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Anyone else doing some home improvement projects?

Cyclone6

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The boyfriend and I bought a house. We got it for a steal by Oregon standards these days! It's generally move-in ready, but we wanted to do some minor renovations before we move in, like painting and carpets. I knew if we waited to do these things, we would never do them. And one of the rooms is avocado green. That had to change! We worked on it all day yesterday and we both kept finding more things that need fixing. I'm calling it "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie syndrome." (I'm referencing a kids' book of the same title. Highly recommend.) We're trying to keep our enthusiasm to renovate reasonable since we're on a bit of a budget. It's hard though, because once you see something, it's impossible to un-see it! We find ourselves ranting about the previous owners. They clearly didn't know how to use masking tape properly when painting. Or they used a cheap brand (Frog tape is the best!). They also seemed to like putting nails and screws in random and ridiculous places (like door frames!). Oh, and just about every screw we've had to remove is completely stripped. Somebody didn't know how to use a screw driver or drill. We had to yank a few out of the wall and then patch because there was no way the screw driver could ever bite in. Fun, fun, fun! At least my arms are getting a workout from painting!
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Pretty exciting!

We just had a window guy out to see about replacing the four windows that are still original from when we bought the house back in 1989. Windows are pricy!

Probably also getting new flooring this year, but haven’t started with that yet.
 

Iwannaski

Angel Diva
I love our house... it's a 92 year old bungalow that was heavily updated by the previous owners. For the most part, tastefully, but there are times when we look at something that was done and just scratch our heads. We've learned that if we're changing anything that the owner did, we just hire a professional, because he over or mis engineered a lot of things.

But... when you have a 90+ year old house, there's ALWAYS a project to be done. :smile:
 

Tvan

Angel Diva
We are in the process of designing our new home which will be in Vermont. We purchased a building lot just before the shut down, and are under a design contract with our builder. It’s exciting, and a little scary.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Renovating the master bath, when I can find someone to do it. Also need to wait for stores to open to pick out flooring.

Not only must you wait until they open, but it’s likely you’ll also have to wait until the flooring you want is in stock. Building materials are one of the big casualties of the pandemic. Plywood has more than doubled in some markets (in the States). :frusty: $$$$
 

Abbi

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have given up any thoughts of remodeling, all of which include other people doing all of it, until the price and availability of contractors and products levels off. It is nuts how hard it is to get a lot of things now. I waited four months for a mattress! That’s nuts! I understand building materials are even worse right now. So 1985 it is for the forseeable future! thank God I redid the floors and had all the walls painted a few years ago! That of course makes the beige electrical outlets jump. But one problem at a time!
 

vickie

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I need my master bath updated. Not a full remodel, just replace the tub and shower and vanity top, plus new mirrors and lights. I'm going to have a tile company help pick out tile and countertop to go with the existing floor, then contact some contractors for quotes.

After doing so much of the house updating myself, it's hard to let go of complete control. But hauling a tub into the house is beyond my ability.
 

diymom

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
But... when you have a 90+ year old house, there's ALWAYS a project to be done.

As an owner of a 120 year old victorian, hell yeah. You think you have everything done, and then .... well, there's always something. But there's a certain satisfaction in learning new skills to make your house your home. I can count many new skills since our first house-- stripping wall paper, painting, pulling up old carpet and carpet tack, sanding and refinishing floors (including painting a faux rug when I found fire damage when I pulled up the last bit of old flooring) and stairs (stair runner that was still wet a good 3 months after buying the house- ewwww!) skim coating textured walls, patching loose horse hair plaster walls, bead board ceiling, tin ceiling, tiling, heated floors, true linoleum floors, kitchen cabinets, built in book shelves, paint stripping, stabilizing and patching rotted wood trim, learning to kerf boards for curved trim, well, there's no end to the fun things you can find to do on an old house. And then in the summer you go outside and get into the hardscape fun (dry stack rock walls to terrace a hill, rebuild an old flagstone patio....) Oh wait, then you realize you need more space to store things, so you decide to build a shed...

I think I'm well beyond giving a mouse a cookie, possibly past giving a moose a muffin even :smile:

Enjoy your new house, and enjoy the projects. Don't worry about re-sale and what the builder's beige people do. Do what makes it home.
 

Cyclone6

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Guest bedroom #1 Before:
PXL_20210423_233732473_exported_158843.jpg
I call the green "two day old guacamole."

During (needs another coat of paint):
PXL_20210425_230553728.MP.jpg
The cream color is called "shoelace."

The new carpet will be a brown-grey called "mineral beige"

Guest bedroom #2, Before:

PXL_20210423_233732473_exported_182561.jpg
I call the grey in this room "seasonal affective disorder."

I finished priming it today.
 

Iwannaski

Angel Diva
Don't worry about re-sale and what the builder's beige people do. Do what makes it home.

100% agree. Before you sell, you can paint everything beige, or put in a “paint allowance” if your colors are REALLY bold (i have a deep turquoise in my home office) ... But I love color and we have a lot of it in our house... there’s a deep joy in having your home be the colors you want. Even if those ARE beige. (if you are my parents, for example... LOL)

PS: @Cyclone6 ... congratulations on your new home. Sounds like you’re settling in so well.
 

Cyclone6

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to interior decorating, so I'm admittedly playing it safe. Maybe in the future I'll add an accent wall to some of the rooms.

This was a fun discovery in the backyard today. Strawberry plants! I hope they're the Mt Hood variety. PXL_20210426_000108432.jpg
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Strawberries show up pretty early. I suspect there may be more surprises for you!
 

Pequenita

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to interior decorating, so I'm admittedly playing it safe. Maybe in the future I'll add an accent wall to some of the rooms.

I paid a designer $300 to tell me what color white to paint my entire house before I moved in last fall. Once I saw how she did it, I realize that I could have done it myself, and it bummed me out for a bit that I paid so much for that. On the other hand, it was done in about 15 minutes.:doh: As someone who isn’t particularly stylish, I found one of the toughest things about interior design is figuring out what I want to keep and what new things I want. It’s tough to have a vision and being committed to it!

Congratulations on the new home, and good luck with everything!
 

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