Forget about taking it to the studs!

I think we've all seen them.  The for sale houses that were poorly maintained and very poorly decorated.

They're the houses that we initially view because of their low prices but once we're inside them, they're also the houses that we view quickly because they are so ugly and dirty.

If an investor (or potential homeowner) is willing to roll up their sleeves and get a little dirty, these houses could be sources of profit or pleasant places to live.  Let's look at some before and afters that required very little money but could potentially result in a very nice profit for the investor or make a great place for the first time homebuyer.


First, we'll take a peek at a kitchen.  Kitchens and bathrooms are the two rooms that frighten a lot of folks.  We all know how expensive custom cabinets, granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances are.  We also know that once we rip up the floor covering and tear out the cabinets, there could be (and usually are) scary surprises just waiting for us to find them.

My rule of thumb is never to rip out the old if there is anyway around it.  I have said it before and I'll say it again.  Work with what you have.  A few coats of paint and a lot of elbow grease can cure just about any ailment a house might have.

The kitchen below was not gutted to the studs and rebuilt.  The cabinets were sanded, primed and painted.  New hardware was added.  The biggest expense to this redo is the countertops.  However, with a little time and gas, you can find high end countertops for a steal.  Almost every stone/tile company out there has an area where they store counter tops that were cut for a certain job and maybe the cut was off, an edge was broken during transport/installation or the person who ordered them, didn't pay for them.  They can no longer sell the stone as new, so they stick it in a corner somewhere.  They will sell that "mistake" to you at a reduced price.  The only downside about buying this type of material, is the fact that you will have to pay for them to make cuts to the slab so it will fit into your particular kitchen. This will mean a few seams but if the installation is good, those seams can be blended in so that they are barely there.

If you can't find a large enough slab on sale, then go with large tiles.  You will have seams, but you will also have a high end countertop for the kitchen.  Most people will forgive a few seams to get granite or sandstone on their countertops.

If the existing counter top is in good shape, meaning no obvious tears, but maybe it's a laminate top in a really ugly color or perhaps it has a permanent stain that is too large to overlook, you can purchase a product that will allow you to refinish the laminate to appear to be granite or marble or even concrete.  It is a 6 step process but if you follow their instructions, anyone can use these products and you will have a finished product that will look amazing for up to 5 years.  Plenty of time for you to save up for the real thing.  There are products on the market now that will allow you to paint your cabinets AND your countertops without having to do a lot of the usual time consuming prep work of sanding and priming which makes the job so much easier and faster.  

Notice in the before and after shots below that the layout was not altered, the appliances are the same, the floor tile stayed and even the large rather ugly ceiling fixture looks better.  All they did was replace the countertops, paint the cabinets, replace the hardware and add a backsplash.  Kitchen done!  

Now let's move to the bathroom.  Personally, I hate working in a bathroom more than any other area of the house (inside or out).  They are small, dirty, smelly and surprisingly expensive.

The after shot of the bathroom below is so nice!  All they did was paint the cabinets, add hardware, change out the mirror and the light fixture.....and clean.  They left the countertops as they were which I think was a good call as they appear to be in good condition and they are a very neutral color.  The difference is night and day!

Mirrors can be really expensive.  My recommendation would be to buy molding and liquid nails.  I would simply frame out the existing mirror painting the molding to match the cabinetry and call it a day.  If the mirror in good shape, why not leave it where it is and work with it?  Another reason (other than money) that I'd leave the large mirror in place, is the fact that when you remove this large mirror, there will inevitably be wall repair necessary to get to get a smooth finish where the mirror was.  I hate doing wall repairs.  Remember...whenever possible, work with what you have.  It saves money but it also saves a huge amount of time.

I've noticed that a lot of the time, rehabbers will go into a house, do the living room, kitchen and bath but leave the bedrooms untouched.  They will also leave the ceilings untouched.  Maybe clean them up but otherwise leave them as they found them.  Personally, I think this is a huge mistake on their part.

The entire house should be uniform before you put it on the market.  In other words, do it all - or don't do any of it.

When I view a house that has been partially done, I don't think "Wow!  At least it's almost all done!"  Rather I think "Wow!  There's still a lot to be done on this house".  I don't consider myself lucky that most of the work has been done.  I don't even really remember how great the done rooms looked.  My memory focuses on the parts of the house that weren't done and will still require work and money to complete.  It really doesn't take that much time or that much money to rip out carpets and slap a coat of paint and the difference in the price is more than worth the effort.  Even if you don't replace the carpet you ripped out and all you do it remove it and sweep, it will still get rid of any odors, will give the room a clean feeling and give you a clean slate to start with. 

There are neighborhoods that require boards on the windows of a vacant house in order to keep vandals out.  There are insurance companies and mortgage companies that require you to secure the property while it's vacant.  I get that.  But if there is anyway to leave the windows unobstructed - that's the way you should go.  If you cannot - make it a point to tell every person that views the property that you are required to board the windows.  Once you've made the room pretty and clean, they won't mind as much.

Look at the difference!  

Another thing that can kill your profit are bars on the windows.  You can reassure a potential buyer that your mortgage company or insurance company has required you to board the windows while the property is vacant, but there is no mortgage company or insurance company in the country that requires you to put security bars on the windows.  So what this tells the viewer is that the last people who lived here were so afraid of the area that they invested in bars for their windows......not a good thing.  Also when dealing with barred windows, it should be noted that many fire codes throughout the country have  banned the old bars that cannot be unlocked and opened from the inside incase of fire.  If a house already has them, they will grandfather those in but once the house is sold...those bars have to come off.  The reason for this move was the huge numbers of people who died in house fires simply because they couldn't exit through the barred windows.

If you want, you can store the bars in the garage or basement or even the laundry room.  Once the property is sold, if the owners feel a need, they can reinstall them but in the meantime the room looks light, bright and less like a prison cell.

Here is our last bedroom before and after shot.  This room is small.  It is also very very blue.  This is just ugly and if I were viewing it, I would immediately begin counting how many coats of primer it is going to take (and how much that is going to cost) to cover this vibrant blue.

Now we see it with a neutral color, new ceiling fan and new carpet.  While it's still a small bedroom, it's now a light, clean and bright bedroom in a neutral tone.  Nice.

Everyone knows how important curb appeal is to a property.  I consider the living room to be the curb appeal of the interior.  If the exterior of the house is unappealing, no one wants to go inside.  Likewise, if the first room you enter is unappealing, no one wants to see the rest of the house. 

For every person in this world who loves red walls, there is another person who hates red walls.  Maybe this wall color choice looked great when the previous owners had all their furnishings and decor in this room.  But their stuff is now gone so what you are left with are blood red walls and the look just doesn't add value - at all.

Any color saturated paint will, over time, dull and become dingy.  It also accentuates any imperfection in the walls making them glaringly obvious.  

Personally, I love color and loathe white or beige walls and/or ceilings.  But I'm not going to live in that house - someone else will.  That is the single most common mistake investors make when they redo a property.  They design and color it according to their taste and wants forgetting that they aren't the ones who will ultimately live in the space.  Neutral yet interesting is the always the way to go.  

Let's see what this particular investor did to liven up this space.

Taking their cue from the stone around the fireplace, they went with brown tones which I think was a great idea.    Before, the red on the walls made the stone appear dirty.  Adding a brown toned neutral to the walls and then a richer brown to the fireplace, made the tiles appear to be there on purpose - not as an afterthought.  I applaud them getting rid of the carpeting because to me it looked as if it was dirty and smelly.  They chose a laminate tile which looks clean.  I think this area looks twice the size it did when it had the dirty carpeting and the red walls.

What about the living room in the picture below would ever make you want to move your couch in there and stay?

Now look at it below!  It looks larger and so clean.  I love it!

You will notice the dining room off the living room in both the above pictures.  Let's get a closer look at that to see how they've transformed that room.

Someone put in a lot of time and effort in stenciling that wall.  I'm sure it looked nice when the previous owners lived here.  However, since the room is now empty, the floor tiles look dirty and the nice french doors are boarded up.....it's not a good look.

Much nicer!!  Personally, I would have cleaned up the tiles and not laid carpet in this room but that's my personal preference.  I abhor carpeting in the dining room, kitchen or bathrooms. Absolutely abhor it.  However, the room looks really nice and inviting now.

I love all the DIY shows on TV.  I spend the majority of my TV watching on these shows.  But they can be extremely deceiving.  They always show folks ripping everything to the studs and tossing out everything that was in the house and just starting with a clean slate.  They give the impression that's the only way to properly rehab a house.

I think that is beyond misleading.  If your kitchen or bathroom cabinets are in good shape, prime and paint them (including the interior) and add new hardware.  You have just saved yourself thousands of dollars right there while achieving the same look.  Don't have money in the budget to fix and/or refinish the hardwoods?  Carpet is a great way to go.  There are still a ton of folks out there who actually like carpet - or at least don't hate it.  There are always remnant sales at every carpet store.  If you dig, you can most assuredly find a remnant that will entirely cover a small bedroom for a fraction of the original price.

Again, work with what you have.  You will never ever take a $20,000 house and make it look like a $200,000 house.  Never.  But, you can make a $20,000 house look like a $60,000 with just a lot of elbow grease, paint, light fixtures, hardware and carpet.  You really can.

  

Growing Veggies in rentals

Renting has its own set of restrictions.  There are the obvious restrictions such as the fact that you can't just knock out a wall because you suddenly decide you want an open concept living space.  But there are also some subtle restrictions that you don't think about until after you move into a rental.  

Vegetable gardening is sometimes one of those "hidden" restrictions.  Not because your landlord is against your having a garden, but usually because you don't really have the space for one.  

For people who are elderly or disabled, having a vegetable garden can seem like a pipe dream because of all the stooping and bending required with traditional gardens.  Then there's the tilling involved, the digging, getting rocks out of the garden spot, bad soil....the list is pretty endless.  

So imagine my joy when I ran across the following website!  http://strawbalegardens.com/  I have never known anyone who has actually tried this type of gardening, but nonetheless, I immediately ordered this book!  It has been awesome!

If you are like me and live in an urban setting, where to get the bales might seem a bit daunting to you.  Not to worry!  Get out the old phone book, find a nursery and they can get you all the bales you could ever want.  Some of them even deliver.  If you have to go get them yourself, it's not as bad as it may seem.  The bales are about 2x4 feet and they are held together by cords so all you have to do is grab the cord and throw it in the back of your pickup or trunk of your car.

These bales can be slapped right on top of concrete, put into a container of your choice or you can just lay them flat onto the ground.  They are amazingly forgiving of their platform.  If your landlord is afraid the bales will kill any grass beneath them (they will) then reassure him/her that once the bales compost, the grass will be even more beautiful than before....or....agree to put them on the driveway, patio, against the house or fence...you can even put them into existing flower beds already on the property.

This is a super easy and very low maintenance way to grow both vegetables and flowers.  For years I did the old fashioned "in the ground" version and bale gardening has it beat all over the place.

One upside to bale gardening (aside from the fact that it's raised) is the fact that I don't have to till the soil.  I also don't have to weed.  I also don't get as many pests that want to eat and/or ruin my vegetables and my dogs don't want to dig in my raised veggie garden.  

You can be as simple or as detailed as you want in the planning of your bale garden.  Below are a few photo's that can give you ideas as to the layout.

A single bale sat inside a container.   

A larger version - more bales in a larger container.

Look at this idea!  A tomato archway!

How's this one for creative and charming?

Placing the bales up against your house (or a fence) will not only prevent you from having to weed those areas but will also keep the bales from killing the lawn if your landlord is concerned about that.

You can make your bale garden as large or as small as you want.

You don't have to just grow veggies...you can stick flowers in there too. 

With this type of gardening there is no tilling involved.  No digging with a shovel.  No worries about digging into an underground utility like your gas or water lines.  No worries that maybe your soil isn't as healthy as you would like so that means no testing of the soil, no improving the soil.  No weeding involved.  None of the usual headaches associated with gardening from the ground.

What do you need to get started?  You need bales of straw - not hay - straw.  You will need potting soil (1 large bag per bale) and you will need vegetable garden fertilizer.  If you are going to plant climbing vegetables, down the road, you will need to fashion a trellis so they will have something to climb on.  

You can get fancy with this or you can stay rustic and simple.  It's all up to you.  

First you condition your bales so they begin to "cook".  This process takes about 2 weeks from start to finish.  Once your bales are conditioned, all you have to do is add your vegetable or flower plants or seeds and then keeping it watered, watch it grow.

For more details in the process of conditioning your bales, please visit the following website http://strawbalegardens.com/  

I can promise you will love this method!!....and so will your landlord.

As always, enjoy your space!

You've Rented a Space.....now what?

You've done your research on neighborhoods.  You've asked around about the reputations of various Property Management Companies.  You've checked out a ton of rentals.  You've jumped through all the hoops necessary to rent that perfect space.  You've packed, had the utilities transferred, hired the movers and finally....finally....you're in your new space......what now?  

Your stuff looked okay in your old space.  But it looks worn, dated and downright junkie in your new space.  Should you throw it all out and start from scratch?  It's frustrating to realize that you actually paid hard earned money to get someone to move all this crap to your new rental.

Don't despair!  Even junkie stuff can be freshened up.  Once you do that and add a few inexpensive accessories.....you will feel as if you've gone out and bought all new stuff!

The single most expensive pieces in your house (aside from appliances - BTW you can buy paint for the appliances too) are (1) your couch and (2) your bed.  Let's start with the couch and we'll do the bed next month.

If your couch is soiled from too many years of dogs sleeping on it or too many years of kids eating pizza on it, but the bones of the couch are good (meaning the frame isn't broken) a good slipcover will be all you'll need to completely transform your couch.  

Before you do anything to your couch, let's assess the condition.  If your frame is in good shape, we can work around everything else.  If your cushions are saggy and maybe ripped, that's not a huge deal.  Depending on how bad they are, you can either buy some pillow stuffing, stuff the cushions or you can buy the hard foam used to make the cushions, take out the old foam and replace it with new foam.  If the cushions are okay but maybe the bottom of your couch is saggy.  Again, depending on how bad it is, you can either grab a few thick cardboard boxes out of the dumpster, flatten them out, cut (or fold) them to fit the seat area beneath your cushions and that will add tons of support to your couch OR you can cut plywood to fit which will be a more permanent fix because after a year or so the cardboard will have to be replaced.  You can always purchase ready made supports for your couch, but those tend to be a bit more pricey than free cardboard boxes.

What if during moves, the legs broke or you took them off to fit the couch through the door and lost one?  Not to worry.  You can actually buy replacement legs at most big box stores.  They all screw in so screw the new ones in and done deal!  If you don't want to do that....put bricks under there.  One for each corner and one in the middle front and one in the middle back.  Once you put your slipcover on the couch, no one will ever know they're there. 

Now back to slipcovers.....

Slipcovers are awesome!  I hate putting them on and I hate having to re-tuck them every morning but I hate looking at a couch that looks as if I found it in an abandoned house even more.    Look for sales.  I got mine on sale from www.Surefit.com.  Originally it was $179 and I got it for $98.  It's machine washable and I can put it in the dryer.  It washes like a dream. $98 for a slipcover is way cheaper than the $800 I originally paid for my couch.  I feel like I came out a winner.  Ever change the paint color in your living room or den only to discover it either doesn't go with the fabric on your furniture or it makes your furniture look old?  Using slipcovers solves that problem.  They come in all colors and all designs so finding one that compliments your wall color is a breeze.

But what if you don't want to purchase a slipcover?  Painter's cloth makes a great alternative. You can use sheets but if you use them you want to use really thick sheets.  You don't want to use an old sheet that has worn thin over the years or one that has a mysterious stain on it.  Thin sheets will show the couch beneath it and it'll just look like you had an old couch and threw a sheet on it.  Not good.  Painter's cloths are usually made of a linen type material and while they are washable...they will wrinkle...a lot....once you wash them.  So ironing them will be a must. Another must if you go this route will be to make sure you run a seam all the way around or else when you wash it, the edges will unravel and  you will have a mess on your hands.  Not much on sewing?  The take the edges and fold them over about 1/8 of an inch each time until you've rolled it 3 or 4 times.  Then using a regular stapler, staple the edges all the way around.  This will keep the edges from unraveling.  If once finished, you can see the staples, get a nice ribbon or complimentary piece of cord and hot glue it to the edges that show.

There are different types of slipcovers on the market.  Let's look at a few.

First we have the easiest to "install".  The completely loose slipcover.  While these are super easy to put on your couch - basically just take out of the box and slap it on the couch - they also are the easiest to become disheveled looking so you have to constantly smooth them out. Because there is very little sewing done on these at the manufacturer and because they have no zippers, button or ties, they are also usually much cheaper than the other styles of slipcovers. They come in a plethora of colors and fabrics so you can easily have one for cold weather and one for hot weather without breaking the bank.

The one below is loose but it has a simple tie around the arms that helps to keep it in place and give it a more finished look.

The next slipcover is a little bit more fitted meaning that it has elastic at the base of the back where it meets the cushions.  This adds more support to the cover keeping it neat and tight better than the loose slipcovers.  Gives it a more tailored look.

Now we have the tight slipcovers.  Usually they're made of a spandex type material that is stretchy.  Personally, while I love the look of them, I loathe putting them on.  For me, this is a two or possibly 3 person chore.  As such, I tend to stay away from this type.  I am not talented enough to deal with these.  But they look great!

Let's look at a before and after.  What a transformation!

I have a couple of antique occasional chairs that I adore!  Originally they were covered in a thick tapestry material but over the years (and through multiple cats) that tapestry began to unravel and thin out.  Paying $600 a chair to have them professionally recovered with another tapestry material just wasn't in my budget.  So linen it was!   While I am not talented enough to cover a couch, I can cover a chair just fine.  

  
Another inexpensive material is burlap.  Since most burlap comes in widths of 60 inches, using it to cover something as large as a couch would take some sewing...but using it on a chair works great.  

I cut 4 pieces of the burlap, tuck and staple it and voila  I have a custom slipcovered chair in under an hour.  

Step 1: You need a piece for each of the arms, a piece for the back of the chair and piece for the seat.  No need to be exact, you will want extra fabric for the tucking and stapling so too much is always better than not enough.

Step 2:   Begin with the arms.  Lay the fabric over the arms so that you have more than enough fabric to tuck into the seat by the arms and to reach the underside of the chair on the outside. Also make sure you have enough width to cover the entire arm area.  If you need two pieces to get the width covered, that's fine.  Simply turn the edges so that the edge of the material isn't showing.  

Step 3:  Once you've tucked it securely, pull the material until it's taut and holding it tightly with one hand, staple the fabric to the underside of the chair frame with your other hand.  Once you've finished stapling, simply trim off any excess fabric.

Step 4:  Do the same thing on the other arm, then the back of the chair and lastly the seat of the chair.  Done!

Tips:  Depending on how your chair is designed, you may find yourself with a pucker on the back of your chair or maybe it balloons a bit and doesn't fit snugly on the backside.  Not to panic,  before you staple, simply fold the fabric on the backside so you get a pleat, then staple. I actually love the pleat as if gives it that tailored look that I love.  Also, always staple into the frame of the chair.  Otherwise the first time someone sits in it, the staples will jerk loose and your work is ruined.  Not to worry about stapling to the frame.  A simple staple puller will take the staples out whenever you want.

If you have a dining chair that only needs the cushion recovered, that is the easiest thing in the world to do.  Pop off the seat (they are usually just nailed or screwed in place - sometimes they are just sitting in place).  Cover the cushion tightly with your chosen fabric and staple it in place. Flip it over and set it back in place.  Done!  With seldom used chairs, you can go with a lighter thinner fabric just fine without worries.  Get tired of it?  Rip it off and do it again.

Once you have your furniture looking spiffy and new....time to address your accessories.  Once your couch and chairs look new you will be surprised how old your coffee table and side tables will look.

Again, not to worry.  Head down to the hardware store, get some primer, paint and sandpaper and get to work on those!

You don't need to sand the tables down to the grain.  All you want to do is sand them enough that all the shine is off the finish.  I like to use paint that has the primer already built in so I can skip that annoying step....I hate to prime.  

Let's look at a couple of coffee tables that have certainly been saved from the curb.

The first one was an all wood coffee table that had become scratched up and the varnish had faded and turned that ugly orange color that varnishes turn after years of sunlight and use.  

Painting the top of your tables is awesome as long as you remember 2 little things (1) the paint will scratch so if your table gets a ton of use.....put a couple of coats of poly on top to prevent your hard work from becoming history and (2) Water is not a friend of paint.  If you don't apply at least 2 coats of poly on the top of your table the first guest or kid that puts their iced tea on your tabletop will ruin your work.....quickly.

If you are going to paint the top of your table....have fun with it!  Get a nice stencil and go crazy with it.  After all, it's only paint.  If you don't like the finished result or you want a change, paint over it.  Can't get easier than that.

Having said that I love to paint all of the table except for the top.  I like to sand off the old finish and re-stain it.  If down the road you tire of the stain choice, it's easy to sand that off and redo it.

Now that your furniture has been updated and made "new"....enjoy your new space!

Feeling a little bit crafty??

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!