Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member CaraWilkerson from the Su Casa group:
Here is our porch pre-columns. Nothing special. We needed to spruce up our curb appeal pronto. The plan was to build wooden columns around the existing wrought-iron columns which would remain as the support for the porch. After a bit of priming, caulking, painting, and finishing with a few new house numbers, we were in business!
Continue reading to see CaraWilkerson's sophisticated new porch columns.
Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member MaryNeff from the Su Casa group:
We knew when we bought our first house, we had a BIG kitchen renovation on our hands. It was virtually unlivable for my husband, the chef, and definitely NOT attractive. We managed to survive six months with the "before" space before demolishing everything and starting over. I think it is a great combination of function for my husband and beauty (and storage) for me!
When you have more skills than funds, a fixer-upper can be the perfect solution to your housing dilemmas. Talented home renovators can avoid the costs associated with hiring workers to put in wood floors, replace cabinets, and tear out walls.
My brother and sister-in-law are currently fixing up their farmhouse, and have just laid red oak floors throughout the living space. Last Spring, they raised the ceilings, replaced insulation, and installed a skylight (seen here). They'll be the first to tell you, though, that all of those monetary savings add up to a lot of late nights, busy weekends, and sore muscles.
Last year, San Francisco renovator John Clarke Mills bought an 1890s Victorian that needed a ton of work. So far, he's worked on everything from the foundation to rewiring.
His latest challenge has been tackling the staircase, which had been separated. The house had been divided into two rental units in the past, and the lower banister had been removed decades ago.
John writes, "Since the house was split into two units at one point in its life a wall was put up between the upstairs and downstairs. We were hoping that inside the wall we would find ourselves a banister like our neighbors did, but no such luck. Obviously whoever did the work on our house didn't have the foresight that the neighbors did. Anyway, we were only left with one choice; rebuild it ourselves."
To see the results of John's hard labor, read more
I think that most of us have daydreams about how we would renovate our homes, if we had the time or the money. For me, I'd work on turning the undeveloped space on the bottom level of my house into a guest room/office space. Other friends of mine dream about trading out their showers for old-fashioned clawfoot tubs. And I bet a lot of us would love to upgrade our kitchens with new cabinets and appliances. What is your most coveted renovation project?
I've brought up the idea of using the garage for additional living space, so when I ran across the garage reno on Sunset, I knew I had to share the fabulous results with you. Architect Jonathan Feldman was brought in to help expand a San Francisco, CA, family's living space by using their garage. While a garage is a relative luxury in San Francisco, it's not actually a necessity, especially when the space can be used for something much better than simply storing an auto.
To see the transformation, read more
When a family expands, often a just-right-sized home becomes too cramped. This was the case with a family that approached Bowers Design Build, an award-winning firm located in Northern VA, whose work has been featured on HGTV.
The client in this particular case loved the location of their 1920s Cape Cod home, but felt that it was too small. The entire living space was contained on one floor and consisted of cramped rooms, including two bedrooms, a dining and living room, one small bath, and a galley kitchen. While there was an attic space, it was unconditioned and only used for storage.
The firm decided to build the addition so the entire first floor only was used for living space, with a small rear addition to expand the kitchen. Meanwhile, by building up, the lot's yard size could be preserved, and a second story could be used for bedrooms.
To take a complete before and after tour of the home, inside and out, read more
While turn-of-the-century homes are often quite spacious when it comes to shared spaces and number of bedrooms, often the kitchens are cramped and ill-suited for modern-day home chef work. MainStreet Design Build, a Michigan-based renovation and build firm, came to the rescue, for this family, stepping in to add a kitchen and breakfast nook addition to the home.
Here's the home from the rear exterior, where a small entryway opens onto a large deck. To see how the firm improved the home, read more
I recently asked you who your handyman is and which tasks around the house you undertake yourself, and which ones you designate to others. Not surprisingly, you're a talented bunch, and some of you cited that you sign up for tasks like installing dishwashers and light fixtures, sanding, plastering, building window shades from scratch, and refinishing furniture. But, according to Popular Mechanics, there are some DIYs that should be left to professionals. To hear which tasks you should avoid and why, read more
I'm a huge fan of anyone who does their own home renovations. In fact, I encourage it. I'm even happier, though, if your renos indirectly or directly benefit a charity. So, as it is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I must suggest you add this "Pink for a Purpose" Hammer to your tool box.
Until August 2008, Tomboy Tools will donate $3 from the sale of each hammer to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, with a guaranteed minimum of $100,000. Aside from being a great fundraiser, the hammer is lightweight, has a comfy rubber grip, is magnetized to pick up nails easier, and comes in pink AND blue. Short story long: neither you nor the men in your life can get away with not buying one because of the color.
