was in 2008. 8 years!  The format of this show pitted neighbors designing a room in each other's home with no input or peeking from the homeowner and all for under $1,000 (they raised the amount a little in later years). 

Some of the "designs" were horrific but I learned more from watching this show than from any other.  I learned how to make lamps out of ordinary stuff.  I learned how to whitewash wood, how to do a crackle finish, how to make my own wallpaper, how to make curtains out of bed sheets, how to make a dining room table out of spare wood.....the list goes on and on.

Even when the designs were horrific, there was ample entertainment value to the show.  I really miss this one and wish they would rerun the episodes!!   To this day if I could hire any designer to do my home it would be either Doug Wilson or Edward Walker hands down.

DECORATING CENTS

This show hosted by Joan Steffend was truly a staple in my TV viewing for many many years.  This show started on the air in 1997, well before Trading Spaces made their premiere in 2000.  At some point, I could no longer find it on the air.  According to IMDB, it is still running somewhere.  However, it also states that Joan only hosted one episode back in 2008 and I know that to be incorrect as well.  Guess that proves that not everything you read on the web is true.

The gist of the show was for Joan and her guest designer to take one room and completely redo it for under $500.

Even back in 1997 that was a tiny budget but somehow she and her guest always made it work.  Not that many of her designs suited my personal taste but the rooms always looked far better than they did before Joan worked her magic.

I learned how to make my own book shelves from scrap wood from watching this show.  I learned how to embellish cheap curtains, how to stencil and many other inexpensive ways to update the look of a room at little to no money.  Another show I wish would go into reruns.

And my personal favorite?

CHANGING ROOMS

This show was the granddaddy of all design shows!  It began in England and aired on BBC beginning in 1996 and ran until 2004.

I began watching it on BBC America back in 1997 and watched it faithfully until the last episode aired in 2004.  Then I continued watching the reruns.

This show was, in format, exactly like the American show "Trading Spaces" where two sets of homeowners traded houses and designed a room in one another's houses.  The British version featured a cocky and oftentimes ill-tempered carpenter, Andy Kane.  On all other design shows the carpenters are always friendly, helpful and bend over backward to get the projects done exactly as requested by the designers.  Not so much with Andy Kane.  Thus my reasoning for loving him!

So now you have my list of must watch, wish I could still watch and don't bother watching do it yourself shows.

Let me know what you think!

Time to work in the yard?

I realize that the 3 people who read my blog, don't live in the deep south so this post just may be a bit premature.

However, here in Birmingham, AL it's time to start planning those outside projects!  I have a very large bricked patio out back.  I love it!  It's half covered by mature pecan trees and half completely exposed to the sun but at a northern exposure.  This means that as long as the temperature is below 100 - I have an awesome patio!

Have you priced patio furniture lately?  Pretty pricey unless you want the cheap plastic furniture - which I don't.  I like things with character.  Things with some design to them.  Things that don't cost a lot of money.

Ever see wooden pallets sitting in a pile behind a business?  I do.  Guess what you can do with them?  Make patio furniture!!  Look below:

This piece took 3 pallets (well, 2 full and a partial) and the only cost were the price of paint (it was leftover paint from other jobs) a few nails and a couple of bolts and washers which I already had in my toolbox!!

Look at these loungers!  Same process as the chair above but on these you add a couple of hinges so you can  adjust the back.  In the middle is the top of an old spindle that is sitting on top of a couple of cinder blocks.

When making furniture from pallets, the only thing you have to watch out for are cracks in the wood.  This is an easy fix.  Always gather more pallets than you think you'll need.  Then when you get a pallet that has maybe 2 boards that are cracked - rip them off and take a couple of boards from one of the spare pallets.

One more tip.  Since these are made from low grade wood and they will be outside exposed to all sorts of weather conditions, always (I can't stress this enough) always weather/water proof every inch of the wood (top, bottom, sides) to prevent wood rot, those horrible wood bumble bees, termites and the weather conditions in general from ruining your finished product.

Need a new patio table?  Do I have news for you!!  Look below:

This table is made from wooden boards, small concrete culverts and a couple of concrete pavers.  The hardest parts of this job are (1) the time it takes at the lumber store to find the type of wood you want, boards that aren't warped and of course, (2) the heavy lifting involved in bringing both the wood and the concrete culverts home!

I can't stress how easy this is and how much character it gives your back yard!

Feel free to share photo's of your work!

Paneling........ugh

I have lived places that had paneling.  A couple of those properties had the really nice real wood paneling that gave the room a distinguished and warm feel.  However, the majority of those properties had sheet paneling that has about as much real wood in it as my plastic lawn chairs.  In my neck of the woods, we call that trailer paneling.  There has never been a painting or piece of furniture ever made in the history of the world that when put up against this type of paneling will make it look better.

When dealing with a wall covering that you can't live with, the best solution (in a perfect world) would be to have it all removed and replaced with nice new sheetrock.  However, what if you don't have the budget to have that done?  My solution?  Paint it!  This post will give you instructions on how to do this and a few visuals as to what it will look like if you do.

I'm a little torn about the thick really nice pine paneling.  I get that it's real wood and my rule has always been "if it's real wood - never paint".  However, when you have an entire room with it on every wall and only one or two windows.....I have to break that rule and paint it.  Once in while I will leave maybe one wall with the paneling untouched.  Another option would be to tape it off to chair railing height.  Paint the upper portion of the walls, clean the lower portion, add a chair rail and love the results!

But this post will be about completely changing paneling so let's get going!

Most people clean, prime and paint and then call it a day with paneling.  I don't know if it's because I'm a masochist or a perfectionist but when I cover paneling - I don't ever want to be reminded that there's paneling beneath that paint!  My only exception is when the paneling is real wood and you get that 3-D effect in the grooves.  I like the look of the deep groves once painted.  But trailer paneling?  I fill in the grooves and once I'm done, you'd never know it's not sheetrock.

Here's a few before shots of the paneling in question.

There's nothing even remotely attractive about this paneling.  All it accomplishes is making the room look dated and very dark.  Who could live in these rooms and not become suicidal??

Now some folks agree that they should paint the paneling.  But some folks obviously need more practice and taste before they attempt it judging from the picture below.

Below is an example of paneling that I'd never paint!  The first picture shows a room with floor to ceiling wood and then more wood in the beams.  However, it has tons of natural light that floods the room and keeps it from looking dark and depressing.  I'd never paint the wood in this room!

The room below has such gorgeous paneling!  Anyone who would even consider painting that should be arrested!

The room below has wood on every surface.  Floor, walls, ceiling.  Yet, again, because of the high ceilings and huge volume of natural light, it looks neither dark nor cave like.

Next take a look at the real wood pine paneling I was talking about.  It's real wood.  It has a nice wide plank.  It has wonderful knots.  I really love it.  Except for the fact that it covers every wall in a small dark room.  I've noticed that to be a real trend back in the 60's and 70's.  They invariably saved their dark paneling for small dark rooms.  Not a good idea.

Now how do you paint paneling?  While it's not a hard job, there are more steps to correctly paint paneling than sheet rock.

1.  You have to clean the paneling.  Paneling will grab hold of more dust, smoke, cooking oils than sheetrock, so while it may be okay to just take a dust mop and wipe down a wall covered in sheetrock, you need to actually hand wipe a paneled wall because every place that has a film will reject or at best, severely weaken the paint coverage.  Best to do it right the first time than to have to repeat the job down the road.

2.  Once you've cleaned the paneling and it's completely dry, we move to the next step.  Lightly sand the paneling to remove any gloss and take care of any splintering in the product.  Once you're done this, wipe the wall down with a damp (not wet) cloth to remove any dust.

Warning:  Shortcuts are awesome!!  I use them whenever possible.  However, if you don't remove the gloss and prime your paneling, your paint will literally slide off......below is an example for you.

3.  While you are cleaning and sanding your walls, stay on the lookout for any portions that have bowed.  As long as the paneling is dark, these bows don't seem to show up as much but once you have lightened them up - any bows will be glaringly obvious.  Using a nail with a head (to prevent the nail from eventually slipping through the paneling), nail these areas down to reduce or eliminate the bows.

4.  Now we get to fill in the all the grooves.  This is not as much of a time consuming job as you might think at first glance. Trust me, it's all worth it in the end.  I use the same joint compound used on sheetrock because it tends to shrink less over time.  I have used spackle in the past.  It worked just fine and my finished product was beautiful.  However, in about a year's time, it had shrunk to the point that it cracked in spots.  Those cracks showed through the paint and a redo was necessary.  For most sheet paneling the grooves aren't very deep so one good application should be all that is needed.  Once you get into the swing of it, it'll go by really quickly.  Let the compound dry (or cure) completely.  I did my paneling over the weekends so in one weekend, I cleaned and filled in the grooves and didn't come back to prime it until the following weekend which gave the compound more than ample time to cure.  However, if you're trying to get it done quickly, I'd follow the directions on the compound and allow it to cure based on the manufacturer's recommendations.  Normally 4 to 6 hours will be fine.  Below is an example of the process.

5.  Now that the compound is cured, go back over your work with a 100 grit sandpaper and just lightly sand to remove any excess.  You don't have to get every single drop that has gotten onto the paneling.  Just sand enough to make it all smooth.  Then, again, wipe the walls with a damp cloth to remove any dust.  If you still notice the grooves, go back over it once more with the joint compound step.

6.  You are ready to prime!  Any DIY store or paint store can point you in the direction of the proper primer for this project if you just tell them you are priming sheet paneling.  If you hate asking or the store's too busy for you to wait on a clerk, then just look for a shellac based stain blocking primer.  Make sure you turn the can around and read the directions to make sure it's the product that is geared for sheet paneling.  With this step, you apply it the same as wall paint.  I like to do two coats letting the first one cure completely before applying the second coat.  After you have applied the first coat and it has cured, go back over your wall with your hand to look for any rough spots that might need to be spot sanded.

7.  Paint!  This is the absolute last step in the process!  I am a two coat kinda girl but if you've properly prepared and primed your wall, one coat will usually do the trick especially if you've asked the paint guy/girl to tint your primer - highly recommended.

Below are a few examples of painted paneling.  The first is a kitchen covered in fake wood. A great big shout out to Kristie Barnett (The Decorologist) for these kitchen pictures.

Look what she's done to this kitchen!!  No new custom cabinets, just new lighting, counter tops, cabinet hardware, new floor covering and (most importantly) she painted all that dark wood! Beautiful!

Below is a paneled den.  It's not sheet paneling but there's just SO much wood in this rather small room.  From the picture it appears the room gets ample natural light.  But it's just not enough to liven up this dark room.

Now look at what she's done with it!  An amazing difference!  How bright and clean does this look?

Below is a very dark living room.  Even with the huge windows, this room looks like a cave.

Look at it now!  Again, light and clean.

Below is an example of paneling without filling in the grooves.  It looks amazing!

Below is another example of not filling in the grooves.  However, this one just looks like painted sheet paneling and I am not impressed.  I'm sure it looks far better than it did before, but it would have looked so much better with the grooves filled in.  Also, if you will notice about the middle of the wall towards the top is a section of paneling that has bowed.  I can't stress enough the importance of checking your wall (before you do anything else) for bowed sections and putting a few well placed nails in order to straighten it out.

As I said earlier, the best possible solution to replacing wall coverings such as sheet paneling, is to have a professional rip it all out and replace with sheetrock.  But sometimes for various reasons, this is not an option.  Maybe you're putting your house on the market for financial reasons and the money's not there.    Maybe it's a room that isn't used much and the added cost just isn't worth it to you.  Maybe you're like the majority of folks in this country and all your paycheck is already spent on rent, groceries and utilities.  Whatever your reason, painting the paneling is both a viable and attractive alternative to replacing it.

Feel free to let me know how your paneling experience goes!  I'd love to see photo's!

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