THings I have learned while redecorating/relandscaping this house

[binny]

1) plants grow. Some of them grow A LOT especially Hostas and Daylillies. do NOT plant 11 Hostas in a 10 sq ft area.

2) OK so you LIKE a certain plant ( read Daylillies) Nobody needs 30 of them. Try some variety for petes sake.

3) When said plants over take the garden area QUIT PLANTING THEM. They dont get smaller!

4) When applying wallpaper, do it right, do not put it directly onto drywall. yes its faster, but it just isnt right. Just say no to wallpaper

5) Do not put a busy wallpaper print in a small bathroom, trust me on this one, one day of the stomach flu in that room and you will thank me for this advice. Again, just say NO to wallpaper!

6) Blue is my favourite colour. However I really dislike blue cabinets. Not only do they scream the 80's, they do NOT cover well with paint.

7) Countertops and floors should also not be blue. At least not with the blue cabinets all in one room

8) Keep in mind that if you carry said blue and white flooring into another room that it should match that room as well. Blue and white floors do NOT go with red/green plaid wallpaper in the little bathroom down the hall. *shudder*

9) always open windows when painting in a small bathroom, fans, windows, whatever you can ventilate!

So those are my lessons so far

Anyone want to add some more lessons youve learned in redoing your home?

 

[Marla Hellwig]

ohhhhhhh I can second the wall paper put right on dry wall - I have been in my house since 1981 - 1982 and that wall paper is still up - finally gave up trying to get it off - and paneled that wall

 

[sweet angel]

Wallpapering is the quickest route to a divorce.

 

[binny]

Wallpapering is the quickest route to a divorce.

and so is removing/painting over it!

 

[diznygirl]

Paint everything white!


No matter how many times you have to paint the wall, or what color you choose, the wife is always right in the end! Accept this at the beginning - it will make life easier!

 

[KristaTX]

1) Never ever ever put up a chain link fence. If you already have one, continuously keep up with weeding so as to prevent trees from growing up through it. Future homeowners will appreciate it.

2) Never put in wallpaper. It will be outdated much more quickly than you think.

3) Put AC vents in places where they won't affect furniture or appliance placement.

4) Never plant a mimosa, a Bradford Pear, or a poplar.

5) Plant things that grow easily within your climate.

6) Plant evergreen things.

7) Insulate your wall light switches with those little cheap foam insulators - especially on outside walls.

8) Don't collect concrete chunks "just in case" you might need them someday (Whoever had our house before us did this, and it was a pain to haul it all off).

9) Plant perennials.

10) Plant rosemary if you live in North Texas. It grows great here, is evergreen, and you can cook with it.

11) Don't put in short bathroom counters unless you are short or it's a kids bathroom.

12) Don't paint every room a different color from every other room.

13) Don't carpet a bathroom or a kitchen.

14) Don't have different colors of carpet in adjoining rooms.

15) Actually, don't put carpet in at all except for maybe the bedrooms. Use wood, tile, concrete, etc.

16) If you are designing a kitchen, read up on what makes for a user-friendly kitchen. Particularly when it comes to appliance placement.

17) Never plant a yucca.

 

[newholidayx2]

Never have the entire main floor (mstr bed, mstr bath, kitchen, living/dining, den, front bath) of your house painted all at once! OMG!
I keep changing my mind on the colors - lol
Its been 3 days now. Mstr bed is bright blue (Pool party), mstr bath is pale blue (Splash). Front bath is bright green (Caribbean Cool), den will be lighter green. And the finally decision on the kitchen is "pink sand" which is a pink/tan. The dining/living will be a darker pink/tan with 1 wall of the dining which extends from the kitchen being "Pink sand".
Yup we're going with mostly tropical colors. Moved into the house Dec 1993 - walls were only primed. This is our first time having the walls painted - its taking 3 coats and lots of tape stripping.
Its not fun not knowing where to find tooth brushes, etc. Not only do the big furniture pieces need to be moved but its hard to find anything!

 

[barkley]

1. if you want to take a trip down the memory lane of decorating trends-start removing the existing kitchen wallpaper our first home had the country 80's, under which was the foil looking 70's, under which was the rainbow like 60's and finaly the pink and brown fab 50's.

2. don't put a pedastil sink into a "non guest" bathroom (there are some personal items that don't store well in a tiny medicine cabinet ).

3. don't plant anything that will attract birds in any area you do not wish to have bird droppings ("but honey those vines looked so pretty on the gazebo at the home and garden show" ).

4. contractors make their bread and butter off the jobs husbands say "we don't need a professional for this, i can knock it out this weekend while me and the guys are watching the game" about

5. drip systems are the best investment money can buy-once installed they are quick and easy to add to for veggie gardens, hanging plants and the like.

6. go with non white grout!!!!!!!! just the tiniest bit of coloring will keep them from looking grungy after the first cup of coffee has been spilt on them.

7. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL!!!!!! train the kids (and some husbands ) to eat ONLY in the kitchen (with the exception of preapproved and mom authorized major holidays at the dining table). it's much easier on up keep. also limit non milk liquid consumption of children to clear colored fluids (apple juice, white grape juice and the like)-the stain you worked so hard to get out of the carpet will always reappear with the next deep cleaning.

 

[MareQ]

1. NEVER glaze a white room with red paint unless you are shooting for a raspberry color.

2. When you discover that's it's almost impossible to paint behind the toilet DO NOT ASK DH TO REMOVE THE TOILET - it's not worth the trouble and NOBDOY can see back there anyway

 

[binny]

2. When you discover that's it's almost impossible to paint behind the toilet DO NOT ASK DH TO REMOVE THE TOILET - it's not worth the trouble and NOBDOY can see back there anyway

I ust returned from tackling that little space, wish I had read your response beforehand! LOL

Its ok, it wasnt too bad. But now that it has primer on it it probably wont get a second coat of paint!



Oh yeah, NEVER, under any circumstance plant morning glory!!! The lady who lived here did, she actually planted it!! and NOT the good stuff. It is everywhere!!! Last owners had to dig up a whole side yard just to get rid of the stupid thing and it has gone around the neighbourhood. WTH????

 

[janette]

4) When applying wallpaper, do it right, do not put it directly onto drywall. yes its faster, but it just isnt right. Just say no to wallpaper

5) Do not put a busy wallpaper print in a small bathroom, trust me on this one, one day of the stomach flu in that room and you will thank me for this advice. Again, just say NO to wallpaper!

Wallpaper just shouldn't be allowed! I've removed it from the kitchen and master bath and only have the guest bath to do. My master bath looks great now just have to get my Disney prints up.

 

[binny]

Jannette, its all over my bedroom too. Thankfully it isnt terrible, its a sandy colour with kind of a sandy/foil border. Pretty non ubstrusive. I dread the day I have to take it down or paint over it though. The room is 22 X 18!!!

 

[janette]

1. NEVER glaze a white room with red paint unless you are shooting for a raspberry color.

2. When you discover that's it's almost impossible to paint behind the toilet DO NOT ASK DH TO REMOVE THE TOILET - it's not worth the trouble and NOBDOY can see back there anyway

I need to move the toilet to paint the guest bath. I have a plan, I'm going to have the floors done so I'll just have them put it back The last one I moved I ended up having a leak and had to buy a new toilet because the old one didn't fit after putting new tile on the floor.

 

[barkley]

unless you like spiders, rodents and capturing children's action figures-do not plant juniper bushes!!!!!!! if you have them however, trimming them down low to the ground and pouring undiluted roundup on the stubbs causes the roots to turn to powder within days

it is easier to re-sheetrock over circa '70s faux wood paneling than to remove it. and despite what those home improvement shows say-painting over it does not make it "appear" the same as the adjoining painted walls (my mil has 6 different types in her living room and kitchen alone-including the "flaking" foam bricks-iiiiiick).

"plant shelves" should be renamed "dust collecting, helium balloon capturing graveyards for silk plant shelves"-and unless you like getting up on an extention ladder while balancing a vacuum-avoid them at all costs!

with new construction-spend a little more and fully insulate the garage. that way you can go out into it without either freezing in the winter or passing out in the summer.

 

[NAB]

Don't buy dark or glass furniture if you don't want to see dust on it everyday. I can dust and sit down and look at my end tables and see dust. Same as my Boston stained bedroom furniture. We had a blonde colour before so you couldn't really see it but now. We also put in natural maple hardwood looks beautiful with the dark furniture but you have to sweep it everyday or you see dust bunnies everywhere. I made more work for myself after we did the bedroom.

 

[janette]

Jannette, its all over my bedroom too. Thankfully it isnt terrible, its a sandy colour with kind of a sandy/foil border. Pretty non ubstrusive. I dread the day I have to take it down or paint over it though. The room is 22 X 18!!!

What a nightmare, our master bath was pretty good size maybe 16x10 I can't imagine doing a bigger room. At least with a bath or kitchen there isn't as much wall space. Sadly none of the paper was on good enough to paint over except what was stuck to the drywall

 

[sweet angel]

Never, ever plant grapevine. I've been here 6 years and still can't find the originating place. The places I thought were the originating places have been doused with bleach and vegetation killer....to no avail.

 

[binny]

grapevine????
ouch.

 

[FroggyinArk]

while i have several horror stories from work,, i'll leave this thread with just one word.



bamboo

 

[binny]

ouch Froggy!

Oh do tell your horror stories! We need to know from a professional what to avoid!