Let's Talk Remodeling

[Miss Jasmine]

They are new cabinets.

The best, best, best thing I did was put cabinets with drawers on both sides of the stove. I love having my plates, pots and pans in the drawers. Soooo convenient!

AMITY, did you use the ceramic cleaner? Sometimes that will help with the scratches.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Okay here's some pictures. Not the greatest. I took them this morning as I was running around the house getting ready for work. And now to use Am_I_There_Yet's excuse, the color isn't coming out right in the pictures. The color is more golden than it is appearing. It makes me think of the french countryside for some reason.

The excuse has worked for me so far!

Seriously, it looks gorgeous. What a difference! It looks so much warmer. And while you say the paint is warmer than what it appears, it reminds me of my kitchen.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

AMITY, did you use the ceramic cleaner? Sometimes that will help with the scratches.

Yes, and I'm actually hoping that's what's making it look worse than it is. My husband thinks when I cleaned it last night, I might have crammed some of the cleaner down in the scratch, making it appear white. I need to get a pin and try to lightly remove it, and see if it'll fade some.

I went to everyone in the family, telling them to be careful moving things around on it, because I noticed my first scratch. I got the exact same response: "I didn't do it! I'm always careful. I'll bet (insert other sibling's name) did it! I always see her do it!"

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Breathe, breathe. Don't you just hate that???

Yes.

It's sort of like having a new car though. Sooner or later, you're gonna get a ding, and when you do, you can start parking in normal parking spaces, that don't require you to walk 1 1/2 miles to get to where you're going.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

-Remove the porn-like late 70's/early 80's gold marbled mirrored tiles in the main floor bathroom

Hey! I have those!

Just teasing. I do see them when I show houses though! Your list is absolutely exhausting!

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Yes, and I'm actually hoping that's what's making it look worse than it is. My husband thinks when I cleaned it last night, I might have crammed some of the cleaner down in the scratch, making it appear white. I need to get a pin and try to lightly remove it, and see if it'll fade some.

I went to everyone in the family, telling them to be careful moving things around on it, because I noticed my first scratch. I got the exact same response: "I didn't do it! I'm always careful. I'll bet (insert other sibling's name) did it! I always see her do it!"

Ohhh I have an idea...black sharpie (if your stovetop is black that is). Hey just trying to be helpful.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Ohhh I have an idea...black sharpie (if your stovetop is black that is). Hey just trying to be helpful.

I've done it to shoes! I never thought of using it on my stove...

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I've done it to shoes! I never thought of using it on my stove...

I was going to post how I use it on my shoes.

 

[shovan]

Yes it is track lighting. You can see it at http://www.seagulllighting.com/Ambiance-Lighting.htm (I think that is the website). Along with some other lights.
:

Thanks!

Hi everyone! I am so glad I found this thread, and I hope it is okay to join all of you. My name is Linda.

DH and I are forging ahead on a major remodel, which will include a total gut and redo of the kitchen, laundry room, and two bathrooms.
I am excited and scared all at the same time. I haven't read all of the posts on this thread yet, but that is my next order of business. I am sure I will finds lots of tips from my fellow DISers!

Welcome & good luck with all of it!

Let me tell you, I was totally in awe with myself when I went to the stoneyard to pick out my granite, and picked Uba Tuba! For once in my life, I actually gravitated towards the less expensive thing - and I loved it!

Well that must have shocked you & your DH!! I didn't spend too much time looking at granite for the bathroom yet, but I'm going to have to work really hard on not choosing the most expensive one. This is going to be costly enough as it is!

I hate that I've scared both you and Shovan! Really, I think the problem lies in getting cheap travertine. We got a good deal, and I did the research after-the-fact.

Out of roughly 200 sq.ft., I have pitting in three tiles, and it's very minor. I think compared to the stories I read about, we got a good tile for the price.
Yeah, but I wouldn't take any chances getting inexpensive travertine. I'd do my research. I love its look, and would do it again.

Don't worry about scaring us, I'd rather be aware of the pitfalls beforehand!

Okay here's some pictures. Not the greatest. I took them this morning as I was running around the house getting ready for work. And now to use Am_I_There_Yet's excuse, the color isn't coming out right in the pictures. The color is more golden than it is appearing. It makes me think of the french countryside for some reason.

And here are two BEFORE pictures:

Miss Jasmine, WOW!!! Oh I love that color! It looks wonderful, you must be so happy to have it all done! And the transformation is just amazing!

I agree with y'all on the paint towel bar syndrome! I did the hall bathroom in a tuscan gold faux finish & love it. Then the bedroom was painted a taupey gold, I have gold picked out for the den when that gets sheetrocked & I'm sure the master bath will end up with some goldish beige color in there too!

I keep a black marker in the kitchen for scratches on my fridge! It works well but you do have to keep re-applying it.

 

[Hixski]

Miss Jasmine - Those before and after pictures sure show how different your kitchen is. It really turned out beautiful.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

When DH and I were looking for houses we ran into plenty of carpeted bathrooms. I agree- whats up with that? I always assumed people were hiding something wrong with the floor like cracked tiles.

Then again, we also saw a lot of walls with foil wallpaper too! That stuff can hurt your eyes when the lights are on.

(My appologies to those that may still have these design accents in their house. )

When I was growing up my parents had orange shag carpeting...in their wood paneled family room...with fake wood ceiling beams. Ugh. I still hate orange.

They still have carpeted bathrooms too, and I have to say, I never understood how cold a bathroom floor could get until I moved out of the house. Not that I'd carpet my own bathroom, mind you. I WOULD however, put in heat lamps (another 70's holdover). They're great for when you're just not quite ready for the brightness of full lighting prior to your morning shower.

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

When I was growing up my parents had orange shag carpeting...in their wood paneled family room...with fake wood ceiling beams. Ugh. I still hate orange.

Did you grow up in my house That is exactly what our family room looked like in the 70's

 

[BillSears]

When I was growing up my parents had orange shag carpeting...in their wood paneled family room...with fake wood ceiling beams. Ugh. I still hate orange.

I have some VERY UGLY orange, gold and brown shag carpeting in my bedroom. It's been there forever and it's been on my list to replace it. But I've got a 14 year old dog and cat...so new carpets will have to wait a couple of years.

 

[SplshMtn99]

The new stove & frig were delivered today. We have the frig all set up & loaded, but the stove is still in the crate sitting in the dining room. I want to clean the old oven before we move it out so we can sell it. Old frig is in the garage.

I don't know if I love the new frig. I really like how the frig part is on the top - so no bending down. Even though we went up a size in the frig, I'm not sure if its even bigger. ??? And the freezer down below actually seems like it holds less than the old frig. ??? Maybe I just need to learn how to pack the freezer sliding baskets better. Luckily we have an upright freezer in the basement that I use also.

I don't mind it being black as much I was worried about. It matches the microwave & dishwasher now. The new stove is black too. It does stick out about 2 inches more than our old frig did. I knew it would. Luckily its at the end of the galley kitchen so not really a problem.

I hate making decisions.....and always doubt myself. Especially when the old appliances were still working properly & in good shape. Maybe I should have gone with my very original thought which was to just paint the old frig black.

 

[blanq]

Okay here's some pictures. Not the greatest. I took them this morning as I was running around the house getting ready for work. And now to use Am_I_There_Yet's excuse, the color isn't coming out right in the pictures. The color is more golden than it is appearing. It makes me think of the french countryside for some reason.

And here are two BEFORE pictures:

I love your kitchen transformation. Your cabinets are really warm and beautiful. On a side note, your retro Mickey mugs did not go unnoticed by me. I just love them, and could kick myself that I didn't buy one during my January trip. Well, I guess there is always my Oct trip to redeem myself.

 

[mickeysgal]

I love your kitchen transformation. Your cabinets are really warm and beautiful. On a side note, your retro Mickey mugs did not go unnoticed by me. I just love them, and could kick myself that I didn't buy one during my January trip. Well, I guess there is always my Oct trip to redeem myself.

Hey! Now that you mention it - I have that set as well! Canaster, sugar, creamer and mugs. They look great on your new countertop.

That is quite some transformation. It looks light years different. Beautiful!!

 

[mickeysgal]

I hate making decisions.....and always doubt myself. Especially when the old appliances were still working properly & in good shape.

Oh I hear you on this one! I can't even choose doorknobs.

Give that fridge a week or two. You may warm up to it and start to love it.

 

[blanq]

So here is a question for all of you. As I contemplate my big renovations, I would like to create a look that is more timeless for the hard surfaces (floors, tile, cabinets, and countertops). Is this even possible to achieve? I visited a tile shop this weekend and everything is so beautiful, but a lot of it seems so trendy to me; like it will not be in style for very long and then I'll want to remodel again. Vessel sinks are so beautiful, for example, but will this style have any lasting power? My home was built in 1903, so I figure I should somewhat keep to the integrity of my home. Also, I was thinking of keeping the hard surfaces more neutral, and bringing color in with paint, window treatments, etc. I think we will sell our home in 15 years, and I would prefer not to have to redo the bathrooms and the kitchen again after this. I don't know, I am kind of at a loss here. Any feedback?

 

[Syrreal]

I'm going to try to consolidate everyone's responses to my post in this reply Sorry if I missed anyone

1. Yeah, the list is pretty long. I didn't realize how long it was until I wrote it all out! It's actually shorter than what we had to do for this house before we moved it. We changed so much that it almost doesn't even look like the same house. When we bought the house we currently lived in we had to remove wallpaper from the kitchen and dining area (including patching the drywall <although patching is an understatement> since the paper had been put on w/o primer), the bedrooms, and the downstairs bathroom. We had to paint every single wall. The foyer was actually purple! The master bedroom looked like Christmas had thrown up in it (dark green carpet, dark green walls, fire engine red trim and closet doors, and gold sponging over all of it). The guest bath looked like a kid's art project (white with blue and purple sponging). We re-finished the basement, replacing old paneling with drywall and moulding. And, of course, removed the carpet from the master bath.

2. We used to have shag carpet in our house growing up too. It was a mustard/gold color. It was the 2nd ugliest thing I have ever seen. The 1st was a friend of my brother's house- it had red and pink shag carpeting.

3. I can understand the idea of not wanting to step on a cold bathroom floor, but why not put bathmats? Or even that bathroom carpeting that you can cut to fit your bathroom and that is washable? I just can't get the image of moldy urine and bathwater growing in the carpet. After all, if you are stepping on it when you get out of the shower it's getting wet, and if there is a guy that uses it, there is bound to be a time when he misses, not to mention the humidity. There has to be crud in the padding and in the carpet itself.

Did I get eveyone?

 

[SplshMtn99]

Oh I hear you on this one! I can't even choose doorknobs.

Give that fridge a week or two. You may warm up to it and start to love it.

I will. I'm one of those anal people (engineer's daughter) who picks apart how things work or don't work for us. If I give a product a good review, you know its good in every aspect. lol That's a problem for me most of the time. I'm usually less satisfied with function over any other aspect.

I'm going to try to use up a lot of little left over things in the freezer & hopefully it won't be as much as a problem with how its organized & finding stuff in it. Luckily, I'm already in a habit of having a list on the freezer door telling me what I have, how much I have & the date bought. Just a matter of finding it now. lol