Major Makeover. Minor Moolah.
There are definitely some projects that we’ve taken on (and hired out) along with a few accessories that we’ve brought home that stand out in our mind as particularly worthwhile, especially because they were all around $100 (some much less, some a bit more) and they made a heckova difference in our casa’s function and form department. Without further ado, our top ten list:
1. Widening the two doorways between the living room, the kitchen and the den (we paid a mason around $100 to help us with the den wall since it’s load bearing and had an electrician help us widen the living room wall since there were some wires in the way- also to the tune of around $100). The difference is night and day. Going from two standard 33″ doorways to over 5′ wide thresholds between all three spaces opened up our entire floor plan and allows so much light to bounce around all three rooms. Totally worth $200 (heck, we would’ve paid $500!).
2. Adding plywood, blinds and oversized frames to our laundry nook. For under $100 we created a clean-lined plywood countertop for folding and sorting, added concealed storage with the use of two cheap Walmart blinds, and obscured ugly wires and pipes on the back wall by leaning two oversized picture frames in front of them (showcasing $1 Target wallpaper as art). It was all easy & cheap- and the result is surprisingly polished looking (you can find more details on the subject right here).
3. Getting an outlet added to our master bathroom. Yup, it came without a single outlet in there. I used to blow dry my hair in the sunroom (which was pretty darn cold in the winter). But for $65 we got an electrician to add a clean little white bathroom outlet that still thrills us to no end. It’s such an improvement in the function department! No more sending guests to the sunroom to blow-dry…
4. Curtains. End of story. Beyond painting a room, we think hanging floor length curtain panels high and wide above your windows is the quickest way to add height and airy softness to any room. Plus we only spent about $45 for the six breezy extra-long Vivan curtain panels from Ikea in our den and our living room. Can’t beat that deal with a stick.
5. Tossing a jute rug down in the kitchen. After the renovation dust cleared our white kitchen was shiny and lovely, but it was missing a bit of warmth and texture. Enter a cheap little jute rug from The Company Store to the tune of $34 on clearance. Now we’re cooking.
6. Popping a pendant light over the dining table for an instant “zone” that previously never existed. Again, to the tune of around $100 we had an electrician drop a fixture box above the dining table that we dragged into the corner of our living room right off of the kitchen and bam- instant dining area. It adds ambiance, even more light (which always makes a space feel open and airy) and eons of polish that couldn’t have been achieved by swagging a plug in light over the table.
7. Storage ottomans. We can’t get enough of them. We have two leather cube ottomans in the den, a longer bench ottoman in the mudroom area, another bench ottoman at the dining table, two more leather cube ottomans under the console table in the living room and even a jute ottoman in the third bedroom. Between all of that concealed storage there’s more than enough room to hide every single file, bill, receipt, board game, printing supply, and every other unsightly item in the entire house without the purchase of a big industrial filing cabinet. And they even double as extra seating in a pinch (read more about where we stash and store everything right here).
8. Trolling those thrift stores. From our living room’s $35 glass coffee table (that looks like a dead ringer for this $400 Pottery Barn version) to our $20 secondhand Ikea armchair in the den, we’ve saved hundreds if not thousands of dollars by giving thrift store finds a second life in our home. We even snagged the base for our sunroom’s pedestal table that we rebuilt (read more about that here) at a local thrift shop (check out two of our favorite local haunts here and here).
9. Adding built-in details on a dime. One of our favorite afternoon projects that seriously changed the entire feeling of our home was installing the three long Ikea lack shelves on the wall behind our dining table. They instantly added architecture and clean-lined style to a formerly blank wall (and at $29 each they’re even cheaper than DIYing them with thick lumber that you’d then have to finish to get the same look!). Plus we never have to hang anything on that wall again, leaning frames and displaying favorite items is now as easy as pie.
10. Whipping up cheap art. You’ll find at least a few framed pieces in each room of our house that are completely DIYed (and each one set us back less than $5 a pop). Sure, they’re not museum worthy, but they’re customized and meaningful so they still feel special. And did we mention they were cheap cheap cheap? From framed keys in a shadow box and a vintage map with pins that highlights our adventures to black and white photos we printed at CVS and framed in a grid above our sofa, we’re no strangers to stashing something behind glass and calling it art. And you know we love a customized monogram (or two) as demonstrated by the big P in our living room and the sweet little first initial monograms above our bed…
So that’s our little roundup of the ten things that seemed to make a world of difference around Casa Petersik… all without breaking the bank. Here’s hoping they spark a few ideas for you guys! And while we’re on the subject of getting more bang for your buck, we’d love to know what projects or purchases have changed your house for the better without emptying your wallets. A simple coat of paint on the walls? A jaw-dropping accessory you snagged on the cheap? A DIY project that you whipped up with your own two hands? Do tell.
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Comments
so impressive :) I especially love the wider doorways… I never in a million years would have thought to do that, and it looks so amazing! as far as minor makeovers that make a big difference… I am scouring craigslist for a coffee table so I can try this project! our current coffee table is U.G.L.Y.
http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2009/03/make-ottoman-from-coffee-table.html
Doing everything on the cheap is the way to go! I spent about $100 on filler + paint to cover up our wood paneling in the fireplace room. It took tons of work to fill in all of the grooves, but it’s been well worth it. You’d never know it’s paneling! (Unless you knock on it.) :) The best money spent on the house so far.
Oh and the wider doorways are AWESOME, I wish we had a place in our house where we could do that. No such luck!
The biggest cheap makeover we’ve ever done just had to be the furniture swap my mother and I did! She and I both got new furniture and wanted new coffee tables to go with our new furniture. I needed a wrought-iron base with a glass top. She needed a honey-toned wood table. We each had what the other needed, so we swapped tables and haven’t looked back! A makeover for FREE – zip, zero, zilch, nada! Woohoo!
i snagged two mother of pearl vases from target a couple years ago that are gorgeous! i dont remember exactly but i think the price tags were around $3 each. done and done. that target clearance decor section gets me everytime.
I continue to congratulate you on your accomplishments here. I’m just in love with your style and can’t get enough pictures of your home.
I wouldn’t mind seeing it from varying views/angles, if you ever become so inclined.
Whether old or new, keep the pictures coming. I will continue sending links to fellow home decor fanatics in emails with titles such as “Can you believe what these kids have done” and “Isn’t this utterly delightful!”.
Aw thanks Cecelia! We definitely plan to snap a few new photos of the whole house all decked out for the holidays in the next few weeks so stay tuned for those! And we just found an old video of the house before we undertook a lot of the changes so we’d love to create a before and after video of sorts sometime soon…
xo,
s
What great tips! I’m especially surprised how relatively inexpensive it was to widen your doorways. It’s such a great way to update the space and create an entirely new feel. Thanks for sharing!
I have a quick question about the Lack shelves from Ikea. I’m considering using one under upper cabinets to hold dishes and glasses. Would you say these are fairly sturdy and can hold up pretty well? Their website says 18-44 pounds. Would you say that what you have on them is very heavy? I know you are very busy, so any feedback is much appreciated! Thanks!
Hey Wendy,
Good question! We hung our Ikea shelves with metal anchors (fixed metal anchors, not the ones that butterfly out) which are a lot more substantial than the plastic ones. We’re not sure if it’s the anchors or our plaster walls or just the shelves themselves but we would guess that they can easily hold more than 50lbs each. Short of sitting on them or hanging on them they’re extremely strong (we’ve stacked tons of plates and ceramic mugs and even vases full and bottles full of water and beverages on them without any issue over the past three years). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
This post is **exactly** why I took note of you guys almost a year ago when I first started checking out house blogs. You have consistently made BIG impact with low-cost ideas. The proof is in the puddin’, guys, and you’ve worked hard for YHL’s success :) It’s a gift to be able to envision changes like these in your mind’s eye and run with it. I’m glad you’ve chosen to share some of that with us :)
By the way, definitely NOT on the cheap, but worth every penny – we had our replacement windows installed today. Talk about a big difference in a day! I’m soooooooo thankful!!! :)
XO,
Jacci
I spent about $70 on wallpaper for my dining room. We still have to buy paint and trim, but the whole room will be under $150 to change from the ghetto cafe it was previously attempting to be. http://geekdetails.com/blog/?p=1893
Bonus? Left over wallpaper will be used on the fireplace surround in another room to make it less ugly. Other bits of left over wallpaper are being used to line drawers. It’s the project that keeps on giving…
This is SO helpful, guys! Most people have no idea how INexpensive it can be to do structural things like widening a doorway, or electrical things like adding a light fixture. Putting real prices on things is just so helpful. And the impact – far beyond what you spent! Thanks for a great post!
You guys are such an inspiring couple! This blog helps me to break down what could be an overwhelming task. You would be so proud of me, I painted my dining room (One project under $100) Now the next step is accessories. So my next challenge is not to spend over 100 beans. Any suggestions?
The room is a caramel color, the dining room table has a cream resin base w/ a glass top. Cream slip cover chairs, 2 gold frame pictures w/ fruit, 1 gold mirror with a fruit motif at the top, 2 faux floor plants, faux fruit motif center piece w/ 3 green candles.I have sliding glass doors which leads out to the deck.
Hey Connie,
We would definitely suggest visiting places like Target, TJ Maxx, Ikea, HomeGoods, etc. They all have great little accessories (you could grab a neutral runner for the table, a large glass hurricane with a candle in it for the centerpiece, some art that works with your colors and even some window treatments like Ikea floor length curtains for under $100). Good luck!
xo,
s
loving the use of “can’t beat that deal with a stick” not once but TWICE (maybe more?) in the last couple of days! beautiful home AND funny!
Great post! I’m a big fan of major transformations for minor cash… and thrift stores… and creative storage… :)
Hands down, the most functional change for the least amount of money in my house so far (I’ve been here less than a year) has been transforming the smallest bedroom in my house into my dressing room. The house is old and has teeny tiny closets, so this has made a huge difference storage-wise, for not much more than $100 (Canadian).
The before and after pics are here:
http://just-you-wait.blogspot.com/2009/09/all-dressed-up.html
Love all of your cheap wall art! Question: where do you guys get all of those white frames & mats?
Hey Megan,
Ikea is the place that we get most of our white frames followed closely by Target (many of them come with mats). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hey Barbara,
It’s Glidden’s Sand White (which has been discontinued in some stores so just ask if they can look up the formula on the computer and whip up a gallon for you). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I was wondering where you guys purchased all your storage ottomans. I love the idea of hiding as much as possible away! :)
Thanks for the post – lots of good stuff!
<3
Kelly
Hey Kelly,
Most of our ottomans are from Target with the exception of one from Bed Bath & Beyond (the long bench one at the dining room table is from there, because we needed something taller for the table and the Target ones weren’t the right height). Oh and the woven ottoman in the third bedroom is actually from Michael’s of all places. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
All I have to say is that your house is so awesome and you made the smartest moves with everything that you do. I wish I could think up some great ideas for my home like you guys do. You have such a great natural talent!
Hi Sherry, love all the amazing changes in your home! Especially the framed art, can you tell me where you buy your white frames? Everytime I go out to buy them they seem to be very expensive.
Thanks,
Steph
Ikea! And Target too. Mostly Ikea though because they come with those great white mats and only cost around $9-19 or so. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I went to go buy a Power Wheels off of craigslist and this man just started loading more things in my suburban than the Power Wheels. A ton of coffee table Van Gogh books. Free and I mean Free Pottery Barn Shelves that are now hanging in the dining room. A PB girl’s rug and plenty of Pier 1 plates to have the entire White House over for dinner. I love thrift stores! I found a brand new PB Bulldog bottle opener for a dollar! I almost picked up a PB chair and a half for 35 bucks, but it was already sold..argh…the one that got away..
I just have to say that I stumbled on your blog about a week ago and I am completely addicted. I have wasted insane amounts of time browsing through all of your posts and now want to redo everything in my house. ha! I love everything you have done in your house. It’s fun and eclectic with out being over done. It just feels so light and airy.
I wonder if you would mind giving me your opinion on something. We have a really small house and have tried to make good use of our space, but the color scheme is a little too dark. I am trying to lighten things up, but I have all dark wood and I also have a sage couch, none of which I can afford to replace right now. I am trying to redo our living room, but am not very good at this kind of thing. After seeing your site, I found some bamboo roman shades on overstock for an awesome price and also got a jute rug on ikea to replace our dark rug patterned rug. Now I am trying to decide on a good color scheme. I can’t decide whether to do a colorful theme (like some orange & lime) or if I should try to stick with a neutral theme and just have a few hints of an accent color. Which do you think would work best with the sage couch and also brighten up the living room?
So glad you found us! It already sounds like you’re well on your way to a light and airy living room (thanks tithe new blinds and rug). When it comes to a color scheme, I’d go for tans, chocolates and sages (which you already have) with some nice crisp white (curtains, hardcover books, accessories) and some pretty pops of gold and burnt yellow-orange (pillows, accessories, art, maybe even lamps to flank the sofa on matching side tables). It will be cheerful and happy without being too intense or clashing with what you’re working with. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
This post is fabulous!
I have been moving around (3 different continents in 4 years) lots lately so i am renting again which means i can’t do some of the built in details but this post has given me lots of ideas for decorating the great little two bedroom place i am moving into in a couple of months!
I love your style! I love the framed word art and creative pieces – it is what makes them perfect for you. So much more interesting than the cookie cutter “design prints.” Where do you source your frames?
We snag all of our frames at Ikea and Target (where they’re always cheap and clean looking). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Just happened to find your website when I googled granite countertop photos and came upon the blueberry incident on your kitchen countertops. Curiousity got the best of me when I saw the “our wedding” tab as I love weddings! I am totally in awe of your website and your home transformation. I love your decorating style and all of your rooms staging/colros. We are currently in the midst of a kitchen remodel ourselves and can’t decide on countertops/colors, but after seeing your kitchen, I love your colors and making a small space look big and inviting! We have already had our kitchen cabinets redone and have gone from a dark walnut to an ivory. We have a Saturday trip scheduled in April for Ikea too!! Best of luck with your new arrival!!! Your lives will be forever changed and blessed! Take care~
LOVE your blog! I noticed that you painted the brass surround on your fireplace white. Did you use a special type of paint for that? I’ve been wanted to do the same thing on mine.
Nope, metal takes paint really well so regular latex paint or even spray paint would work. You can even pick up heat resistant spray paint at your local home improvement center. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
We’ve done several small-budget, big-impact projects like this–both indoors and out. Some of my favorites:
1. Refinishing our bathroom vanity, changing the hardware, and painting over the old laminate top. It looks like new and we spent about $35 total.
2. Replacing our old, cruddy kitchen sink with one we got on Freecycle for our favorite price, nada! (Pictures are on my blog: http://ecofrugality.blogspot.com/2010/06/score-another-for-freecycle.html)
3. Planting a whole bunch of day lilies in our front yard that we got for free from a neighbor who dug hers up. They really transformed the space.
4. Also in the front yard, planting a little cherry tree ($65) and surrounding it with a curved walkway built out of pavers that we scrounged out of our back yard (the previous owners left behind all sorts of bricks and such).
5. And most recently, repainting our shutters, going from a dingy, peeling white paint (which barely showed up against the light blue house) to a deep, rich red. The shutters really pop now and the whole house looks more striking, and it cost less than $25.
I discovered your blog about a month ago and have been working my way through all the posts since then and I LOVE it! I love all of your inexpensive DIY ideas and have gotten a lot of inspiration to make our recently purchased first home “ours.” The first thing we did was copy your laundry nook idea. We just completed it this morning and couldn’t be happier. A piece of plywood, a few coats of clean white paint, some leftover fabric, and a few unused frames made it a whole new room (on the cheap)! We’re actually considering not replacing the bifold doors because it would be such a shame to cover it back up. We can’t wait to implement more of the ideas we’ve found here. Keep the inspiration coming, Youngsters!
Our biggest makeover on a budget? Definitely our downstairs floor, originally covered (well, mostly covered–it was ripped in places and didn’t actually reach all the way to the walls) in icky black sheet vinyl. Our original idea of staining the concrete floor beneath was scotched when we pulled up the vinyl and saw what condition the underlying floor was in (stains and dings everywhere). And installing new wood, carpet, tile, or laminate would have meant adding an underlayment (since the floor was uneven), which would have 1) knocked about half an inch of vertical space off an already low-ceilinged room, 2) possibly interfered with the baseboard heaters, and 3) added up to serious bucks. So, thinking outside the proverbial box, we redid the concrete floor with a treatment borrowed from the Budget Decorator: brown paper! Yep, one big roll of kraft paper and four gallons of water-based polyurethane (and a lot of hours spent kneeling on the concrete) was all it took to give us an attractive, durable and definitely unique floor. My blog has pictures of the work in progress (http://ecofrugality.blogspot.com/2010/02/world-biggest-craft-project.html) and the end result (http://ecofrugality.blogspot.com/2010/03/coming-out-of-hibernation.html).
Thanks, Sherry! You are so amazing at responding to everyone’s questions. I really appreciate it :)