I don't think it matters whether you own an old or a new house there is always something that needs doing to it. Whether it be a simple painting a room or renovating the whole house, there is always work to be done.
I happen to be married to a man who loves doing DIY. The only book he will read is a DIY book. His main hobby in life is DIY. He's one of these guys who likes to be on the go all the time. Whereas I am quite happy to sit all day with a good book and read.
The one good thing about my dh is that he is good at DIY and is very picky, and believes if you're going to do something, it needs to be done right. Mind you as he is now in his mid-50's he is slowing down, so jobs are not getting done as fast as he used to be able to do them. But when he has done a job (the attic) it is really well done. We are still fiddling on with the basement, as he is now putting a tiled back splash on the counter top down there. I picked out white "Subway" tile, as they are plain and simple, and cheap!!! Plus they are neutral and at the end of the day its a laundry room in the basement.
When that job is done we are moving onto something else. HOWEVER, and there is always a however, with multiple jobs wanting done and very limited funds it's a case of trying to figure out what to do next.
The jobs we have done so far have been huge jobs that have taken a lot of money, but have had a huge impact on the house. Renovating the attic and making it into a livable space is a bonus. Insulating it all so that that heat from downstairs doesn't rise and go directly out of the roof is another good thing.......LOL Photos of the attic are here and here and here.
The same with the new basement, there was a distinct lack of insulation down there and it made it a totally unusable space. It's now a great space with a lot of uses. As with any old home there were no closets, we have remedied that situation and both the bedrooms and the bathroom on the 1st floor have good sized closets fitted out with closet organizers. Our master bedroom closet photos here
We have put money aside to get new shingles installed on the garage roof, as it is raining in; that job should be done by the end of this month, weather permitting. We cannot afford a new kitchen, so we have decided to maybe replace the counter tops with a good quality laminate, as any stone is so way above our budget it's crazy. Plus change the sink and taps, as the taps are leaking, and the sink is a white porcelain and is nasty!!
I talked about painting the cupboards, and did speak to someone at a home show this weekend about it and that is maybe a job I will do. She did warn me, to tackle a few cupboards at a time, otherwise you will be pig sick of it before it's all over with. I think that will be a cheap solution with huge impact, or at least I am hoping it will be.
The garage needs other work on it doing, which we can do ourselves. The family room needs a makeover, as does the living room. The mud room needs ripping apart and starting again, as it is an addition and has practically ZERO insulation in it. Both bathrooms need total revamps, and the shed is hanging by a thread...LOL
I guess I just need to take a deep breath and say we need to take our sweet time and do what we can do and the rest will have to wait!!!
Are you renovating?
If you are new to my blog it is worthwhile clicking on the links to see the before and afters.
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12 comments:
I enjoyed seeing the photos from your previous projects. That is some excellent quality work! My house is 15 years old and is just starting to need more frequent repairs.
I'm not renovating, But I might do if I can clear enough junk out of this house and find it again to renovate lol.
x
You are so right about there always being something to repair or renovate in a house. Luckily, I too am married to a DIY guy. Your renovations are great. We replaced our countertops and could not afford stone. In the end we used granite tiles at a fraction of the cost of a slab. It looks great and is just as good. You may want to look into it.
Holy cow thats a LOT of diy's!!! We have so many DIY's on our need to do list but until hubby has some time home they are just getting put off. I can't seem to find good help to hire the work done
Ahhhh.... renovations. We've been doing them for 3 1/2 years! There's not much left in our home from the original from upgrading insulation in the attic right down to the basement, it's all updated including the siding. We still need to do the front verandah/porch as we have no proper access to our front door (this summer) and the roof (next year). We were able to receive a little bit of funding through a government rebate program for all the energy efficient changes we made. It certainly wasn't a lot, but it did pay for a few things. You're hubby sounds like mine - he is really picky and likes things done RIGHT the first time. I'm really proud of him because he's basically done our entire house himself. I am really just background help :)
Amazing job on all the DIYs. We are slowly renovation our house; the bones are there, and we will slowly make it our forever home. We've replaced the windows, next, is the roof/eaves and possible blowing insulation into our attic. Our focus right now is working on the front deck and back deck - they need to go - yesterday! We also need to work on the yard - some little critters have been tearing it up.
Seems like there's always something to be redone or repaired. But isn't it great once each project is completed? Last year we spent big bucks on reroofing our home. I'm hoping we'll be working in our upstairs bathroom this year.
You did an amazing job with your attic! We are not doing any major renovations but I have a huge list of DIY projects that we are slowly working on. For example, we just painted our living room a much lighter color. But that's the biggest project we'll do in April. I really want to paint our cabinets too but it will have to wait until next year, probably.
My house was insulted about 5 years ago, through a grant with the Ont. and Fed Governments. I can't tell you what a difference it made to heating and A/C. As you may have read I had my basement rec room reno done in Jan and Feb. I budgeted so much for the entire job, but as you know there is always that unseen expense that puts the $'s up.
A powder room in the basement would be an asset, however, it is not in the books for this year.
By the way, your dh and yourself have done a great job with your reno's.
Patricia
You're lucky since your husband can handle a lot of renovations himself. This year I am re-doing the bathroom, changing the room doors and door frames and having the apartment painted.
I am planning to use a turn-key contractor. Today I visited to large home decoration warehouses and learnt about how they do the projects. They send someone to take measurements and draw a project plan and make a shopping list for a small fee. This fee is refunded if you do the renovation with them. Sounds like a good idea and I think, I will price them both.
You two have did so much! And it all looks so good...
We have lots to do.
Mr Sft is not into DIY.
But what he has done she has done well.
Good luck with yours.
Sft x
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