Re-purposing solid, beautiful, furniture pieces gives me joy! AND, furniture inspired bathroom vanities made a this project really fun and a challenge. I rehabbed the master bath in my investment property which included a new double bowl sink vanity. Since I had good luck with fashioning a buffet into a vanity at my house, I...
Wallpaper removal is a daunting task, especially in an investment property where speed of renovation means money. So, is there another approach to add interest to a room with tired wallpaper and NOT remove the paper? Yes! Board and batten! In a recent investment property renovation, the kitchen had 1990’s wallpaper throughout the entire kitchen...
When I downsized into the townhouse, the kitchen was one of the first things I tackled. It needed new cabinets, counters, flooring, appliances, lighting, backsplash and paint! Here is the “before”! CABINETS Kitchen cabinets were the biggest investment for the remodel, but an easy choice. I just remodeled my kitchen at my former house and...
Bathroom makeovers can be daunting and expensive but totally doable with some diligence in sourcing materials and some elbow grease. My rental property was built in the late 1990’s and the bathroom was original, builder grade and in need of an update — on a budget. Here is a “before” photo. Materials Tile There are...
Great lighting instantly adds warmth, texture and interest to a room. And, if given a choice on home improvement projects, many home owners prefer to update lighting due to the high impact, low effort factor. (From an unofficial Facebook poll). So, how can you shop for lighting, have fun and not be overwhelmed? I recently...
Tile, paint and molding are the key updates taking this laundry room from dated and dull to current and fresh. This laundry room is from my daughter, Kelly’s, townhouse and it was one of several rooms that needed updating. This is the room “before” the update – builder basic with white walls, linoleum flooring and...
Oak banisters and railings can really date the look of a home. Replacing or even sanding and refinishing the banister are both costly update options. So, how can you tackle the update on a budget? Gel stain! This is the banister from my daughter’s new townhome – one of many projects we tackled on a...
The fireplace mantel and surround in my investment property needed an update! The original had builder grade materials from the 1990’s and with a few new tiles, a chunky mantel and a can of spray paint, it looks totally new! The original fireplace had 4 x 4 white tile and classic trim and a thin...
It still amazes me the transformation a coat of paint can make. When I was preparing my house for sale, it seemed like I was painting everything (with Sherwin Williams paint, of course) – the main floor and the trim on the exterior as two examples. In addition to that, there was one vanity that...
My kitchen was one of the last, big projects to tackle in my house. Even though I was not changing the kitchen layout or flooring, I was procrastinating a bit due to the expense and disruption. Let’s take a look at the five upgrades that transformed my kitchen from builder-grade to a gorgeous gold and grey...