Mini Closet makeover

One of the jobs to do this year was re-jig the coset to make more use of the 45' by 60" space.  We haven't touched it since we moved in other than paint it.  The first thing I needed to do was have a clean out of things we haven't used or worn in an age.

All the empty shelves were ones I wanted to remove, other than the bottom two on the right.

Hubby removed all the shelves I wanted rid of, and then we made a start on filling all the holes in the walls, which I sanded and then painted.  Yes that's a safe in the wall.

This is what I donated to the charity shop from out closet, although one bag was from our linen closet, as I had a clean out there as well.

The biggest expense in this closet mini makeover was the purchase of this chest of drawers.  I got these from Ikea.  I wanted a certain size, it had to be white and I didn't want drawer handles that stuck out.  These are from the Nordli collection.  

Although the reviews weren't hugely positive, we are very happy with them.  They are sturdy, not the easiest to put together but that's typical of Ikea.  Plus you could do different "layouts/combinations."  This one was the best for us and our space.

I spent a delightful hour or so, doing the Marie Kondo folding method of placing our clothes in the dresser.  However although I like the way the clothes are folded, I don't get the:

"Joy Tip: While folding, apply firm, loving pressure and thank your clothes for supporting you."

Just saying!!🙄

Now the following photos are out of order and for some reason I can't move them around????

This is a finished view of the closet.

This too is the completed look, notice how there is nothing on the floor now.

I purchased a couple of lidded baskets to put some odds and ends in.  They were in Shopper's Drug Mart as a seasonal product and around $15 each, I got two.

I got this shoe tower from Amazon and it is perfect.  It technically hold 7 pairs of shoes but as you can see I have more there.  You can see the product in more detail here on the Amazon website.  This unit was flat packed but was simple enough to put together, for hubby.

I also picked up this divider set to store my handbags, again from Amazon and you can see it in more detail here.  The dividers can be used for many other reasons as well.

Now the key to everything fitting and looking tidy was giving the closet a good clean out, as what we had before wouldn't fit like it does now.  The top shelf by my handbags is all hubby's CPAP stuff, and I have yet to have a clean out and organize that, as hubby is getting some updated equipment.  So will sort all that out when he gets the new stuff.

The black handbag is a Coach one, I am going to hopefully sell that one as it is way too big for me now.  Plus the bigger the handbag, the more stuff you lug around I find.

Finally, budget.  I had originally hoped to do this for around $500.  BUT, the original unit I was looking up went off sale and it doubled in price to over $700.  So I went with plan B, and bought the units from Ikea, which in fact worked out better with more storage.  Although I have given you links to the products I got from Amazon I was able to get both the shoe storage and the dividers at a slightly cheaper price.  The baskets from Shopper's were spur of the moment buys, not planned.

All the supplies for fixing the walls we had on hand, so that was free.

So all in all I was probably $160 - $175 over budget.  Coming in at around $660 - $675 for this.  A lot cheaper than having a company come in and it suits our needs exactly.

So that is one job ticked off the list for this year.

"The List."

 

image credit

This time of year hubby and I always sit down and have a talk about what jobs need doing around the house.  I am a creature of habit and I like to plan out things ahead of time.  I will say this year our list is nice and short, as we have done a lot of the main jobs that we wanted to do over the past couple of years.

So this is our list for 2024:

• Re-sand the front walkway, as it has moved.  This will involve using a pressure washer and hiring a tamper from a DIY store.  It sounds like a big job, but it's pretty straight forward.  We did the back patio a couple of years back and it's still as good as new. Probably $200 for everything if that.  The most expensive thing will be hiring the tamper.
• Re-jig our closet.  Again not a huge job as I have figured a couple of things out.  I want to get the most use out of the space we have.  This will involve buying a chest of drawers and doing some drywall touch ups where we have to take down shelves and repainting it. So under $500 for everything, which will be cheaper than getting a company in to do it.
• Decorate the basement.  This is a HUGE job, only because it is carpeted and full of furniture.  This job will be done at the end of the year when hubby retires. No idea on the cost....hoping to be under $500 for all the paint and drywall compound; we have a lot of nail pops in the drywall.
• Finish off the laundry/storage room.  Again, a big job that will be started at the end of the year and may work it's way into 2025.  Again no idea on the cost at this point in time; I will estimate $2,000 as it's a bare space, so walls and ceiling are to finish and flooring to put down.

The last two jobs we are not in a rush to do, so they may be included in 2025 as well.

Not sure what other jobs will pop up through the year, but these are the main ones.

The first time it was hard work.....

as I didn't know what I was doing.

After further instructions, the second time was easier.

The third time was hard work, and now the fourth time its just getting plain annoying.

What am I talking about, snow blowing the driveway; and it wouldn't be so bad, but we still have at least another three months of bad weather in front of us, if not more.  This snow blowing seems to be turning into the grass cutting.......a never ending flipping job.  Now granted unlike the grass cutting which takes hours and hours, there is nearly 5 acres to cut after all, I can get the driveway done in about an hour.

However we made a mistake and didn't put up snow fences so the snow has a habit of drifting on certain parts of the driveway, especially at the entrance to our driveway.  On Monday the snow must have been at least 3 feet deep on the end of our driveway.  Luckily dh has a 4 wheel drive and was able to get through it, but no one was getting either in or out of our driveway until I plowed it out.  Our snow blower is similar to this one

This is a photo of dh using the snow blower on Sunday:

This is the closest you will come to ever seeing him, he's camera shy!!  My brother Nick has written about snow and driving as well here

Now I'm not going to be about a lot for the remainder of the week, as I am working these next three days....depending on the weather!!  My old work called me in to cover for a vacation leave.   So that will be a change of pace for me, plus some extra pocket money.  I have just typed out a list of jobs that we need to get too this year and although there are only technically 24 jobs on the list, its long!!  This is what we'd like to do by next Fall:

1. finish attic

2. re-grade by basement patio door

3. basement insulation /drywall

4. laundry room

5. closets

6. garage door

7. repair garage sill

8. shed

9. garage rood

10. garage eaves troughs

11. replace electrical panel

12. replace all receptacles

13. receptacles in family room (power?)

14. old basement windows (drainage?)

15. new basement windows (drainage?)

16. new basement floor (hardwood?)/laundry room (tiles?)

17. fireplace boxes to replace

18. mud room, old door to replace

19. grout outside walls

20. mud room new door to repair

21. remove light fixture above front door (need soffit material)

22. family room (remove hardwood and drywall), replace insulation, plastic and drywall

23. family room (remove metal rail) make new half wall

24. insulate mudroom under floor

Now what this list doesn't tell you is exactly what these jobs involve; most are an awful lot of work, but I am going to stick it on the fridge on we can cross them off as we get them done.

Did you remember to put your money in your pot for the Daily Savings Club?

Today's money saving tip is:

Before you buy something, ask if the item will be put on sale in the near future.  I know Sears is good for this, especially in the furniture and appliance departments.

Six Months Already?

I can't believe we've been in this house six months. We closed on April 28th, and moved in on May 1st, 2009. It's been a fast six months, and a lot has happened. As me and dh live amongst all this mess all the time, we don't see much of a difference, so I decided to write down some of the things we have done throughout the house.

Mudroom:

Installed new door

Installed new light fixture

New light switches and motion sensor

Window trim

Kitchen/Dining Room:

New fridge, stove and above stove microwave.

Installed new switch for microwave

Living Room:

New light fixture

Family Room:

New windows and patio door

Installed two light fixtures

New wood burning insert

Downstairs Bathroom:

Nothing, other than cleaning the place up and connecting the bathroom fan to the outside, as it was previously ducted into the attic?

New Extension Basement:

New Patio Door

Removed the old toilet down there - the plumbing down there is going to be a challenge!!

Old Basement:

Added some new plugs

Blocked up the outside of three of the basement windows.

Spare Bedroom:

Nothing, other than destroying the only closet we have :0(

Our Bedroom:

Added ceiling fan

Moved cable for tv and added plug for when we actually get a flat screen tv to hang on the wall……not a priority, but the wiring is all there

Main Floor Bathroom:

Install light and fan above shower, and having it ducted to the outside.

Rewire plug, so we don’t have to have the lights on to make the plug work.

Installed a new toilet

Put a base in the under sink cabinet, so we can store things there

Attic:

Installed new stairs

Completely gutted the attic itself

Added skylight and replaced dormer window.

Rewired it, as there was only a light in there and no other electrics before hand

Shimmed all the joists so when we come to drywall, they will all be the same height etc.

Altered the heating duct work

Insulated it all

Outside:

Tidied up the whole five acres, so the grass wasn’t all knee high, like when we moved in!!!

Removed old fence on the front of the property

Installed new outside light

Repaired the roof, a couple of times!!

Made stairs to get off the back deck

Built a wood store

Installed a new mail box and emergency sign as the old ones were falling to bits and donkey’s years old!!

Garage:

Cleaned it all out and got rid of all the junk left in there.

Built shelves

Repaired door

I am sure there is much more that we have done, including giving the place a thorough clean, remember how those first few days of posting all I did was complain bitterly about the state of the place, if not read this and this When I was looking at old posts I stumbled upon this one
The house looked so clean then, it now looks as though a bomb has dropped upstairs, oh well one day it will be tidy again!!

Do we regret moving up here? I know dh has some regrets, only because every job we do around here, takes so long, as if the people who lived here before us, had anything at all to do with the area, there is a problem, as they will have butchered the job. So he is frustrated with how hard things are, as even the simple jobs take forever to do. Me, well I have had my days, when all I want to do is pack it all in and say lets sell the place. One of those days was here when the upstairs toilet leaked into the downstairs bathroom, I wasn't happy!! Or this one, I wasn't happy here either!

I think one issue has been that money has been pouring out of our hands like sand, it just seems to have been never ending these past six months, read here. Now its just trickling slowly through our hands, mind you that could be because there is no money left to spend!!!

I think in another six months, the first year of living here will feel like a bad dream. We are hoping to have got the attic finished by next summer, money permitting. Things will have slowed down a bit for poor dh. There is still an endless list of jobs to be done, but we're hoping to be able to put our feet up a bit more next year and just sit and admire our view.

So here's to another busy, but productive six months in the country!

Oh and for those that celebrate Halloween, a Happy Halloween to you all!