Help me update my house....

[TAK]

OK, gang... you are all pretty sharp, so i'm coming to you for advice on a few things to update my home at a low cost, but a good luck

A little background

My house is in Inwood North, overlooking part of Inwood Forest Golf Course. It's a 3/2/2. 1500 SF. Red tile roof. White brick. I paid about 98k for it four years ago, and it has probably appreciated $5k - $15k, so a $10k update would be the high end of updating (I'm thinking $5k - $7k, including some appliances). I plan to move (growing family, need 2 offices for work at home parents, etc) soon and rent this place out, so I don't want to make it too nice (because most renters won't leave it "too nice").

So far, I've done some painting (kitchen <which needs to be redone-blah> and one bath) updated some hardware (pulls), and put in laminate wood in entry and kitchen (both had very ugly tile - still under laminate.) The kitchen cabinets need an overhaul. There are some other 'curious' pieces to the house that you'd have to see, but I have some basic ideas on what to do for them. I'm going to do some simple landscaping this fall/winter.

The next 'update' is window treatments (probably this week). Faux wood blinds, some type of curtain rod and panels (to make wife happy).

The angles of the vaulted ceilings in the living and master,do not lend well to crown molding.

What are you good/different ideas for updating any home?

Here are some thoughts/plans... Let me know your feedback. I'll post some pics at some point. Maybe do some before and after (over the next year or however long this takes me.)

Kitchen

The kitchen cabinets in my house are hideous. The doors will come off and be replaced, without question. The boxes have two (or three) coats of latex (white outside, an ugly cream inside.) For a couple of reasons (lack of neighborhood appreciation, house to become a rental in next 12 - 18 months) I don't want to spend the $$$ to put in new cabinet boxes (unless someone knows where to get them CHEAP.)

Any suggestions on how to make the boxes look decent? Do I just sand off the latex, prime and paint white with oil-based paint? Do I need to get all the latex off before laying down an oil-based paint, or do i just need to smoot out the latex, then prime and paint? Any thoughts on color (I'm planning on white).

Any suggestions on where to get doors cheap? (otherwise, i'm going with Lowes/Home Cheapot).

Also, any suggestion on where to get (white) cooktops and wall ovens? I can accept used if they're in decent shape. The stuff I have is old (which would be fine if it was in good shape, but it isn't) and wife wants it replaced (therefore, so do I.)

I currently have a laminate (gray, black speckled) counter top. Neighborhood value will not support a stone countertop (sigh).

Wood Panel Wall

I have a wall that is made of redwood. It has some character, but kinda looks out of place at the same time. I'm thinking of painting the white walls a khaki color. Anyone for or against painting a redwood wall? (Sorry no pic now - the wood is laid in diagonally). I think it looks good good as is (but may need to be restained) and might not look so good painted, but I can't "see" it first. (Maybe I should take a pic and photochop it... but i suck at it, which is why it's chop.)

French Door

The front door is a French door that is painted GREEN (exterior. the interior is white and ok.) I am going to sand it down, prime it and paint it a maroonish color. Ye or Nay?

Shower

The master shower is PINK! I've already replaced the pink and green toilet. The separate bath and the vanities are a faux marble of yellow/white/gray. I'm thinking of just refinishing the fiberglass shower with white (I already have the kit from HD). I've also considered taking the shower out and putting in a tile shower, but that would probably require an entire bathroom redo to make it look good, which i'd never recoup. Ye or Nay?

Carpet

Anyone know a (good and cheap) capet stretcher? New carpet was put in before I bought, but they obviously didn't stretch it worth a crap, so I need to have it all redone.

I know, the REAL answer is to move. But since I can't move now, and wife, newborn, and I are here ALL DAY EVERY DAY, we want to enjoy it as much as we can while getting it ready to rent.

Thanks!

<wow, that's long>

[Parrothead]

OK, gang... you are all pretty sharp, so i'm coming to you for advice on a few things to update my home at a low cost, but a good luck

A little background

My house is in Inwood North, overlooking part of Inwood Forest Golf Course. It's a 3/2/2. 1500 SF. Red tile roof. White brick. I paid about 98k for it four years ago, and it has probably appreciated $5k - $15k, so a $10k update would be the high end of updating (I'm thinking $5k - $7k, including some appliances). I plan to move (growing family, need 2 offices for work at home parents, etc) soon and rent this place out, so I don't want to make it too nice (because most renters won't leave it "too nice").

That's smart. Don't put too much $$$ into it, I agree.

So far, I've done some painting (kitchen which needs to be redone-blah and one bath) updated some hardware (pulls), and put in laminate wood in entry and kitchen (both had very ugly tile - still under laminate.) The kitchen cabinets need an overhaul. There are some other 'curious' pieces to the house that you'd have to see, but I have some basic ideas on what to do for them. I'm going to do some simple landscaping this fall/winter.

I'd either strip the paint, sand, and re-paint with new doors and hardware, OR pay Sears to come out and reface your cabinets with a basic white melamine. I wouldn't go granite on the countertops either--just a nice neutral (maybe even patterned) WilsonArt Laminate.

The next 'update' is window treatments (probably this week). Faux wood blinds, some type of curtain rod and panels (to make wife happy).

Simple, simple, simple. I like the idea of faux wood, make sure they fit right and you install them properly, and they'll look great.

The angles of the vaulted ceilings in the living and master,do not lend well to crown molding.

If it is a contemporary style home, no crown molding anyway...would be out of place.

What are you good/different ideas for updating any home?

Ceramic tile in all baths, new vanity cabinets/sink/fixture and countertops, new mirrors and new lighting. Can be done VERY inexpensively without looking cheap.

Here are some thoughts/plans... Let me know your feedback. I'll post some pics at some point. Maybe do some before and after (over the next year or however long this takes me.)

Kitchen

The kitchen cabinets in my house are hideous. The doors will come off and be replaced, without question. The boxes have two (or three) coats of latex (white outside, an ugly cream inside.) For a couple of reasons (lack of neighborhood appreciation, house to become a rental in next 12 - 18 months) I don't want to spend the $$$ to put in new cabinet boxes (unless someone knows where to get them CHEAP.)

Again, I'd just take off paint and re-paint with new doors, wood putty, inside hardware...OR call Sears. It's cheaper than you think and may well be worth it.

Any suggestions on how to make the boxes look decent? Do I just sand off the latex, prime and paint white with oil-based paint? Do I need to get all the latex off before laying down an oil-based paint, or do i just need to smoot out the latex, then prime and paint? Any thoughts on color (I'm planning on white).

Use a paint remover, then sand down nicks, etc, then prime and paint with a SATIN/EGGSHELL (tell your paint guy what you're doing and he'll show you what people are using now). Do not do glossy! Looks cheap. White is great--easy to clean and inexpensive! You can do some very nice nickel fixtures.

Any suggestions on where to get doors cheap? (otherwise, i'm going with Lowes/Home Cheapot).

Lowe's--bring measurements and they can help you. Get interior hardware for a cleaner, newer look!

Also, any suggestion on where to get (white) cooktops and wall ovens? I can accept used if they're in decent shape. The stuff I have is old (which would be fine if it was in good shape, but it isn't) and wife wants it replaced (therefore, so do I.)

We got ours at Lowe's. Get them all in the same brand (we got Maytag and got a heck of a deal). Built-in micros (whether over the range or oven) are a bonus feature and very inexpensive!

I currently have a laminate (gray, black speckled) counter top. Neighborhood value will not support a stone countertop (sigh).

No grey with black--with white cabinets it will be wayyyy too sterile and icky. Measure, write it down, take it to Lowe's, and order Wilsonart Laminate in a beige stone look. For a 10 x 10 kitchen, it will be about $450 with tax. The lighter the better. I will post pics of ours in a while and you can see what we did with our condo....same idea. It looks great!

Wood Panel Wall

I have a wall that is made of redwood. It has some character, but kinda looks out of place at the same time. I'm thinking of painting the white walls a khaki color. Anyone for or against painting a redwood wall? (Sorry no pic now - the wood is laid in diagonally). I think it looks good good as is (but may need to be restained) and might not look so good painted, but I can't "see" it first. (Maybe I should take a pic and photochop it... but i suck at it, which is why it's chop.)

I'd leave it as is. That's just me! The walls in a khaki will probably make the redwood look pretty nice!

French Door

The front door is a French door that is painted GREEN (exterior. the interior is white and ok.) I am going to sand it down, prime it and paint it a maroonish color. Ye or Nay?

No french doors on entryways! No no no! Accent doors only.

Shower

The master shower is PINK! I've already replaced the pink and green toilet. The separate bath and the vanities are a faux marble of yellow/white/gray. I'm thinking of just refinishing the fiberglass shower with white (I already have the kit from HD). I've also considered taking the shower out and putting in a tile shower, but that would probably require an entire bathroom redo to make it look good, which i'd never recoup. Ye or Nay?

See above.

Carpet

Anyone know a (good and cheap) capet stretcher? New carpet was put in before I bought, but they obviously didn't stretch it worth a crap, so I need to have it all redone.

I'd go on Craigslist and post an ad. Someone will answer it.

I know, the REAL answer is to move. But since I can't move now, and wife, newborn, and I are here ALL DAY EVERY DAY, we want to enjoy it as much as we can while getting it ready to rent.

No, the real answer is to fix it up, live in it five years, and then move! You will recoup what you invest as long as you do it well and do it right. Good luck! We just did a few little projects to update our condo to sell and it looks really good, esp compared to before. Our market over here is waaay up, and we've already lived here 5 years so spring is our OUT time! Can't wait!!

Hope that helps, I am sure everyone here has great tips!!

oooooooohkay, I don't know what happened with my post.......but hopefully you can weed your way through it...LOL

[TAK]

Thanks for the feedback parrot... i want to stay for five years, but wife won't let that happen for a couple of reasons....

1. Space - It's a 3/2/2 br, no formals, with one bedroom being my home office, which leaves a master bedroom and a room for my son. my wife is starting her own company, so we're going to need, at least, one more room for an office. We're planning on having another little one. Littles ones can share a room, but the room my son has now would be quite small for two kids (it barely fits his crib and a dresser now. two beds wouldn't fit.) Also, would like a guest room.

2. Gotta move to better schools in 4 years. My children will never go to an Aldine ISD school (no offense to anyone on here whose children do). I went to two... two too many, and that was when they were decent.

I'm waiting to see a decrease in foreclosures, which I will use as a sign that things have started on an uptick (or, have bottomed out.) I can't (at this time) afford what I want inside the loop, so I'm holding out in the ring o' rot for now... (sigh).

I need to check my lottery ticket... maybe all of this is moot. :-)

As for the gray counter-top, it doesn't look too bad (but I agree a lighter color would look better.) I put it in (got it from Lowes as you're suggesting) because the original laminate was pink/salmon-ish and terrible. I should have replaced the appliances then, but I just wanted to get the current counter tops out - about 2 years ago. I wasn't thinking ahead. I was just thinking of how ugly the place was.

[musicman]

post a few pics if you could.

[Guest danax]

TAK, I would vote to leave the redwood wall unpainted. It sounds like that was some sort of decorative feature that might have historic value one day and it'll make it a lot easier on someone down the line who might have to try to strip the paint off, in say, the year 2070 .

I know worrying about original features in a 20 year old home sounds goofy, but I think some of those Inwood North homes will be appreciated for their architecture in the future as nice examples of cool 80s living, sort of like the mods are appreciated today.

[Parrothead]

Hey Tak, you could always paint the cabinets a dark greyish taupe, or create a faux "cherry" finish on them.

[TAK]

post a few pics if you could.

OK, here are a few...

The redwood wall (backed by a too big TV showing the good doctor's weather report...)

Another of the redwood wall, showing how it extends into the entry area and draws your eyes to the skylight (more on this...)

Funky looking Asian looking wall of the dining area... I actually kinda like this, it separates the dining room from the living room... but it doesn't really 'fit'

The old wall oven... it's coming out... soon...

Kitchen cabinets, laminate counter top, cook top. Cook top will be replaced - removing the grill and grease trap and replacing with a four burner (electric) top.

upclose of cabinet - now let me explain... imagine this cabinet - but in a cream color - and in those diagonal lines... wait for it.... PINK!!! so, yes, i put white latex on it for a quick fix.

so there you have it... update my kitchen on a budget (i'm a "cheap bastard", single income, married with a kid, and don't like carrying much of a credit card balance.)

my current plan:

*throw out the cabinet doors and drawer fronts and either buy or build new ones.

*sand the cabinet boxes smooth and paint white (i may spray the insides which are still cream!)

*replace the oven / microwave combo with something new (or used but relatively new)

*i won't do anything to the redwood...

*i will entertain various other remuddle suggestions, though. ;-)

[Parrothead]

I'm diggin' the redwood. Gotta say.

[Guest danax]

Those cabinet doors are another unique feature.

I personally wouldn't remove anything, just paint or change the carpet. Even that oven looks cool to me...that old clock.

[flipper]

Here's an idea to save you some money.

You can take those doors off and cut them down on a table saw. Make them just smaller than the opening in the frame.

Then go get some 4x8 sheets of whatever the thinnest smooth material you can get (mdf,that other brown stuff i can't recall the name). Rip that down to the exact size of the doors and glue/staple/nail them together. That will take care of the grooves on your doors.

Pick out a cabinet moulding: "Lip Moulding" from Detering

Miter the four sides and nail em around the edges of your new doors. The lip mould will cover the edge where the two "layers" you glued together meet.

Whapow, new doors!

flipper

ps. I love the redwood, I hate the diagonal though.

[Guest danax]

ps. I love the redwood, I hate the diagonal though.

Ah, but it looks like the cabinet doors' diagonals were meant to match the diagonal redwood.

Cathedral ceilings go along with that too.

80s architecture and design was a lot about angles. Just hate to see a triangle turned into a square I guess.

[flipper]

Ah, but it looks like the cabinet doors' diagonals were meant to match the diagonal redwood.

Cathedral ceilings go along with that too.

80s architecture and design was a lot about angles. Just hate to see a triangle turned into a square I guess.

This guy agrees that the diagonal theme looks good

[mpbro]

Before you complain about *your* laminate counters, see just how bad it could have been! I had a similar wood paneling dilemma. The entire kitchen and den were both entirely wood paneling, covered in hideously yellowed 1950's varnish. I believe it was a low-grade mahogany, so I wanted to try hard to preserve it. Trust me, if you're a DIY'er, don't even *think* about trying to strip a large room! Sanding is not a sane option, and chemical stripping will take a few years off your life. Both options will be laborious and expensive. And you may find that after stripping and refinishing, you have very little change in appearance and may just want to paint. One option worth exploring is wood bleaching. You get to keep the wood (rare in today's Pottery Barn home) but don't feel like you're stuck in an episode of Three's Company.

In the end, we painted every square inch of exposed wood paneling. Oh well...

Those cabinet doors are pretty cool, though.

We have a similar oven (double, actually) but are too cheap to replace it. Doubles are pricy.

[flipper]

Before you complain about *your* laminate counters, see just how bad it could have been! I had a similar wood paneling dilemma. The entire kitchen and den were both entirely wood paneling, covered in hideously yellowed 1950's varnish. I believe it was a low-grade mahogany, so I wanted to try hard to preserve it. Trust me, if you're a DIY'er, don't even *think* about trying to strip a large room! Sanding is not a sane option, and chemical stripping will take a few years off your life. Both options will be laborious and expensive. And you may find that after stripping and refinishing, you have very little change in appearance and may just want to paint. One option worth exploring is wood bleaching. You get to keep the wood (rare in today's Pottery Barn home) but don't feel like you're stuck in an episode of Three's Company.

In the end, we painted every square inch of exposed wood paneling. Oh well...

Those cabinet doors are pretty cool, though.

We have a similar oven (double, actually) but are too cheap to replace it. Doubles are pricy.

Looks like you did a great job on the kitchen. Congrats!

flipper

[TAK]

mp, my original laminate was MUCH worse than your before pics. i had some before pics of my kitchen, but my hard drive crashed. :-(

the countertops were some type of pinkish... the cabinets were cream with pink lines in those diagonals. the walls were covered with a pink and green floral patterned wall paper. it was terrible. this is just a 'cover up'.

i spoke with my dad about making some doors. he builds wood furniture (chess tables, dressers, entertainment centers, chairs, etc) for a hobby. he's going to show me how to build new doors and fronts.

flipper, i thought about doing what you suggested, but i think making new doors will about about the same amount of work, won't look as nice as a new door, and only cost a little less (since we're making the doors.)

[Pumapayam]

More of a comment then help, but I dig the angles in the room and cabinets.

It's a keeper, love it!

[mpbro]

Looks like you did a great job on the kitchen. Congrats!

Thanks. By professional standards, it is nothing special, but I think it sort of gives DIY'ers a good data point. I think we ended up spending probably $3K for the entire kitchen, which includes tiling kitchen and counters, paint (sprayed oil-based), microwave, gas stove top, and dishwasher.

We've basically updated the entire house by these standards. Total spending is around $10K so far. The house (1952 2000sqft ranch style) actually seems similar to the one you are flipping. Problem is, our neighborhood is definitely a tear-down neighborhood (currently). I want to increase the value of the place to the average family without deterring new-build buyers. Anyway, fun stuff, keep us posted on your future adventures.

Update: was just reading the WSJ and found interesting link that compares average payouts on various home improvements. Interesting stuff...

[MiDTOWNeR]

That kitchen is actually pretty cool looking.