All posts filed under: condo remodel on a budget

kitchen floor – a condo remodel on a budget

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Like the home remodeling shows on television ( HGTV in our case), I must repeat my opening statement just in case someone just tuned in. I have embarked on a condo remodel with a friend of mine and it has truly been a learning process but a fun one as well. The benefit of a d.i.y. project on a place that is not your own is easy to do with a tight budget. Because although your main goal is to make it a functional and safe environment for the future owners, it is also easy to opt for a low-end product, which still gives you the warranty, functionality and the look  you want without feeling too attached to the place once personalized. The kitchen floor of the condo is a 6×9 galley style space.  Currently the flooring is self stick linoleum tiles that are stuck together with no gap in between. Although it was a fairly new flooring, I knew we needed a fresh look to compliment the freshly painted cabinets and newly purchased appliances. …

condo d.i.y kitchen project – continued

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The only benefit to the fog and cold weather in the city is the fact, you have no choice but to work on indoor projects. So, we did just that over the weekend. As I stated here, we were experiencing small disappointments last week while painting the kitchen cabinets. Now part of the problem was, we were a bit impatient for the end result, so we simply over reacted midway through. Anyway,  while trying to keep the costs down, we opted for a prefabricated formica counter tops, which give the impression of granite but for alot less. At home depot you can actually purchase the counter tops in various lengths to fit just about any kitchen. They come in 4, 6, 8 and 10 feet long by the standard counter top width. They are  easy to cut a hole for the sink and cut  down to several smaller sizes to fit the counter space around a stove area. So while we waited for the 4th coat of paint to dry, we worked on installing the …

never mix paint with pleasure

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Just in case you are scratching your head with the title, I must explain why I chose it. You see, I have a weird appreciation for painting various areas of a home and feel painting should be a pleasure rather than a chore. I love discussing the options, I enjoy chosing the paint color, the brushes and various other gadgets to handle the project and most of all I truly enjoy rolling up my sleeves and diving right into it. However, when the actual project begins, the fun can sometimes turn into a sad occassion, especially when you realize the outcome isn’t  as wonderful as you had hoped. Take for example our attempts to paint the kitchen cabinets. Although we spend several hours consulting with the paint experts at Home Depot (in this case) and followed their suggestions on how to proceed, the mid-way result has been a bit worrysome to say the least. We were told to prime the cabinets and then paint over them. Which made sense. We were also told that High Gloss looks the …

1970s interior design disasters

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I don’t know about you, but I don’t care much for the original 70s interior design or decor. I say original because since the 70s, we have been introduced to retro 70s design to consider incorporating into  today’s home decor. So, it’s important to understand I am referring to the original 70s sense of no style. With the remodel or revamp of the condo, I have pointed out some  items which must go and while I was compiling the list, I couldn’t help but wondered what the designers were thinking about back then? Here are some of my most dreaded items which we both agree to get rid of Can you think of anything else? If so, please share.

first stop: condo kitchen sprucing up

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First decision was to tackle the kitchen. His wish, of course, was to remodel the entire kitchen. Mine, was to reface, nip and tuck and voila a brand new look without spending the big bucks. Since the area is a small 6×9 galley style kitchen, I wanted to go with white paint for the cabinets in order to brighten up the small, dark space. However, knowing his taste in dark furnishing, I agreed to paint the cabinets a deep dark brown instead, using the below photo as my gage on how it will turn out once done painting. Stay tuned for photos of the before and after, coming your way shortly