Posted by Tutorial on Saturday, March 23, 2013
Your home is your haven�a place where you can get away from it all. You want it to be cozy and comfortable and fun to live in, while reflecting your personality and values. It would be great if you could find a home that was already all of that but, unfortunately, more often than not, you need to take the reins and make your home what you want it to be. On our home search, we ran into this exact dilemma None of the houses we looked at were "perfect," but there were elements in each that could be made perfect. It's just a matter of picking a house and making it yours. We hired a contractor to finish the basement of our new house, but there are lots of things you can do to personalize your home that do not require the help of a professional (or a lot of money).
Your Color Scheme
You could hire a professional to paint your home, but you can totally paintit yourself? Sure the painting process can be time consuming, but it can also be fun! Get your friends involved and have a painting party. For the price of a few gallons of paint and some pizza for your friends, you can have a home with bones that reflect the atmosphere you want. Watch Lowe's and Home Depot, they often run sales on paint gallons. I would also recommend hitting up local paint stores, like Kwal Paint or Sherwin Williams for mistinted buckets. Helpful Hint: Don�t do the whole house at once! Go one room at a time. Do the smaller rooms yourself and invite your friends over for the larger. This way you don�t get completely burnt out on the project before it�s finished and you won�t use up your friends� good will in one fell swoop.
Your Windows
Do you remember that scene in First Wives� Club when Bronson Pinchot�s character says that the windows are the eyes to the apartment ? It�s true. Your windows (and window treatments) say a lot about the home in which you live. Why would you settle for whatever curtains or blinds came with the place? You can buy blinds that are better suited to your decorating scheme (vertical, wide slatted blinds are a good idea if you have pets) and make curtains yourself.
DIY Flooring
A new floor can be an instant update in any room. Why not try your hand at putting in new flooring yourself? While you might want to hire a professional if you want to put in carpet (power stretching carpet is a MUST), putting in hardwoods is actually pretty painless. You can buy bamboo flooring, cork flooring or a variety of laminatesthat come in pieces that snap together. When you�re done you�ll have beautiful floors and be able to take pride in knowing that you �built them� yourself.
Beyond these basic themes, there are lots of DIY projects that will help make your home more �you.� You know I love to make over thrifty finds and paint furniture to add my personal touch. You can even make your own throw rugsand accent pieces. Have you seen Mandy's tutorial on how to merge two rugs into one?
Over the next few weeks, I'll be updating you on the state of my new house! Some things will be small, but with each update, I'm one step closer to my dream home!
