The first thing we did was remove the sink and toilet and take out the plumbing, which involved going under the house into the crawlspace and capping the water lines. We attached Sharkbite fittings between the plastic Pex pipe and the old copper pipe and it worked great. Not a leak could be seen.
Then the holes in the wall had to be patched with dry wall compound and tape. After I patched the walls, I then sanded the area and painted over it. You couldn’t even tell a sink had been there. For the toilet, we capped the hole and nailed down wood. Of course, I had to break out the ceramic tile and then replace it, which was a tedious job. Luckily it only involved about four pieces. Still chiseling out mortar and grout is not a fun chore!
After all remnants of the bathroom were removed, my dad measured the closet for shelves. We decided to have shelves go all the way to the top of the room for maximum storage. After having the pieces delivered to my front door from the local lumber yard, my dad used his handy Craftsman tools (we love Craftsman) to cut the pieces to size and nail them in.
The final step was staining the wood to protect it from damage. This is something I recommend be done before nailing up the shelves as it is very hard to get into some of those tight spaces. I learned that the hard way. I removed the heavy bathroom door and replaced it with a thin bifold door that took up less space. The final product received lots of compliments from guests and I now have somewhere to stock all my green beans!
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A beautiful kitchen is something that everyone notices and will remember. If you want YOUR kitchen to be memorable, but don’t have enough money to do a full remodeling job, there are still ways to improve it. Don’t buy new cabinets and surfaces.
Instead, get some new doors, hardware and some paint or wood stain. All it takes to give new life to old cabinets is an afternoon spent with a screwdriver and a brush. Other fast and inexpensive fixes include changing out light fixtures, dresser handles, doorknobs and any other hardware in the house.
Landscaping can be done cheaply and independently to spruce up the outside of your home. There will always be sales at local nurseries where you can buy different sorts of plants and shrubs. Neighbors often will allow you to have a cutting of a particularly hardy outdoor plant. You may even be able to find a seed exchange online.
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Home improvement ideas that can add value to your home. The slowing economy has made everyone evaluate their spending habits. If you are a “swiper”, you definitely think twice before swiping your bank card for a purchase now more than ever. If you own a home, you’re even more careful about spending money especially if you’re among the home owners that experienced a decline in your home value, like most homeowners across the United States.
Embarking on home improvement projects for your home is probably the last thing on your mind. There are some home improvements that are costly and could put a further dent in your wallet. However, there are some home improvement ideas that can add value to your home and keep your wallet intact without putting any holes in it as well. Bottom line is the best way to protect your valuable investment is by making sure it is up-to-date and maintained. Even if your home is upside down in value according to your areas market conditions, you will add or keep more money to your home if you make simple, inexpensive upgrades that would be favorable to your selling position if and when you decide to sell your home.
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