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YUP, a new Storm Door...
Sounds good doesn't it? Well as it turns out this project is not for the faint of heart. I immediately opened the instructions as one should and read them, laid out my hardware and thought this can't be too hard. Mind you I have never done this before and the first problem started with the hinges. So very professionally I pre-drilled the holes as directed for the door frame. Now the hinges, oh there was a left way and a right way to do it, mmmh, where was the picture to show me which way to flip these guys? So, you guessed it I googled the whole thing and a guy on You Tube showed me how to do it! Next thing was to hang this door. I thought my door was square as I had taken the old one out and it looked just fine, but it wasn't. I improvised as best as I could short of cobbing it and probably took the door off about 50 times until I got it right. Of course the guy on You Tube did a great job because everything was square. So finally the door hangs and then you have to line up the handle-lock with the door frame. That took 2 nights (all after hours) because I simply could not line up the lock. But here we are and it works! Kinda like giving birth, you hate to go through it, but afterwards you forget all about it!! |
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What about a closet-office?
Guest Room Before
Closet Before
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My guest room was, well so plain it begged for something and so you know what happens when you have a lot of paint left... everything gets painted, nothing is save from your brush! Go green... A closet - office...mmmh While painting and painting and painting, I brainstormed the utterly boring layout of this room... really my guests didn't need two closets because they weren't going to stay that long, right? Yes, a closet -office that was it, all the closet needed was a couple of shelves, a table top and more paint. I looked around the house and found some spare lumber which worked fine for the side mail holder and or file holder. I bought 3 boards 12" wide (2 on the bottom for the table top and 1 for the book shelf). Painted everything bright white (naturally) and added a small table lamp for some hominess. |
Closet After
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Not to forget the cozy bed
Add a bargain lamp for $9 and a few toss pillows, and the room is almost complete... The small yellow pillow on the chair is made from 2 cloth place mats found at Target. |
Side Detail
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Inside the closet office...
I was going to buy the usual 3 tier hanging wall folder with mounting brackets but after looking at the price tag I decided to try something else and when I found these folders on sale for $1.49 each at the Office Depot that motivated me to use what I already had. Below the file folders is a small wrought iron hanger I had for some time and didn't really know where to use it. It worked perfectly for a small stack of "Thank You" notes tucked away for later use. This was a very inexpensive fun project, it added some practicality, as well as a point of interest to the room. $ Dollar Wise |
Bedroom makeover
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Before
I have to admit that I liked this wall color for about 2 years but then it was done, poof gone! I custom mixed my own paint to a light, warm vanilla and I think it transformed the space to more possibilities. Oh, and I had painted the floor temporarily with white paint simulating boards cause I ripped out the carpet and the underlayment was stark and ugly. How and with what could I cover this room without going under financially? You guessed it I was painting and that's when it hit me... Furring Strips, oh really, you're kidding? The sub flooring was in good shape so laying out the floor with furring strips was relatively easy. Of course these strips were not perfect but I was pleasantly surprised with the end result. In fact these really nice guys at Lowe's helped me pick out good pieces through a huge pile of furring strips. Yeah for Lowe's! I later stained them with a golden brown and polyed with a gloss finish. The room has a very modern look to it with warm neutral tones. This is the ultimate in thriftiness I might add and it really worked! After I went to Lowe's again and picked up 2 matching Table Lamps in a light tan brown and to J. C. Penney for the white sheers. You can't see it but they have a line pattern in the fabric for a more modern look. Before the built-in corner shelf. Here is another view were the dresser used to be. There was no architectural detail to make this room interesting. So I started to think shelves, I always loved book cases, so here was my opportunity. I had never built one before so I googled it, and I found this simple plan for an L-shaped built in bookshelf. After Back to Lowe's where I found nice pine shelving and some trim. The plans I had downloaded were really simple. It took a few afternoons but it really took my bedroom to the next level. Plus it added storage. Another wahoo project completed and it didn't break the bank. $ Dollar Wise $ |
