December 1, 2020 by The Renovator

The 4 Most Important things to Consider for Home Renovation

You may be thinking about some home renovations; you may have a growing family (2020 lockdown baby?) or maybe you need some breathing room. Perhaps this year has shown you just how little space you have to yourself and its time to turn the spare bedroom into a workout room or a crafting area.

If you really want to create the feel you want, without all of the worry and hassle, you can call a professional to do the work and take some of the following into consideration.

Here are 4 things to think about when designing your new space:

Make a list of the things you like and don’t like about your current space

If you are thinking about a home renovation, it started with a pain point. Usually that happens when a new member of the family is introduced and you realize that they need a room, or you have a new focus in life and want the space to realize your dreams and potential. Whatever the reason, write it down so that you can visualize the changes you want to make. This is the first step to organizing the direction you want this renovation to take.

Look for ideas online and in magazines

Many people think that the days of clipping ideas for projects out of magazine articles are gone, but that’s simply not the case. Pinterest is certainly the go-to for ideas for any creative project, but so are sites like Etsy as well as This Old House. When you’re in the grocery store, grab a magazine and pull out all of the pictures that make you think of what you want your new space to look like. The person you hire to do the work will be able to take your ideas and run with them.

Get personal

One of the best things about building on or adding new space into your home is the freedom to choose any kind of material or style. You are free to make this project something that purely reflects your personality and personal style. Now is the time to integrate that custom feature that you’ve always wanted to have. The sky is the limit.

While we’re talking about the sky, let’s also talk about budget

Make sure that whoever you hire is capable of looking at the different cost ranges of the options that you like and who is willing to be honest with you about what can and cannot be done. A good contractor will listen to what you want and not expect you to know or understand HOW it should be constructed (why would you hire someone, otherwise?) and will never make you feel foolish for suggesting things that you have been planning.

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November 11, 2020 by The Renovator

Decisions, decisions

The Carpenter, while on a job recently, was solicited for advice by the Homeowner. This is such a common occurrence that we decided to start this blog.

Each homeowner has a pain point when it comes to their house, and at the root of that pain point is always the indecision of how a certain issue in their home should 1) Be Handled or 2) Be Designed.

Now – I am not going to give you design ideas. I am exceedingly poor in that department. The Carpenter is MUCH better at design and art than this poor IT lady.

Here is a story:

The Carpenter, at my request, removed a door from one of the rooms in our house. Its an older house, and there were two doors going from our living-room into an adjoining room. I required, only one, door. He did a beautiful job! The result was a living-room with a wall that was covered in spackle.

One year later, my mother was visiting and asked when we would paint the living-room.

The Carpenter: “When she picks a color.”

Oh lawd.

The second year was peppered by The Carpenter showing me paint chips from Home Depot (no, they’re not paying me to say this – we just live there and they’re nice enough to not kick us out). It started with an entire book of colors.

I couldn’t decide, thanked him, and set it to the side. Then a few months later I was presented with another selection of colors. A smaller selection this time. This went on as part of our monthly routine, until… The Carpenter came up holding 3 paint chips that were all the same color of varying shades and said: “You like purple.”

I said: “Yes! Yes, I DO like purple.” and I pointed to the color that is now covering the wall of my living-room.

So, The Carpenter is exceedingly good at giving people a nudge in the direction that they want to be going.

At this recent job, the Homeowner hired The Carpenter to do a number of jobs. During the course of one unrelated job, the Homeowner started talking to him about the carport cover. She was undecided as to what should be used to cover the ceiling rafters. The Carpenter suggested she leave it open, since she had expressed a fondness for older-styled string lights and the juxtaposition of wood and industrial.

Decision made.

Instead of spending the extra money to enclose the ceiling of the carport, she went with something that was less expensive and more pleasing to her eye than the original concept. The Carpenter and his trusty pressure-washer did quick work of the carport, and the Homeowner and her friend proceeded to white-wash the carport ceiling. The result was exactly what she wanted.

It just took a little nudge.

May 13, 2019 by The Renovator

The Top 20 Tools Every Homeowner Should Have

By The Renovator | This Post May Contain Affiliate Links

Whether you are living in your first home, an apartment, or you’re a super DIY-er, we have a list of tools that every person should have in their proverbial “toolkit”.

Speaking of toolkit, you will need a place to put your tools. If you’re starting out small and have limited space then a dual-purpose organizational cabinet with baskets and drawers may be the way that you want to go, especially if you are keeping the tools inside your home. If you have enough room to keep your tools outside in a garage or storage shed, then a tool cabinet with casters and drawers and some carefully placed hooks on the wall will do the trick for you.

We have a combination of both due to the nature of the business and truthfully, we have more than what we could ever want. If you ask Erric though there will come a time when that little hoo-dad in the corner will be exactly what he needs to get the job done. I am more of a chuck-it-and-forget-about-it kind of gal, so to me it looks a lot like a hardware store sneezed in my garage. That’s a story for another blog post though!

Also #5 actually saved our marriage, but again, that’s a story for another blog post…

The Top 20 Tools Every Homeowner Should Have:

Smooth-face hammer. I mean, this one goes without saying – or does it? How many times have you needed to nail something to the wall to hang, tap that drawer back in alignment, smash a bug? If you get a hammer with a straight claw on it, you can use it to pull out nails and do a little bit of demolition at the same time. A 16-ounce hammer will do you just fine.
Cordless drill and drill bits. We use this all the time. Anyone that shops at Ikea should have one of these. Anyone that puts their kids bikes together when they get them from the big box store the day before Christmas (ahem) should have one of these. You could also go for a corded variety, but we prefer the versatility of cordless.
Pliers. There are two different kinds of pliers that would be great all-around tools to have in your kit: channel-lock and needle-nose. Channel lock pliers are adjustable and can be used to unscrew nuts of all different sizes. Needle-nose pliers get into the hard-to-reach places and have a wire-cutter at the crook of the pliers which is invaluable.
Torpedo Level. A torpedo level is a little level designed to be used in smaller spaces and is perfect for anyone wanting to start their toolkit and have something on hand to make sure that all their pictures are hung nice and neat.
Plunger. You must have this. If there is ever one thing to have, it is going to be a plunger. You would not necessarily want to keep it in your toolkit with the rest of your tools but next to the toilet in the bathroom is perfect. It gives a whole new meaning to Taco Tuesday.
Tape Measure. A nice, sturdy, 16-foot tape measure will cover just about any household application that you’re considering. Whether you’re measuring the opening of the door to see if the new couch will fit (preferably before you purchase it), or you’re measuring the height of a new entertainment center, a good tape measure is a must-have.
Utility Knife. You will want one with a retractable blade that you can pull back into the handle when not in use.
Screwdriver. You could get a screwdriver set that comes with both phillips and flat-head drivers in a variety of sizes, or you could just go with a multi-bit screwdriver. Multi-bit screwdrivers have all the tips that you will need for most of your projects.
Flashlight. It isn’t something that we think about often, but when the power goes out (notice how I didn’t say “if”, I said “when”) you want to be prepared and not be left fumbling around in the dark looking for last year’s birthday candles and the spare lighter you had lying around here somewhere. A couple of well-placed flashlights in your home with fresh batteries will keep you out of trouble when the darkness descends.
Prybar. Honestly, tool #1 could be used in some cases as a prybar. When you need something that is stouter and is longer, and can therefore provide more leverage, then you will want a prybar.
Allen wrench. While a little set of these things come with just about every furniture set that you purchase and put together yourself, it is always a good idea to have these on hand. For exactly that reason.
Safety glasses. It really should go without saying that appropriate eye protection is a must, but you would be surprised how many people say “Oh, this will only take me a minute, I don’t need safety glasses.” Just remember, it’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.
Handsaw. Not every homeowner will have the electric big brother to this item, in the form of a circular saw. When you don’t have a circular saw or the job doesn’t necessitate lugging it out of the garage, then a handsaw will work.
Paint Brushes. These will not be cheap. Let me rephrase that: These should not be cheap. The last thing that you want to have on your beautifully painted trim, is leftover brush hair bristles that came loose because you got El-Cheapo-Brand paint brushes. Go with the good quality brushes and take care of them; they will take care of you.
Painter’s 5-way Multi-Tool. This goofy looking tool has so many useful applications, that aren’t necessarily limited to painting. You can use it to open your paint cans, clean your rollers, scrape off paint or debris, and can be used in a pinch as a putty knife. The opportunities are endless.
Adjustable crescent wrenches. Get them in both 6- and 14-inch sizes, and they will be enough to handle all the nut jobs in your life.
Fire extinguisher. Enough said.
Caulking Gun. You should get in the practice of caulking your house at least once a year to create a water-barrier.
Box of Fasteners. This should include an assortment of nails, screws, washers, nuts, and bolts. This is probably going to be replenished when you buy the furniture that supplied you with the Allen wrenches.
Square. A simple adjustable square will work for any application. These squares adjust out at any degree of angle, giving you a high “degree” of versatility. (we’ll be here all week, folks)