DIY

Demolition is the best part. And, if you lack skills and funds, demolition will save you a lot of money. Most professionals do not like the demolition and hauling stage, so if you can do that yourself you can save lots of money.


it's fine provided you know what you're doing. it can really easily go wrong though- when you're dealing with supporting/loadbearing walls, hidden wiring or pipes, old buildings, slightly dodgy construction, etc. :D

luckily for me my dad is the kid of a master bricklayer, my brothers are a fabricator and a kitchen fitter, and my bf is a mechanic, and i grew up amidst constant renovations. :D

most of the time i know just enough to not be completely dangerous to myself and others, and definitely enough to know when i'm getting towards the edges of my basic knowledge base, and when it's time to get on the phone, get online, or get down the library. :p

just like the house i grew up in (which i'd come home from school to, and unexpectedly find entire walls missing that were there at breakfast time) our house is a perpetual work in progress. :) most recently i ripped out the interior of a brick fireplace that some idiot had lined with horrendously badly applied ceramic floor tiles, took out and re-fitted the firebrick, and got it working again.

we're also working on making the outside pretty currently... amongst other things (french doors just went into the kitchen but it needs new cabinet doors, floor, tile, additional counter and cupboard-space, decks need to go down on the side and back of the house (current one is poured concrete that has cracked to expose bags of garbage and rotting beams :p) , 3 windows need to be bought and go in upstairs, we still have a load of laminate floor to lay upstairs too, i badly need the bathroom ripping out cos the floor is soggy and some muppet used the tile spacers completely wrong- it also needs enlarging and replumbing, the basement was put in by a stoner with bizarre ideas about partition wall placement, putting doors and doorhinges outside of the doorframes, putting headless barbie-dolls in the roof-space, running cable everywhere you could imagine ever needing cable and then some, etc, so that needs gutting, etc. busy busy. :p
 
I take it we're talking about home renovation DIY? I can't do plumbing or electrical stuff or anything like that where I live (apartment complex) but i"m trying to build my own indoor greenhouse right now, if that counts. It's nothing fancy but it has taken me HOURS of research and online shopping to figure out the best way to do it. I now have a basic understanding of flourescent lighting. I think I must have visited every hardware/home renovation store in the city now.
 
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Lookie what we built! No fingers were lost in the process...

Combination kitchen island workspace, cutting board and pot rack with storage shelf - on wheels.

photo 1.JPG photo 2.JPG

PS - that cat back there on the picnic table didn't help out at all. He just lounged around the whole time. Pfft.
 
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That looks really nice Dedalus, excellent paint job too.

Thank you, kind sir! I treated the wood with several coats of a food-safe finish which gave it a nice gloss. Here is a pic of it in the kitchen...the color really stands out in our otherwise muted theme of white, gray and black.

IMG_2619.jpg
 
OMG I love your kitchen and your deck!!! You need to post pics of your place more often. That kitchen is spotless and spacious. The deck is huge! Of course the island is equally as awesome.
 
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OMG I love your kitchen and your deck!!! You need to post pics of your place more often. That kitchen is spotless and spacious. The deck is huge! Of course the island is equally as awesome.

You're so sweet. The deck is awesome but I can't take any credit for it - as that was one of the great things about this place. But the kitchen we completely renovated - on the cheap; using all the same cabinets - just a different configuration. (We also built that pantry in the corner :) ) I'll have to find before and after pics. The sink used to be in a center island that we removed.
 
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Kitchen before:
Pantry is now where the fridge used to be. Picture in above post was taken about 4 feet to the left of this one - same angle. Stove was relocated - as was the microwave. All cabinets painted along with the walls. Oh - and the flooring. That wood was nice but when we moved the island there was a big gap there.

Kitchen before.jpg
 
I love HGTV. Everyone keeps telling me not to paint my wood cabinets. But look how nice yours look! I'm going to paint mine! :)
 
I love HGTV. Everyone keeps telling me not to paint my wood cabinets. But look how nice yours look! I'm going to paint mine! :)

Yes - it's really just a matter of what you prefer. A lot of people thought we were crazy for changing anything, I mean the kitchen wasn't all that bad to begin with. But the layout was a little clunky with the sink in the middle of the island. We like wood cabinets - but prefer a darker cherry look rather than a honey-oak finish. Since that wasn't really an option, we opted for white. (Sanding and staining would have taken way more time and effort than we were willing to put into it.)