Budget Wise Home — Decorating on a Budget

February 3, 2012

How Investing Money in your Home Can Increase Its Value

Hi friends! This is a sponsored post written by Adam Taylor on behalf of Bathrooms.com. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that help me keep things running here at BWH.

Many people would love to increase the value of their home. If you’re serious about
doing this then it definitely helps to invest some money in the building, as this can
make a significant difference to what your home is worth. Read on to find out about
some of the best ways to increase the value of your home through investing money in
it.

Get a loft conversion
One of the best investments you can make in your home is a loft conversion. In some
areas of the country, it can add as much as 20% to the value of the building. Loft
conversions can be used for many purposes, such as an extra bedroom or a study
depending on your needs. This means it could be a really practical addition to your
house that benefits you and your family as well as the value of the property.

Renovate the bathroom
Bathrooms are another area of the house where it definitely pays to invest. If you are
looking at bathroom suites, it can be a good idea to go for something fairly neutral
in terms of color, as this makes them more appealing to potential buyers. You can
also get some fantastic bathroom furniture, such as cabinets and cupboards, which
add valuable extra storage space and are very attractive to many people who might be interested in buying your home in the future.

Consider planning permission
Even if you aren’t planning to extend your property while you are living there, it can be a good idea to investigate the possibility of getting planning permission for doing so anyway. For instance, many people who buy houses are interested in the potential to extend them in order to add extra living and bedrooms. If your house is sold with planning permission then this can make it more valuable to the people who are interested in buying it. Having planning permission for an extension means that a lot of the hassle is removed from the process in the future, as well as showing off the potential of your house.

Upgrade plumbing and electrics
Another good investment to make in your house is an upgrade to your plumbing and electrical systems. Modern, high quality plumbing and electrics are not only attractive to buyers and therefore beneficial for the value of your house, but they also make your house much safer and more efficient. This means upgrading your systems can be something worth doing even if you’re not interested in selling the house.

Get a garage
Finally, if your property doesn’t already have a garage, it can be a good idea to build one if possible. Garages are especially attractive to people looking to buy houses in crowded urban areas. If you have a double garage, it can add as much as 15% to the value of the property and so this is definitely an investment worth considering even if you don’t plan to use it yourself.

Overall, while investments by nature cost you money up front, if you are careful about what you spend and where you spend it, any investments you make in your home should more than pay off in the long run.

Posted at: 7:20 pm by Heidi |Filed Under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

February 2, 2012

White Subway Tile

Sorry about not posting yesterday. I have some sick kiddos and things were super crazy here. Anyway, I’m happy to report that I’ve ordered my kitchen back splash tile and it will be here on Monday. Yeah!! I’m going with classic white subway tile–but with dark grout. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this look and have been dreaming of having it in my home for years. The best part is that this tile is SO cheap! Here are a few inspiration images from my file.

I was planning to do the install by myself (I’m feeling very confident) because my husband doesn’t love these projects like I do. But he actually said he wants to help me (instead of me roping him into it). He’s such a trooper and happily puts up with all the “surprise” projects I bring home.

Today I’m finishing up the roman shade, so I’ll hopefully have an update on that tomorrow.

Posted at: 11:00 am by Heidi |Filed Under: Heidi's Kitchen Reno | Leave a Comment

January 31, 2012

My Latest Gadget

I had big plans to rent a paint sprayer from Sherwin Williams to spray my kitchen cabinet doors. But they don’t allow you to use oil based paint because it’s too hard to clean. So after doing a little researching, I finally purchased my own little paint sprayer that is compatible with oil based paint.

It was so inexpensive, but all the reviews were great. You hook it up to an air compressor which gives you a high volume, low pressure paint application. It’s supposed to reduce over spray as well. I am so excited to bust this baby out in the next couple days.

I finally started my roman shade yesterday and got about half way done. I’m hoping to finish it up today and get it installed. So far so good! Things are rolling right along.

Posted at: 11:00 am by Heidi |Filed Under: Heidi's Kitchen Reno | Leave a Comment

January 30, 2012

Some Kitchen Progress

I had a very successful weekend with my kitchen. I made some good progress and although things still look a mess, I’m really close to being done. I primed and painted all the cabinets (not the doors), so that is a huge task that I checked off my list. Here is the current state of my kitchen.

The counters are in, the cabinets are painted, and the doors are primed. Here is the rest of my kitchen to-do list:

Seal the counters
Spray the doors
Install the back splash
Attach window molding
Make the roman shade

The window molding is going up today, so I’ll have an update on that project tomorrow.

Posted at: 4:51 pm by Heidi |Filed Under: Heidi's Kitchen Reno | Leave a Comment

January 26, 2012

Up to my neck in pillows

Due to lots of wet weather, my kitchen reno has come to a halt. I need to paint the cabinet doors, but that must be done outside. I’ve got a handy new paint sprayer that I’m super excited to use. But aside from that, I’m drowning in pillows. It’s all wonderful, but I’m so busy sewing. I didn’t even get to start my roman shade yesterday. Hopefully I can get caught up on my orders and crank out the shade over the weekend. I’m still crossing my fingers for a semi-sunny day.

Posted at: 11:00 am by Heidi |Filed Under: Heidi's Projects | Leave a Comment

January 25, 2012

What am I doing today?…

…well, I’m attempting to make my first roman shade. I’m a little nervous, but mostly excited. I picked up this roman shade kit from JoAnns (using a a 40% off coupon, of course).

I’m using this lovely robin egg blue fabric. The color is amazing!

The roman shade will replace the blinds that we currently have in the kitchen. I’m working on framing out the window and then I’ll mount the shade on the inside.

I’ll share a full tutorial on the shade once I’m done. Wish me luck!

Posted at: 11:00 am by Heidi |Filed Under: Heidi's Kitchen Reno | Leave a Comment

January 24, 2012

Installing Butcher Block Countertops

Installing butcher block is a DIY project that anyone can do if you’ve got the right tools. This project took my husband and I one day to complete and this was the first time we’ve done anything like this before. We used two 8 foot pieces of butcher block from Ikea. They are the cheapest around and this stuff is quality. It’s SO heavy!

Removing our old counters was a snap. They were just screwed in, so once we removed the screws on the underside, they lifted right off. My husband was a little scared about removing the sink, but it went very well. You don’t need to take the disposal apart. There were only 3 places he had to unhook and we lifted the sink right out.

Then we measured and measured again (always measure at least twice!) and made our cuts with a circular saw. You can easily rent a table saw to do this as well, or just ask around and see if you can borrow one from a neighbor. The butcher block is already standard counter depth, so you only need to cut the length.

After cutting, we gave the edges a quick sanding and then put them on. This stuff sands really well and it’s not hard to get a smooth finish.

Here is where the two pieces come together. We used the manufactured edge here and put the cut edge up against the stove where it’s not as easily seen.

Then it was time to cut out the spot for the sink. We used the old counter top as a template. We placed it right on top and traced around the opening.

Sorry I don’t have a picture of the next step. We used a jigsaw (borrowed from a nice neighbor) to cut out the sink hole. We sanded lightly around the edges, dropped the sink back in, and hooked everything up again.

The counters are also easy to secure. They come with these brackets that screw into your cabinets so you don’t need to mess with any kind of glue.

The final step is to sand and oil. We gave the whole thing a light sanding with a fine sanding block. Then we oiled it with the stuff they sell at Ikea. The maintenance is a little high at first because you are supposed to oil it every other day for first 2 weeks. But after that you just need to oil it 3-5 times a year.

So far, we LOVE them! I’m just so happy that the old ones are gone. I’ll show you more pics when the kitchen is done.

Posted at: 11:00 am by Heidi |Filed Under: Heidi's Kitchen Reno | installing butcher block countertops Leave a Comment

January 23, 2012

This Week: My Kitchen Reno

Hi everyone! Sorry I’ve been missing for a few days. But I’m back and ready to show you what has been keeping my very busy. I decided to start a mini kitchen renovation and I always seem to underestimate how much time these things will take. Things are a mess around here, but they are going well nonetheless. I’m still in the middle of it, but I thought I’d let you all in on the journey. My kitchen is the LAST room in my house to add my personal stamp to and I’m SO excited. When this is done, you’ll get the full house tour.

Here’s a look at what I did last week.

We’re not replacing any cabinets, but I’m giving them a full paint job.

Everything is going white! Yay!!

I took all the doors off and primed with my favorite Kilz spray primer. Since then, the weather has been horrible, so I’m waiting for the next sunny day to finish painting.

We also removed our counter tops. I didn’t shed one tear upon seeing these babies leave (Ok maybe just tears of joy)!

We replaced them with some fabulous and inexpensive butcher block from Ikea.

Come back tomorrow to see it and get the play by play of our installation.

Posted at: 4:58 am by Heidi |Filed Under: Heidi's Kitchen Reno | My Kitchen 2 Comments

January 18, 2012

Some Recent Design Boards

One of my favorite things about running this blog is getting to decorate for others. It’s a dream for me and there’s nothing I love more than dreaming up a space for my clients (all on a budget!). I’ve had so much fun working with Cathey, one of my e-design clients, on a few rooms in her home during the past few months. Here are the design boards I came up with for her guest bedroom and entryway.

She was leaning toward a blue and orange scheme for the guest bedroom and I was happy to run with it.

For the entry, she wasn’t sure what she wanted. I came up with this yellow and gray scheme with a pop of blue.

I kind of want to move in with her! She’s promised to send me pics of the finished rooms, so I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

If you want help creating a space you love, contact me about my e-design services.

Posted at: 11:00 am by Heidi |Filed Under: E-Design Boards | e-design boards 1 Comment

January 17, 2012

Fabric Organization

My fabric supply has gotten slightly out of control and I feel like I’ve been drowning in stacks upon stacks of fabric for months. So it was time for a much needed organizing solution.

I picked up a bunch of these wooden pants hangers from Ikea.

They were $1.00 each.