Chava_Raizel Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 And by cheap I mean free or nearly free. When we bought this house 7 years ago, it needed work, and we had plans to fix it up. Fast-forward to now--we've done absolutely NOTHING. The walls need to be repainted, the carpets are old and faded, the linoleum in the kitchen has tears (which dh "fixed" with duct tape :001_rolleyes: ), we're down to a loveseat and chair in the living room because the couch was destroyed by the kids and dog, and the remaining furniture has holes in it from the kids too. The cabinets are falling apart...it's horrible. Dh says we don't have the money to fix anything up. I know there's no money for a remodel or anything major, but there has to be something we can do to make this place livable. It seriously depresses me how ugly our house is. Even when it's super clean it's still sad and dreary. Another thing that we really need to do something about is our pellet stove. This house has baseboard heat, and the first thing we did when we moved in was to install a pellet stove. Supposedly it would lessen our heating costs (with the cost of pellets being almost $700 for 2 pallets, which only lasts the season, plus the cost of electricity to run the stove, this is debatable), but what drives me nuts is all the ash. By the end of winter everything is gray and dirty no matter how much I clean it. This can't be healthy, but besides getting rid of the stove, I'm not sure what else we can do about it. What can I do to fix this place up? I am open to any and all ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 :bigear: We are also in need of sprucing up significantly without having much to invest -- I am eager to hear what people suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny_P Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Paint for your walls is relatively cheap, of course. I was just at a friends house where they have removed some of the flooring and painted the concrete. I like the look and it's very practical, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chava_Raizel Posted June 15, 2011 Author Share Posted June 15, 2011 Paint for your walls is relatively cheap, of course. I was just at a friends house where they have removed some of the flooring and painted the concrete. I like the look and it's very practical, too. I had heard of this before, but with an accident prone 2 year old, that just seems like it would be an accident waiting to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Magic eraser the walls and the linoleum (after you pull up the duct tape if it isn't necessary). Wax the linoleum for a fresh shine. Practically free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Well I don't know if you can do completely free. Try asking for unneeded stuff on Freecycle (half used cans of paint, etc). I have tons of half used this or that and if someone asked for them on Freecycle I would gladly give them to them rather than throw them out. Another cheap resource for home improvement needs are the Habitat for Humanity Restore Resale Outlets (they list where they are on their website). They sell things for a fraction of the cost. :iagree:Not just habitat outlets, but architectural salvage places in general. Some architectural salvage companies carry some great stuff. Home improvement stores sell returned custom-mixed paint for a low cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I really feel for you! I don't think men understand how important having a cheerful, beautiful home is. When I mean beautiful I don't mean expensive or perfect. My husband has finally realized how important my home is. I need to have pretty things around. It really feeds my soul. My biggest suggestion is to look around your town. I have found some really nice things on the side of the road for garbage pickup. I found a beautiful antique mirror that is now above my old chipped up upright piano. They look like they were made to go together. I also found an old, handmade, chipped up trunk that I now use to store the kids' board games. I could go on. I just love finding junk like that. There are some really great finds out there that people are just throwing away. My big tip for finding interesting things is go to the neighborhoods with older beautiful homes. Find out when their garbage pick up is and go the day before. That's when I score big finds! God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 (edited) :grouphug: I used to live in a junky house that we had to fix up little by little. The first thing I did was rip out the terrible carpet because there was a wooden floor beneath. Big improvement. The kitchen was a joke, and the cabinet doors (which were only plywood) were painted a dirty pink color! :tongue_smilie: I took the doors and hardware completely off and painted the insides of the cabinets clean white. Then I used some fabric I had and sewed a little curtain for the window. I stacked all my dishes neatly, got rid of everything I didn't love, and the 'open air' cabinets were lovely and clean and tidy. You can usually find nice sheets, blankets, and curtains at Goodwill to use as furniture throws. Also look for a few decorator knick-knacks at the thrift store to set here and there for something new. Always be on the lookout for things like drawer pulls and silk green plants. Recycle old clothes and make an old fashioned rag rug. A can of paint will do wonders! Edited June 15, 2011 by Blueridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 A couple of cans of paint can do wonders. Use bright cheery colors. Look at the hardware stores in their mistints. You can get a good gallon for cheap, just make sure you buy enough for the entire room. Check Walmart for material. Sometimes they have decorator fabrics for 1.00 or 2.00 a yard. I spent 10.00 for new drapes for our kitchen, my mom sewed the curtains. They look very expensive. Bamboo rods can become curtain rods, they can be found cheap a hobby lobby. I even bought cheap hooks from Walmart as hangers when I couldn't afford real rods. Spray paint accessories. If you have fewer colors in a room it can make the whole room look more cohesive. Get some glue and screws to put the cabinets back together. I ripped up the carpet in our previous home. We lived on concrete for a while. It was so much better than 30 year old nasty carpet. I understand about accident prone kids though, maybe you could do a few inexpensive area rugs. If you have a Big Lots near you they sometimes have large area rugs for cheap. Cheap your library for books on decorating. Even if you can't recreate something it might give you some inspiration. I agree about scouring on trash day. I've pulled a few decent pieces of furniture off the side of the road in my day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon H in IL Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Great ideas are to be found in the three-in-one volume of The Tightwad Gazette, by Amy Dacyczyn (aka the Frugal Zealot). She tells you how to get paint either free or at very low cost, and how to have a paint store tint it for you. She tells you how to sew hard-wearing denim slipcovers for your sofa. Can you barter to have this done? Babysit, type, garden produce, etc., etc. As other posters mentioned, search online for Habitat for Humanity ReStore. If there is one near you, you will be well rewarded if you regularly go there, looking for sinks, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, light fixtures. Heck, I once bought a bunch of lightbulbs for .10 each. Other thrift stores have occasional treasures of rugs, curtains, slipcovers, pillows, lamps, armchairs, etc. to be had for a song. Do a map search to find the ones in ritzy neighborhoods. Does your area have Freecycle? Craigslist? Keep your eye on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 And by cheap I mean free or nearly free. When we bought this house 7 years ago, it needed work, and we had plans to fix it up. Fast-forward to now--we've done absolutely NOTHING. The walls need to be repainted, the carpets are old and faded, the linoleum in the kitchen has tears (which dh "fixed" with duct tape :001_rolleyes: ), we're down to a loveseat and chair in the living room because the couch was destroyed by the kids and dog, and the remaining furniture has holes in it from the kids too. The cabinets are falling apart...it's horrible. Dh says we don't have the money to fix anything up. I know there's no money for a remodel or anything major, but there has to be something we can do to make this place livable. It seriously depresses me how ugly our house is. Even when it's super clean it's still sad and dreary. Another thing that we really need to do something about is our pellet stove. This house has baseboard heat, and the first thing we did when we moved in was to install a pellet stove. Supposedly it would lessen our heating costs (with the cost of pellets being almost $700 for 2 pallets, which only lasts the season, plus the cost of electricity to run the stove, this is debatable), but what drives me nuts is all the ash. By the end of winter everything is gray and dirty no matter how much I clean it. This can't be healthy, but besides getting rid of the stove, I'm not sure what else we can do about it. What can I do to fix this place up? I am open to any and all ideas. Can I ask where you are buying pellets? I can get two tons for just over $500 delivered. Also if you are getting soot and ash inside the house the stove is not properly installed. As for redecorating, buy paint from Walmart. It is cheap but will last at least 5 years. Check under your carpet and see what kind of flooring you have under there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise in Florida Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 There is a lot you can do yourself to freshen up a house. When the girls were little (3 & 5) we moved into an old house. The house was structurally sound but really dated and the carpet smelled like wet dog. Some of the projects I did (while my husband travelled on business :001_smile:) Ripped out the carpet and cleaned the flooring underneath (it was actually okay on its own). A painted floor is better than old carpet. Bought $1/yard fabric and sewed new curtains for the bedrooms and kitchen. I threw out the old curtains in the living room and dining room and then just left the windows uncovered. I found some sunflower prints that went with the kitchen fabric and framed and hung them. Found a new kitchen door on clearance at Home Depot and then stained and finished it myself. Re-caulked the tubs and re-grouted the tile. (very cheap and really made the bathrooms nicer) Found old baskets and a cool table top (trash picked) and cleaned them up to decorate the entry way (it was huge). My dh never knew what would happen while he was gone.:lol: Thanks for this topic. Now I am feeling inspired to fix up my current place and ironically my dh is working out of town right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 As others have said, I would check out Habitat Re-sale stores, yard or estate sales, Goodwill, etc. for cheap, but nice used furniture, etc. Be careful of bed bugs, however! Check every crack and crevice of what you buy before you bring it home and perhaps leave it out in a garage, etc. for a day or two and spray it with disinfectant and check again before you move it into the house if you can.... You can get rejected cans of paint at most Lowe's or Home Depot type stores for cheap. You might find some great colors that you really like (and unique colors, too) by doing this. I'm not sure why your pellet stove would be putting ash into your house. I don't think I've ever heard of this before. Perhaps you need the flue checked out or something.... I would see what's under the carpet that you'd like to take up. If there are wood floors, I would rip up the carpets and rent a sander, then stain (very darkly if they're not in good shape) and seal them. If they are too bad, you might also paint them. If concrete, you could clean, stain, and seal it, then pick up cheap, used area rugs to cover portions (again, check for bugs). Buy one at a time, as you can.... None of my area rugs "match," but they all have similar colors in them.... If the linoleum is of a certain age, it may contain asbestos and cannot be easily removed. However, you may be able to cover over it with a peel and stick tile and there are lots of varieties of this available now that really look like real tile (but it's actually softer and warmer on the feet than tile). You can regularly find this stuff on sales, too - you might check after Fourth of July, for instance. Just make sure you get something thick enough so that any pattern/indentations in your old linoleum won't show through.... Okay, I'm not sure why furniture would have holes in it from children, unless the material was really bad or very worn to begin with. Surely if your children are not purposefully poking holes in furniture fabric or cutting it then it must have just worn out. In looking for replacements, I would look for heavy duty materials (we use heavy denim a lot in our house) that will last you a long time. Heavy canvas is another good choice, or heavier fabrics on older furniture that doesn't look worn would be a good choice (most fabrics today are thinner than they once were, so older furniture may hold up better). And if the kids really are tearing up the furniture, then there'd be a dressing down coming, if it were me, about how to take care of our things or else we'll just sit on the hard floor, sleep on the hard floor, etc. from now on.... I'm assuming you mean the kitchen cabinets when you say the cabinets are falling apart. I would take off all the doors, wash them down with a degreaser and paint or restain them. Fill in any holes first with wood filler. I'd take off the handles and fill in holes with wood filler. If the hinges need replacing, then I'd look for cheap hinges and new door knobs - again, at someplace like the Re-Sale store - and replace those. If the hinges are okay, but are just loose, then I'd refill all those holes and redrill. One thing that might come in handy is to fill those with small wooden dowel pieces as well as wood filler, then you have new wood to drill into when you redrill and it should hold them in place better so they won't (hopefully) come loose again. If your bathroom cabinets are in bad shape, you could do the same for them. If you already own items that need new life, you may create lovely displays by spray painting a number of things all the same color, either to hang or to display on a table, mantle, etc. If you have some furniture that needs new life, likewise, you can restain or paint it in complimentary colors to add a bit of pop to your house. Hope you find some good ideas that you can use to help you out in your quest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chava_Raizel Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 I'm not sure why your pellet stove would be putting ash into your house. I don't think I've ever heard of this before. Perhaps you need the flue checked out or something.... I would see what's under the carpet that you'd like to take up. If there are wood floors, I would rip up the carpets and rent a sander, then stain (very darkly if they're not in good shape) and seal them. If they are too bad, you might also paint them. If concrete, you could clean, stain, and seal it, then pick up cheap, used area rugs to cover portions (again, check for bugs). Buy one at a time, as you can.... None of my area rugs "match," but they all have similar colors in them.... If the linoleum is of a certain age, it may contain asbestos and cannot be easily removed. However, you may be able to cover over it with a peel and stick tile and there are lots of varieties of this available now that really look like real tile (but it's actually softer and warmer on the feet than tile). You can regularly find this stuff on sales, too - you might check after Fourth of July, for instance. Just make sure you get something thick enough so that any pattern/indentations in your old linoleum won't show through.... Okay, I'm not sure why furniture would have holes in it from children, unless the material was really bad or very worn to begin with. Surely if your children are not purposefully poking holes in furniture fabric or cutting it then it must have just worn out. In looking for replacements, I would look for heavy duty materials (we use heavy denim a lot in our house) that will last you a long time. Heavy canvas is another good choice, or heavier fabrics on older furniture that doesn't look worn would be a good choice (most fabrics today are thinner than they once were, so older furniture may hold up better). And if the kids really are tearing up the furniture, then there'd be a dressing down coming, if it were me, about how to take care of our things or else we'll just sit on the hard floor, sleep on the hard floor, etc. from now on.... I'm assuming you mean the kitchen cabinets when you say the cabinets are falling apart. I would take off all the doors, wash them down with a degreaser and paint or restain them. Fill in any holes first with wood filler. I'd take off the handles and fill in holes with wood filler. If the hinges need replacing, then I'd look for cheap hinges and new door knobs - again, at someplace like the Re-Sale store - and replace those. If the hinges are okay, but are just loose, then I'd refill all those holes and redrill. One thing that might come in handy is to fill those with small wooden dowel pieces as well as wood filler, then you have new wood to drill into when you redrill and it should hold them in place better so they won't (hopefully) come loose again. If your bathroom cabinets are in bad shape, you could do the same for them. I'm beginning to think there is something wrong with our stove--we've had it for nearly 7 years and it's always put out ash. Everything just has a dingy look to it. We're going to have to look into this. I'm also rethinking concrete flooring. Our house was built in the late 80's, so it's definitely not wood underneath anything. I just don't know what dh will think of doing that. He's not much for creative home decor, lol. As to the furniture, the kids are always standing on it or jumping on it, and the seams are ripping. We've tried sewing the holes, but they've ripped them out again. Believe me, I've tried to get them to stop, but the winters are long here and the kids (especially my twin boys) have way too much energy. The cabinets are laminate and they're peeling. I'm not sure any amount of paint will fix that. Even the inside of the cabinets are chipped and peeling. They really need to be replaced, but I don't know how we'll manage that cheaply. The closest Habitat store is an hour away, so I don't know if it would be worth it to go check it out. Thanks for all the ideas! I'm writing down all the ideas, and I'll have to see what I can come up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 You might call around to regular furniture stores. I know many of them have been hit in this economy and may have a resale/consignment section. I went through one a few months ago and things were very reasonable, plus anything upholstered had been steam cleaned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I just don't know what dh will think of doing that. He's not much for creative home decor, lol. Ya know... ahem. You might have to ask him to be willing to try something new for the sake of your happiness. I don't think that's too much to ask. The one thing we found was that our linoleum (from the mid-sixties) was glued down with some kind of asphaltey mastic. It was *nasty* and after we took up the tiles (scraping them up with a flat prybar), we had to use mineral spirits to dissolve the goo. I hope yours is better than that; just know what you're getting yourself into before you commit to that course of action. (Even with all that work, it was worth it for us.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatDilan Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Another idea...maybe a little silly, but hey why not! HGTV has a lot of "please redo my home" contests and shows. Sign up and enter as often as possible. Write a story about your plight. Send pictures of your dreary abode. Hey, ya never know. ;) I will vouch that "real" people do get on those shows. My sister and her husband's back yard was redone for one of those shows! Lucky. :glare: Edit: And it's not all artsy fartsy or way out there either. Has a nice rustic feel and they used plants native to the area to reduce the cost of upkeep and to be "green". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scottjenallen Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I agree with the dumpster diving. :) I have found some wonderful things that people were just throwing out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 For the floor, I would be a rug that would fit the space. You can buy some that are less expensive. If you want an even better solution, you can put laminate flooring in. Be sure it will work with kids/pets. Paint - pick cheery color. Are you cabinets broken or just the finish in bad shape? You can paint them or stain them. You may be about to buy new hinges and nobs to update the look. Slip cover the sofa. We had base board heat and window air-conditioning. We bought a heat pump. It works great and saves a lot of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in IL Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 If you live within an hour of a big city, check theirs as well. I redid ours (which looks like a $50,000 kitchen for $6,000. Of course that includes appliances, granite and a contractor as well! Sometimes you can find entire kitchens for as little as $500! Including cabinets, counters and appliances. We live close enough to Chicago that I would drive for something I wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3Monkeys Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Watching Craigslist is a must! People often rip out perfectly good cabinets and give them away or sell them cheap when they are upgrading their kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 (edited) Well I don't know if you can do completely free. Try asking for unneeded stuff on Freecycle (half used cans of paint, etc). I have tons of half used this or that and if someone asked for them on Freecycle I would gladly give them to them rather than throw them out. Another cheap resource for home improvement needs are the Habitat for Humanity Restore Resale Outlets (they list where they are on their website). They sell things for a fraction of the cost. We are in almost the same boat as you, although we've accomplished several things in the house and the yard since moving in our house in 2003, the majority of needed projects have had to wait. I'm in the process of doing a lot of what WendyK is suggesting right now as I set out to do a kitchen makeover. It has to be cheap or free, and that is a really fun challenge. But I have been putting some things away and saving them for this summer when I have the time to pull it all together. Just today I pulled out some hardware for my kitchen that I bought on clearance from Lowe's last year. I was thrilled when I found the sale because hardware is a very expensive item at regular prices, but the sale brought it down to a fraction of the cost. If you watch clearance tables you can often find some really great deals. Once you run across a good deal, stick it away in a special stash for when you are able to do the project. I also pulled out a brand new stainless steel sink from my stash today that we had bought a few months ago at Habitat for Humanity for about $6. Ka-ching! Another huge savings! Last year I also landed a whole load of miscellaneous colored tiles from a decorator that had overages and needed to clear them out of his garage. They were FREE and when I combine the whole lot there are plenty of them to use for all of my counter tops and a colorful backsplash. I'm looking at it as an art project where I get to put an ecclectic bunch of colorful pieces together. Deals like this don't come along every day, but watching Freecyle and going to homebuilder's recycle centers, Habitat for Humanity and places such as that will often pay off. BTW, if you decide to tile over your counter tops, be sure to use strong floor tiles if you want it to last longer. Ceramic tile is beautiful, but it can be very fragile on the surface of a countertop whereas floor tiles are very sturdy. Just remember that using this type of tile will raise your counters by about 1/2" or more. You can often find 12" square floor tiles on sale or clearance for low prices. Another option is to find a special paint that is available that gives a textured, painted finish over the top of Formica. Someone on this forum posted about that sometime back and it was inexpensive and quite lovely. Tonight we're going to a friend's house who owns a number of rentals and because of that does a lot of painting. She's offered to give me any paint that I want. Maybe you have friends with surplus paint on their shelves, but if you don't then you can either buy rejected color mixed paint at your local paint store for deep discounts or check with Habitat for Humanity. You can mix colors together to create your own customized shade. Because I'm an artist, I find this to be really fun. Now if you end up having to buy paint, at least it is not too expensive and it is the one thing that makes all the difference in the world when you need to refreshen rooms in your home. My best advice is to clean with tsp, sand, roughen and use primer. Always use primer! If you are painting with latex over oil based enamels this is especially important -- but never the less, primer is one of the keys to success when it comes to a good paint job. It's going to be a big job ripping up the kitchen and doing all of this, but I cannot wait to get it done. We've lived in our house for 8 years now and I can't take any more of the old decor. It just has to go, and these are my cheap or free solutions. I know there are a lot of other options for other home projects out there too. You just have to be patient and put thing aside as you are able to locate them, then get ready to tear things up once you've gathered your materials. Have fun, and explore! Blessings, Lucinda Edited June 16, 2011 by HSMom2One Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I'm beginning to think there is something wrong with our stove--we've had it for nearly 7 years and it's always put out ash. Everything just has a dingy look to it. We're going to have to look into this. I'm also rethinking concrete flooring. Our house was built in the late 80's, so it's definitely not wood underneath anything. I just don't know what dh will think of doing that. He's not much for creative home decor, lol. As to the furniture, the kids are always standing on it or jumping on it, and the seams are ripping. We've tried sewing the holes, but they've ripped them out again. Believe me, I've tried to get them to stop, but the winters are long here and the kids (especially my twin boys) have way too much energy. The cabinets are laminate and they're peeling. I'm not sure any amount of paint will fix that. Even the inside of the cabinets are chipped and peeling. They really need to be replaced, but I don't know how we'll manage that cheaply. The closest Habitat store is an hour away, so I don't know if it would be worth it to go check it out. Thanks for all the ideas! I'm writing down all the ideas, and I'll have to see what I can come up with. For the ripping furniture, seems like the only thing to do is cover it with pretty throws. On the kitchen cabinets: One option might be to take them out entirely and go with open shelving. You'll have to dust, but it might be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Look at craigslist or freecycle for furniture. We just gave away a captain's bed and a table and 4 chairs because they weren't worth enough to go through the hassle of selling them. You can also get tons of decorative stuff. Go look at the hardware store for paint that has been returned or was mixed and was the wrong color. That paint will be a fraction of what a gallon normally costs. My mom just got some linoleum remnant and painted the back of it to make area 'rugs' for her kitchen to cover broken tiles. THey are super cute and you're only limited by your imagination. Plus, they're super kid friendly and easy to clean. http://www.ehow.com/how_6503569_make-linoleum-area-rugs.html Haunt garage sales and you can find some good stuff - wait til the end of the day and people will be more willing to deal to get rid of stuff. Have fun! I love finding junk and making it work for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 I think the Re-Sale stores carry used cabinets, too, but you'd need to take good measurements with you.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.