Sarschlos, if you have hillside issues send me a private email and I'll respond...I'm a construction defect atty with a lot of experience in landslides. If the hill was sliding, the framing might be racked/tweaked/FUBAR'd. I am sorry to hear about the financial mess. I ended up being a landlord of the aforementioned VN house for 7 years, which was 7 years too long!

If you can do finish carpentry, you can do rough framing. The main difference between the two is about $20/hr (finish carpenters are more skilled and thus more expensive). Or so a GC once told me in depo. Drywall is relatively simple but I think the equipment for texturing is beyond a DIY'rs abilitbudget/storage. My income is very erratic, so over the years I've learned how to do the facelift/cheer myself up/little things while planning the big things (new kitchen, yay!). Hang in there. This too shall pass.

Tried to email you, bluekit, but no email on your page. Er, what does FUBAR mean? It sounds expensive. In the home inspection, the inspector said one of the posts in the crawl space had been replaced and rebraced, but he said it looked like the foundation had been repaired. The front door looks like it's been like that for many years.

You have gotten great ideas for getting through your waiting period. And I assure you, it is a waiting period.

My first house was less than ideal. But it was in a great neighborhood and the schools were great.

Be reminded that there really are people living in hovels. You are not. I could suggest colors, paint, etc. But that doesn't get you through. If hubby is grumpy, there are other issues to deal with. The economy etc makes everybody grumpy.

Try an attitude of gratitude. It works wonders. And for the damage wall, textured paint until you can remodel.

Blessings.............

sarchos - no they were from a lumber yard, tends to be less costly than HD and Lowes to buy from a lumber yard on things like doors, windows, lumber, and trim as the quality is often better too and the selection much better. I got free delivery too. Check Jeldwen's website for dealers near you.

The lumber yard I used is called Building Supply. Not sure if they have those anywhere but TX.

Sarchos - I've done framing, drywall, and texture myself and it is not hard at all - considering the list you gave of what ya'll can do I know ya'll can do that too. Windows I did the ones in the kitchen. They are time consuming and for large ones you need to be a couple of people, but not hard either. Need to be able to remove the old with a pry-bar and lots of muscle, then shim the new and screw in. Easier if you buy the replacement windows. Also you need to be good at measuring. I didn't do the rest of the house myself due to time and each window cost me $200 installed. I used Simonton Vinyl windows bought from again another local lumber yard called Bradco. Each window was less than $150 or right around there.

The entry pics I have was all done by me and I framed out a closet there in the triangular space, re-insulated, and put up new drywall and textured it in orange peel.

Recently, I bought a house. We move in Friday. My house has some 70's decor-colonial/good space. However, I see tons of opportunity. I will put my stamp on this house little by little. I would never take a loan for this-the market is iffy at best so we will do it ourselves using cash as we can afford to. I am going to paint first. I have paneling in the family room, but I saw a show on HGTV where they painted paneling. It looked great and had a casual look which I like. It is hard to leave a house you have put your stamp on but it sounds like you guys needed to get out of there. You will make this house your own-give it time.

See here's where I get myself tied into knots: don't want to paint because we're going to have to tear out drywall to replace closet doors, windows, and bedroom doors.

Ohhh, man. You have my sympathy and admiration for even *trying* - LOL. Here's my $.02 on the "everything depends on something else/will be getting done better later/etc" thing. We bought an old fixer-upper, and had that list. (We still have that list, to be fair - it's just finally shrinking, LOL) And at first, I was really dilligent about not "wasting" time on things that would be getting done "for real" later. But you know what? The house was depressing. And then I was depressed. And then nothing got done.

So I made a compromise. I set a time/money limit on changes like these. If it cost less than, say, $50 and eight hours of effort (i.e. a weekend day, or a couple of evenings after work), it was worth Just Doing For Now, knowing that it wasn't a permanent fix.

Pulling up ugly (smelly!) carpet and living with the to-be-refinished hardwood floors covered by the rug that would eventually be the cornerstone of that room? Free, and an afternoon's work. Painting over the eye-numbing wallpaper in the kitchen and putting new (cheap) knobs on the cabinets, knowing that in six months we planned to pull out every scrap of drywall? A weekend, $40 or so, and when the kitchen remodel got put off an extra year, I could cope with it because the "temporary" kitchen was still more pleasant than what we moved into.

This freed me up to a) fix the things that were making me miserable to look at, b) get a sense that things were getting *done* while we were forging through the long-lasting, necessary, but low bang-for-buck projects, c) not feel like I wasted a lot of money - because even these "temporary" fixes went a long way towards motivating us, keeping us sane during the process, and - in some cases - let us practice techniques/paint colors/whatever that only made the final product that much better.

Hey, Sarschlos -- not much wisdom to add. You've gotten some excellent advice. I'd just note that you are currently combining several of life's greatest stressors: moving, remodeling, young children, relatively serious illness, job woes, overwork. And on top of that you expect yourself to be able to move methodically through a house you don't yet like and figure out what to do to it? When?

So many of us on this board are in the same boat -- two jobs, kids, more DIY wishes than ability (well, actually, you're way ahead of a lot of us on that last one) -- and simply marvel at some of the gorgeous things made/accomplished by posters here. Speaking for myself, there are many days when I'm too tired and dispirited to do more than wipe off the countertops: just trying to keep the crumbs and Legos from taking over.

Hang in there. Be patient with your house, DH, yourself. Watch Craigslist. It'll happen.

I subscribe to the large gestures viewpoint in situations like this. Is the fireplace functional? Do you plan to use it? Because it is a large, focal area, I would make that number 1 on my list. I'd either get the drywall repaired or DIY it, find out if the current surround meets fire code, and, if so, just paint it with a neutral neutral, i.e. no undertones. Use decent, but not glorious paint because, chances are, you'll be ready to redo it before good paint would need a refresher. (I'd do the same in the kids' rooms--Valspar or something, maybe white with a shot of pink mixed in for the DD.) That is practical with respect to utility bills and health and safety issues; and it won't commit you to any design directions in the future. You can hang three nicely framed art posters or art you already own, or several of the children's drawings, framed, and it will be a pleasurable view, not an annoying one. That way, one large area is dealt with until until it's time for the whole redo.
(I even subscribe to this when folding laundry. I pick out the largest items to fold first. That way, the pile descends more quickly and I feel like I've accomplished something earlier in the process.)

You have got some great advice. I have been in the process of fixing up our house. Not a lot of extra money so we try to stick to a budget and do all the work ourselves. Here a few pictures of my house.

Family Room Before:

shannon, your post reminds me of a great Split Enz song :)

flyleft - lol!

Another one here too -- never enough money to really do what we want to do! So we painted the cabinets and panelling; put in cheap tile floors; live with tile counters in the kitchen and fake marble in the bathrooms!

BUT this place Needs new windows, flooring; siding; new concrete over the driveway etc. Needs the bathrooms ripped out and re-done. Needs countertops everywhere.

Yes -- do add shelves to the hole-in-the-kitchen to hold the everyday stuff; paint and add Ikea stuff. Put artwork or two over the hole in the fireplace.

Jan

ha, joanie, I wondered if anyone would get that :)

May I take a little different aproach, first of all, realistically list what would make each of you most comfortable immediately.
Sounds like insulation issues are close to the top and you asked about drywall, its not bad but messy.
Neatly done takes time and patience which I doubt you're feeling at this moment in time.
Personally, I would consider enexpensive paneling over permanent great quality insulation, addressing the chill factor first, getting a quick finish, and screw panels in studs for easy removal if you want to do drywall later, when you are rested.
Do you like change or permanance in decor? Panels can be covered, padded or not, and have a fun wall decor for labor day, Halloween, thanksgiving, etc. Just change with cheap fabric, let your kids draw,fingerpaint, glue or pin on stuff, You all need to play and have some fun with this,
Humor Heals & Helps!!!!!
Do you love to cook,
and how can you adapt to function for now a temperary kitchen and invest in that remodel when you can focus just on it. You don't want to do it and wish later you could have had more time to make it yours.
Check out Reuse People in your area. More recycling products and sources available than ever these days.
What did you like when you first saw this house?
What would make being there more fun until it's your way?
We want to help,
Hugs

If you're in So Cal, you've got an abundant resource for building and decorating supplies at great prices. Look for salvage yards...and definitely hit up Craigs List for materials.

Our house was last updated in 1972. Well, they did install neutral berber carpet throughout, but everything else was definitely of the Brady Bunch Era. Oh, the kitchen was updated circa 1984. Almond appliances with wood trim, oak cabinets and white formica countertops. And faux brick on the soffits.

LOTS of panelling over bare sheetrock, too.

I did some sheetrocking (by myself, thank you very much) and even built a small wall to enclose the new fridge, that naturally didn't fit in the space of the built ins. I sure enjoyed ripping out the old stuff.

I overhauled 2 bathrooms and two bedrooms using sheetrock and joint compound. And I've painted nearly every single room in our house.

My list is long, too long, but I did things that made it so I could live with the place until I could REALLY afford to have the reno I wanted. Draperies cover fugly windows, peel & stick tiles over heinous vinyl. Stuff like that. Most of the projects can be done in increments and pretty inexpensively. Especially if DH is handy (and any man who can do plumbing, electric and gas is handy in my book) you could replace your windows in a snap.

Oh, and FUBAR is F-ed Up Beyond All Repair.

Thanks for all of the ideas and support, everyone (and for listening to me whine). I really appreciate it.

I'm hoping to get the play room/guest room painted this weekend (took down the wall paper a while ago and then got stuck on paint colors). Hopefully that will help.

Another quick change I meant to mention, fabric on the wall with heavy laundry starch. Your children could have very safe fun personalizing their room to their idea of a fun room. Just soak the fabric and spread on the wall, smooth or bunchy,one piece panels or any shaped pieces. When you are ready to decide what you really want on that wall, simply peel off the fabric. The wall will be unharmed. Mean time, you will have enjoyed a color, texture, pattern or style to help decide what colors you love in this lighting and space.

I come here to GW, dream, plan, rant and focus on what I want to happen.

We're taking the remodel one room at a time. Started with the kitchen as the sink had huge rust holes in it (not to mention the torn and curling linoleum, multiple layers of pant and stain and semi-removed wallpaper border).

We've got tons to do to make our home what we want it to be (including our own hideous fireplace and plastic fake marble). I just try to be thankful that we do have a home and plan for better.

Our scary fireplace:

After we bought this house, money was so tight that even some of the things mentioned here were beyond our reach. But there are always places to get things free, or like someone else mentioned, for barter.

We've gotten cabinets, sinks, light fixtures, ceiling fans, insulation, tile, paint, bricks, and lumber completely free. All we had to do was go get it. We've also gotten building materials at garage sales & auctions for just a few dollars.

Sometimes it just takes getting the word out. Someone may have just what you need and not know how to get rid of it.

I took a peek at Stock Building Supply's website that I got my interior doors from and they are in Cali too. I considered the jeldwen windows as well, but went with the simonton because the installer was familiar with them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stock building supply in CA

Sarschlos - I'm just here to commiserate. Although nothing can top a Wagner-blaring neighbor (let alone one with all the other attendant charms yours had), I give you, in all its glory, the before photo of the sole bathroom in my house when we moved in:

And this is what, thanks to the wonders of paint (even on horrific vinyl flooring), I am living with today.

Our bedroom, as envisioned by the previous owners:

And six months ago (I've since invested in a new bed and duvet), again the same neutral paint:

I could go on and on. There isn't a surface in this house that wasn't maimed badly by many, many years of neglect and hard-living. I'm not really including these to demonstrate the wonders of paint, though - you already know what a difference that makes. I'm including them because every single one of the spaces will be gutted (in the case of the bathroom) and/or substantially repaired, and all will be repainted eventually. But the first night we spent here, I laid on the bare (cleaned, mercifully, by my fabulous husband) bedroom floor and wept because it was so disgusting and such an immense project. We're slowly doing all of the remodeling ourselves and now have a shiny new upstairs bathroom to show for it (below). Every time I've gone off on a tangent by painting a room before we've really finished it, my husband has fought me on it and then we've both been thrilled with the results, even if they're temporary. It's all psychological.

p.s. I know you hate your house, but I love it. As much as I adore my 1915 bungalow with all its potential and "good bones" and architectural character, I love mid-century modern. The way I live (too many books, thrift-store furniture, etc.) doesn't exactly accomodate it, however.

Good luck, keep calm, and carry on!

-np

Yikes!

You guys are wonderful. You took my whining pity party and threw in wonderful inspirational photos and projects for "just now."

Here's what I'm going to do this weekend:

Prep and paint the playroom/guest room (it's both) and get a temporary shade in the window while I make some decisions re window treatment.

I've also called a chimney repair company to come out and inspect the chimney, seal up whereever the draft is coming from 9most likely the flashing on the roof) and make sure it is at least safe to operate. Then we'll get the drywall repaired so we can paint the main part of the house.

Thanks for the link, lyfia. They don't seem to have any locations in Orange County, but if I can't find a good local lumber yard, we can make a field trip to LA one weekend to take a look at their prices/selection.

I'll try to take some decent before and after pictures but the rooms are all small and choppy, so they're hard to photograph.

na_praha, you are a woman of vision! I thought ours was bad, but yours has it beat.

sarchos - glad you're feeling a little better about things.

I wasn't sure where you lived, just remembered Cali. Bummer they didn't have one there as I really liked my local one. They even got me some custom sized trim done in their custom shop as I needed a thickness that was non-standard. Also I didn't feel like waiting on a backordered door as I just needed it 1/4" narrower than the standard sizes they carried. They trimmed 1/8" off each side and didn't even charge me for that although they normally charge $10 for something like that.

BTW a warning about lumber yards. They are rarely open on weekends and if they are usually just in the am on a Saturday. Just check before you make a trip.

you've gotten some great advice so far! But as a fellow mom with zero time and three little ones, I just wanted to share this blog with you that has totally changed my life (decorating-wise at least!). I've been staring at my naked windows and walls for the last year thinking that I didn't have time to find cool window treatments & art, etc...

Well, I am now a convert of this lady's philosophy - "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful" which is soooo true! So I went to the fabric store and found some $3/yard fabric and threw it up on my windows and it looks GREAT! No sewing involved and it took me less than 15 minutes! My space looks sooooo much better now with just that little fix of fabric and I bet yours would too :)

Here's a link to her site and her window "mistreatments". She also has a great sense of humor and other great ideas about deocorating. Here's another link to her old kitchen that she updated
http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/2008/05/ye-olde-kitchen.html

good luck :)

Here is a link that might be useful: window mistreatments

Just a few observations. Firstly, your home is not FUBAR. I wonder if you could remove that shelf above where the fridge should be. The books could be stored elsewhere and you would actually have a regular refrigerator where it should be for now.

I empathize. We purchased our first (only) home 20 yrs ago. DH was absolutely in love with the property. The house not so much, but we figured (with not-so wide open eyes) that we would make the house what we wanted). Fast forward 2 months and I found out I was pregnant with DD. Long story short, house remained the same for many many years except coats of paint and minimal renovations. It has only been in the last 5 that we have moved toward "finishing" the home to our liking. Addition started, put on hold, etc. I have been where you are and you just have to roll with it. I didn't waste alot of money in the beginning as we lived on one salary until DD went to all day school. It is a matter of priorities.

Paint, yes. But until you have the real $$ to do what you want, why spend now unless your home is totally unlivable, like that awful bathroom posted above? Your home doesn't give that feel at all.

I also know the pressure (addressed in a different thread) of wanting your home to please others when you entertain. For years, I entertained only my closest friends and family because I felt that some friends had much larger, better decorated (professional help) homes, and felt I might be judged, my own insecurity. Time moves on and all of that superficial stuff doesn't matter any longer. You sort through the friends, the real ones stay regardless of what your home is like:).

Good luck with your painting. If it makes you feel better to start somewhere, pick a project and dig in. To me it sounds like you don't have a lot of time with work and the kids. If it were me, and this is purely my on .02, I would pick spending my time with my kids over stressing about getting a room painted over a weekend. DD is now going into her Sr yr of high school and I have no regrets. I am glad I didn't spend all of my time stressing over the decorating. I spent my time concentrating on her and I am so happy with the result. I see what inattention by parents has done with many of DD friends and I am sick about it. Don't get me wrong, I am a very liberal mom, but the building blocks were put into place and for that I will never look back.

Maybe you could look at this from a different view?

Best of luck to you and I hope you can find a happy solution for everyone. You have gotten some great advice heretofore, I thought I would address the time issue.

p.s. I was once the grumpy SAHM, so I can relate to your DH as well.

Sarchlos,

Where in OC are you? I am in south OC and would gladly help you with anything you may need. We have lived here 20 years and are finally trying to make this house our home! It is a never ending process and one that takes time and patience. You will get through it. Please drop me a line.

Toodles,

Laura

Laura

Here is a link to Builders Surplus in Santa Ana, they have everything you could ask for.

http://builderssurplus.net/

We got our interior doors from A New View Windows, they were very reasonable. I am finishing the trim today then I will post pics.

Have fun!

Laura

laurensmom, thanks for that blog! I stole a couple minutes to check it out. It's great. I love her window "mistreatments." What a fun, easy project. When I have the chance, I'll take a closer look. I'm looking for ways to get the kiddos involved in the decorating, too, and a lot of her projects look like ones they could help with. DD loves art projects, and DS is starting to, as well. I was thinking about having them make some crayon-leaf print pictures that we can laminate for placemats (although I'm not sure if that will work with today's crayons?).

Work in Progress, I thought about not responding at all, which is probably the wiser choice, but I'm too worn out to be wise at this moment, so I'm probably going to step out of line and say something insensitive, which will inevitably be taken the wrong way. I realize you mean well, but your advice hurt my feelings. I was only asking for a place to (a) whine/vent and (b) quick, easy fixes to get us through the ugly + house-rich/cash-poor stage we're stuck in now. This is a position we were decidely NOT in when we bought the house. But circumstances out of our control changed quickly, and dramatically changed our lives and our happiness with our house.

I know you probably didn't mean to call me an inattentive or neglectful mom, but the inference is right there in writing after your .02 cents, and it is hurtful and not true. Intellectually, I know this is primarily just a basic misunderstanding that many SAHMs seem to have regarding working moms, as I hear it nearly every day in some fashion or another, so I am very familiar with this sentiment. But I hear it every day, and it's like nails on a chalkboard. Like most working moms, I am treading water. I really don't need constant reminders that I am failing at being the best mom, wife, and employee. For the first year of my son's life, we had day care providers who would spend an hour every day telling me that my son was not eating (he is sick) because I was not at home, that when my husband was home, he was just a neglectful dad (he's not at all) -- none of this is true; he has a medical condition. As if being at work knowing that my son is sick (not just sniffy nose sick, but hospital sick) wasn't hard enough, I have to hear every day that I'm a BAD MOMMY because I'm inattentive to the needs of my children. I'm sure you weren't aware of this (some people here have followed our saga with getting our son diagnosed and on the road to healthy), but you took a plea from someone who is obviously struggling and then heaped on a nice big helping of BAD MOMMY. And I will never understand why people always start parenting insults with "I'm a liberal parent, but..." What does politics have to do with my parenting skills?

Since you have raised the issue, I feel compelled to respond on behalf of myself and other much-maligned working moms. I know there is a lot of misunderstanding between women who choose to stay at home and those of us who work. For some, work is a choice, for others, we are the sole or primary breadwinners in our families and work is a necessity. It does not make us inattentive, unaffectionate or neglectful parents. I realize there are parents out there who are one or all of those things. But just because my family is tired of looking at ugly everywhere we turn does not mean I don't play with or talk to my kids. I'm sorry, I'm probably over-reacting because of my particular circumstances, but these days I get pretty testy when someone infers that I am a bad mom.

Sarchlos, I've lurked on here for months (having been a poster on the Kitchen forum and now on the Garden forums), but your thread, and in particular your last post, has brought me out of lurk-dom!

We bought a fixer-upper house a little over a year ago (a split level 50s ranch, but with less inherent MCM style than yours has). We also have 2 full time jobs (1 each! but hubby works long hours) and 2 small kids (aged 2 and 4) who go to daycare.

DH is very handy, I am OK at painting but not much else!

We needed to do everything to the house (new windows, whole house re-wire, new kitchen, 3 new bathrooms, lots of plumbing), much of it immediately as the kitchen was not usable (and was RAT-infested!) and the bath floors were rotten. We did not have the $$ to contract everything out so we contracted out the stuff we (DH!) were not able to do (windows, moving walls, rebuilding rotten floors, electrical re-wire, plumbing rough-ins, tiling, drywall), and we did all the finish stuff ourselves, installed the kitchen and bathrooms, etc.

We did it by working on weeknights after kiddie bedtime. For about 4 months, we did kiddie bedtime/books when DH finished work (about 7.30-8) and then DH and I would work on the house from about 8.30-9 till 12-1. We would eat our dinner at about 1am (usually with glass of vino to reward our efforts!)

we spent much of our w/ends working in the house too and tried to reserve projects for the weekends that could either involve the kids or that DH could do by himself so that i could take the kids out somewhere.

it was exhausting and i dont think we could have kept it up for much longer, but we did get a lot done!

Here's a before and after of the old kitchen/family room, which is now the living rm/family room (taken from same spot):

We tried to include the kids in it as much as possible (they had turns with my paintbrush, helped stick the blue tape down, and were often "daddys helper", bringing him the red screwdriver, the measuring tape, etc etc). They would come and see what we were doing before they went to sleep. They also shopped with us for everything and "helped" us choose what we needed. While that sounds so easy, there were of course some really crappy times -- they painted in the wrong place and I got mad, they ran away with daddys screwdriver and he got mad, they couldn't sleep because of the noise, etc. But, these were the minority and I think you have to bear in mind that other types of spending time together (playground, walks, museum, etc) can and do also go wrong sometimes. Overall they had a good time and I think they both learned some good things (about money and hard work, to start with!).

Some things i can think of that we did to help keep costs down:
- we used contractors who were much cheaper than I have read about on the Kitchens forum. We didn't have a GC or a KD and we found contractors who were small businesses (by word of mouth) rather than the bigger companies. Most of them were older guys who worked by themselves, and did really solid work.
- DH did the finish work that the contractors would otherwise have done. For example, the electrician did the re-wire and then DH installed all the switchplates, ceiling fans, outlets, etc. The plumber gave us rough-ins and DH hooked up the sinks, faucets, showers.
- we installed all the trim/baseboards etc ourselves, sanded and re-finished the hardwoods, and painted _every_ surface new.
- IKEA!! Our kitchen cabs are IKEA, so are all the bathroom vanities. We put down 2 IKEA laminate hardwood floors ourselves (not as bad as we thought it would be). Billy bookcase, and various kids furniture items.

From what you have written, it sounds like you and your DH are very handy. Maybe you can come up with a plan together to work some nights and some times at the weekends, obviously depends on your own personal schedules though. I found that it helped to cover my eyes to the big picture (which was just too much to think about!) and work room by room, or even task by task.

I think paint will do wonders for the rooms you pictured above. And some big, bold paintings above the fireplace will really help to balance it out.

I read your other post and sounds like you are planning to paint the kitchen cabs. Grey walls with fresh white cabs will look great and do wonders for your spirit.

By the way, I work out of neccessity, but also out of choice. I can completely see that many mothers want to be at home with their kids and i think that is great for them and their kids. I wanted to go to back to my career, and I share your disappointment that this is considered by many to be not as acceptable. I'm sure there are many SAHMs who are _not_ doing a good job of bringing up their kids, just as there are many working parents. We are trying our best to be in the category of working parents who _are_ bringing up their kids well, which obviously includes being attentive to them. Its a shame that some people don't seem to be able to acknowledge that this category even exists.

Good luck with it all, and please post pics as you go, I for one would love to see how you progress.

sarchlos - I meant nothing of what you read into my post. I was only a SAHM until my DD went full day school. From that point forward I was a working mom like you. I am sorry if I hurt your feelings. I was coming from a place of being in the same frame of mind about my own home for years, not having the money, then not having the time. It is a catch 22 for all moms working or not. I never meant to imply that you were a bad mom, quite the contrary. I don't know you well, nor do I wish to judge your parenting skills. As far as a liberal parent, it was not meant in a political sense. What I meant was that I have a great open conversation going with my daughter and allow her to do things that some parents of children her age would not. She is a very mature young woman, who has been through alot in her 17 yrs. It had nothing at all to do with politics.

Lastly on the health issue, I can relate to your situation. DD was born with a terrible genetic condition which I deal with on a daily basis. Unfortunately, there is no cure for her, but we live life one day at a time. I guess that was where I was coming from - one day at a time. I learned that almost 18 years ago when she was born.

I am deeply sorry that you took my post as a "bad mommy" speech, that was not at all my intention.

Window mistreatments - That is fun! Thanks!

I am looking for soundproofing panels and finding this, thought it might be of intrest for you also. R-11 insulation, sounds quicker to install without all the mess and "integrated low voltage wiring" already there! What do you think? I want to see them in person.
http://800newbasements.com/features.html

Have you gone to a Habitat for Humanity ReStore? Check them out. Fixtures and stuff at very very low prices. Mine even will haggle with me on prices. Windows, doors, vanities, sinks, cabinets, paint, roofing, trim, flooring, doorknobs, etc. You get the picture. Also free cycle? Ask and someone might have exactly what you're looking for.

Check garage sales and the local newspaper for building supplies. I've gotten some very interesting woodwork that way. In my area, there are sometimes houses that are to be demolished that have great old fixtures that you can pull out for a song.

Check out the Lowes and Home Depot scratch and dent and clearance bins and areas. I've gotten some very good stuff for next to nothing. I got a fireplace mantle end of season for 90% off this past year.

What can I say? I'm a complete cheapskate. :~)

hov·el Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[huhv-uhl, hov-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -eled, -el·ing or (especially British) -elled, -el·ling.
noun 1. a small, very humble dwelling house; a wretched hut.
2. any dirty, disorganized dwelling.
3. an open shed, as for sheltering cattle or tools.
verb (used with object) 4. to shelter or lodge as in a hovel

S'remodler, I don't see your home as any of these. Blue velvet is on the right track. I make a weekly visit to my thrift stores and a couple of antique stores that have weekly specials. Both the thrift/antique stores are hit or miss so you have to go frequently. Thrift stores get new things everyday. Some are loaded with nothing but junk and others are worth re-vising weekly~you need to investigate all in your area to sort thru the good,the bad,and the ugly.

Don't elimaninate bedspreads/comforters as they can be brought home and washed or dry cleaned.

A lot of forum members seem to have good luck with their local craigslist so try that,too. Habitat for Humanity has light fixtures/lamps/doors/windows and just about everything necessary to build/re-do a house.

Like BVE,i'm a complete cheapskate and darn proud of it! ;o)

Is this close enough to your home to be of help?
www.TheReusePeople.org
Info@TheReUsePeople.org
11017 Sutter Ave
Pacoima, CA 91331

From I-5: Take the 118E. Exit at San Fernando Road; make a left onto San Fernando Road, make the first right onto Paxton. Make the first right onto Sutter Avenue. The warehouse is on the left hand side, about one block down.
Open to the Public: Tues - Fri 10am to 5pm & Sat, 10am to 4pm. T: 818-897-2798 F: 818-897-2807

Hello Sarschlos! I don't think you have a hovel at all, but I know how it feels when you are unhappy with your home. For reasons best not discussed here, I lived for almost 10 years having to pick up and move on short notice and so I rented after my divorce. Some pretty awful places, and I've cried a few times upon moving in.

You have been given some great ideas, and many of those bodica posted I've done myself. In addition to the starched fabric for walls, I've upholstered walls with fabric. Just stapled up some furring strips on the walls and stapled quilt batting between the spaces, then attached a pretty but inexpensive fabric, covered the staples with a glued on pretty gimp or trim, and voila! Sumptuous, but inexpensive and able to come down in an afternoon! Especially beautiful in a bedroom or dining room.

I hope you are having fun today and tomorrow enjoying sprucing up something with your kids. I am looking forward to your update with pics!

Susan

I believe there is one in Santa Ana as well.

http://www.habitat.org/cd/frame/frameset.aspx?url=www.restoreoc.org

They had a great selection of doors when I was there a year ago.

Good Luck,

Laura

Hi all -- I've been away this weekend because my kids and I painted the guest room (which is also their playroom). They had a blast, made a huge mess, but it's mostly done (we didn't do the trim or doors yet, since that is a lot of work and we're planning to replace). Photobucket wouldn't load the photos last night, so I'll try to load tonight.

We had a chimney repairman out to check out the fireplace, but we need to do a full rebuild of the fireplace (yikes) because that drywall mess is too close to the firebox and the roof flashing was not installed properly, and it sounds hollow behind the stone facade -- meaning that there is a problem with the firebox. Getting an estimate on Thursday, but this is definitely going to put fixing the kitchen on hold.

Oh, and I realize we don't live in a dictionary-definition "hovel," it's just ugly, poorly insulated and hugely expensive to fix.

Thanks ebveryone for helping me get out of my rut!

Sarschlos, oy vey with the firebox. Keep us posted. We were afraid we'd have to do ours, too, and when the contractor got to $10K estimated costs my eyes glazed over. I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

sarasclos_remodeler: I've been following your thread--just didn't have any creative ideas to add to those already there. Speaking for myself, when my house is disorganized I can't function and everything seems so depressing/over whelming.

I'm glad the weekend went well and the kids had fun with the project. They will certainly enjoy their own playroom. IKEA has some nice and fairly inexpensive organization stuff for all of the toys. Good luck with the fireplace--it does sound like a Pandora's box, but I'm sure you'll get plenty of ideas here.

bodica: Do you have any pics of the fabric/laundry starch idea. It's a bit difficult to visualize.

Sar- what a delight for us to read "they had a blast" and hope you did too. The fireplace will bring you peace of mind soon, knowing it will be inspected and safe to enjoy.
Sounds like you and your family are on your way to - your home your way!
Valinsv- I am sorry, I don't have any pictures, but I'm not sure a photograph would look like anything different from paint or wallpaper, but it so much easier to apply and remove. I just smooth the starch wet fabric where I want it, even on glass windows for privacy still allowing light glow, pushing out from the center so no air bubbles. For the finished edges, Tack on wood, fabric , ribbon, what ever again wet with starch. You do need to watch it dry to be sure it stays in place til stuck. For no trim I smooth on, let dry very dry and cut with razorblade and straight edge, touch up with starch if needed. Childs room, smooth background in place, cut out trees, animals, toys, anything you like and just wet starch over background layer as much as you like. I've used push pin to hold til dry with a cut of plastic between so removing the pin won't pull layers off the wall.
Tired of? Just peel off and vac any starch dust. Your wall will have been protected underneath.
For 3D effect, Make cutouts like flowers for example, and decopoge edges to curl or shape, let dry, assemble, let dry, then starch in place on the wall..........
ok,ok,ok.....I'm getting carried away, and I'll stop now

valinsv, not bodica, but I've done the starched walls. In 1984 we moved to an army town and even though we were civilian, we rented from a co that did mostly army rentals so we had a lot of the same rules as base housing. I took a decorating class with the local cont ed & they showed us how to do the starched walls using Sta Flo liquid laundry starch. It's blue, but the one they recommended. These were pretty much the same directions that we were shown, but they said to use 100% cotton. I used a blue cotton on the walls, and it worked & looked great. But, when we moved, I used their directions on getting it off - put water in a spray bottle, wet the fabric & it will peel off the wall. It did peel off the wall, leaving a blue film behind. I don't know if it came from the blue Sta Flo or the blue unwashed cotton fabric, but it was a pain to scrub off.

So my advice is try your fabric on a garage wall first, let it sit a few days & then remove to see if you want to do it over a whole wall or room.

Oh arti8a, I'm so glad you said that, yes cotton not poly as it can't absorbe the starch to become one with the wall. I always used heavy white so I know nothing about the Blue Sta Flo, and I always washed in hot water to be sure of no bleeding that would stain. Also dried on hot because I wanted it to shrink first if it would, not after I had on the wall. Thanks again, important points I'd forgotten.

"We were afraid we'd have to do ours, too, and when the contractor got to $10K estimated costs my eyes glazed over."

Yikes! Let's hope I'm not looking at $10k for this stupid fireplace.

Ouch on the firebox. Question - are you super attached to having a FP? Would it be easier (read cheaper) to just remove it?

Curious what the cost difference might be between bringing the existing fireplace/chim'ny up to todays safty code vs. a new energy saving alternative fireplace installed in front of the original? So many interesting and attractive self contained units these days but I've not seen a cost break down. Bet lots of home would be happy to upgrade if they knew the cost difference. Any GW'ers here to tells us what to consider?

We have had the same exact issue and so have friends. You have to eventually scale down your furniture to the size of the room, when you're done crying. I cried for 4 years and then accepted it and changed it. You can find paint at Habitat for Humanity really cheap, I also found two french doors with leaded junctures for $40. You never know what you'll find there, or on craigslist.