DIY home remodeling...

[heathergw]

Has anyone done some major remodeling to their house and have any tips or feedback? Things you wish you had known ahead of time? Problems you ran in to? Positive or negative experience? Would you do it again?


We are talking about turning our main floor (tri-level) from a kitchen, dining room, living room/school room into one big great room which means tearing down a wall except the load bearing part will become a pillar and moving the door into the garage and replacing all the flooring and the kitchen cabinets and really it will be a complete overhaul and really modernize our floor plan and make it more functional for our family.... I'm really excited about it but totally nervous at the same time!!! We went to the Habitat For Humanity Restore last night and found a ginormous set of beautiful stained maple cabinets that we are hoping will still be there on Wednesday morning that we're going to buy and make this redesign work lol... It will be so nice for entertaining and for homeschooling and just so much more functional for our needs... I'm just nervous that it's going to be so much more than we can handle work wise since we'll be doing it ourselves since we can't afford to hire someone to do it, tho we will hire for moving the door leading to the garage and replacing the kitchen window but the rest we want to do ourselves, EEK!!!

 

[Brandi]

Good luck! I can't say that I've done any major remodeling, just floors, kitchen counters, sink, etc... but nothing like taking out a wall (in our house). My husband can do all of that though with his work. He's done a major renovation with a friend of ours' house. He's one of those "can do everything" kind of guy. I'm very lucky!

All I can say is, just remember... to take BEFORE pics and after!

 

[Angie4b1g]

I've done flooring and some drywall repair, but nothing like knocking down walls. lol

 

[scrapsandsass]

How cool for you guys! It sounds like an amazing project (set of projects). Just remember that you should never be afraid to ask questions or ask for help from people you know who have skills that could come in handy (or at the home improvement stores) or check out books from the library if you need specifics.

Also, you will get frustrated with the whole thing at some point and want to give up, but don't. You may also get really annoyed with each other. Take deep breaths and remember you are a team. It may take longer because you are doing it yourselves, but you will be so happy once it is done. Oh, and it never hurts to watch the Renovation Realities show and learn what not to do. And when you get tired, it is better to get some rest than to try to push through and make a silly mistake because you are really tired.

We've done a lot of DIY. We have a house that is 100+ years old so it seems we're always in the middle of at least a couple of projects. DH is outside sawing boards to put in a new bathroom sub-floor as we speak. LOL.

Good luck and keep us posted. I hope you get your cabinets!

 

[melrio]

Oh, did we do a job a few years back and just about killed us! We built an attached garage onto the house and we were lucky to have a neighbor who was out of work at the time to come help DH for a few days. He helped with the high stuff but the rest was done with just the two of us. It was hard and I think we cussed at each other more than a few times. But, looking back, it does like nice, added value to our home, and we're still married! And yes....it's going to get rough but when it does, just walk away (when you can) and take a break. Don't give up!

Good Luck!

 

[karen perry]

just like to say good luck with the renovation

 

[jojoma]

It will take longer than you think but it is well worth the wait when you get everything exactly perfect for you and your fam. And when things seem like they aren't working out right just try to embrace it as a challenge that will make everything work out perfect in the end. Good luck!

 

[MelissaL88]

My husband has rebuilt both showers in our house (pull out the old stuff, new drywall, tiled, new faucets). It was a major ordeal for us...but well worth it in the end. Just remember, it will take probably twice as long as you think and many more trips to Home Depot than you can ever imagine

Good luck! And don't forget to take the before pictures! (We forgot on this last project when he rebuilt the kitchen pantry).

 

[Karen]

I've only done minor projects like replacing windows, etc. BUT, this sounds so exciting! Takes tons of before pictures so you can compare the afterwards. I always get so excited about doing the project I forget to do the before pictures and I always regret it!

 

[kelley]

That sounds so exciting! I think you can do it. Tearing down a wall is not really a big deal - I'm sure your husband will love it, lol. I know mine just lives for demolition-type projects. We are hiring some of our stuff done, like having someone put the granite floor in and the kitchen cabinets, but that is only because DH decided he'd rather pay than do it this time. We are doing some smaller projects ourselves though, like all the painting, general fix-ups, etc. There are so many how-to videos online that you can pretty much do anything.