Renovating & Remodeling Skills & How Tos

Buying an apartment in New York would have to be one of the most stressful things you can do in life (and I’m a mother of two!) After missing out on two other apartments in our search for a new home we were quick to pounce when we saw this one. When we first walked into the apartment we saw straight through the bad lighting and dark wood. The space had so much potential, with lots of windows and high ceilings and a view facing Prospect Park.

After a frustrating and unsuccessful 10-month hunt for a new house, I offered my Facebook friends a reward if they’d bring me a lead that converted into my new home. A local talk radio station picked up the story and put me on air to ask about my unconventional home search methods. I got a few dodgy calls from listeners (one man just wanted to take me out for a drink!) before a woman texted me to say she had a ‘kind of magic’ home she thought I might like.

We wound up buying our first home in Edmonds. The home’s previous owners ran an old folks living facility. Once the house was foreclosed on the owners abandoned ship and squatters settled in. We purchased this fixer upper in February of 2015. Short on cash my husband and his father took on the work themselves. My husband would work his day job from 5am to 1pm and then head up to the house and work into the wee hours of the night.

While I’ll never say no to drama, sometimes a subtle, relaxing makeover is in order. Jordan and Anton took their awkwardly laid out bathroom and turned it into a timeless retreat (plus storage!). Check it out… Thank you, Jordan and Anton!

My husband and I recently moved into a brand new townhome in San Diego, California. We absolutely love the new place but for some reason, the builder created really awkward and unevenly sized “designer nooks” above the fireplace. We tried to think of ways to design around them but ultimately we knew we needed to cover the holes up and create a mantle.

Our family room has a cathedral ceiling and a large, prominent fireplace. We wanted to make this room a standout, but our budget was more of a washout. By whitewashing the fireplace ourselves, and installing faux beams, we were able to make a big impact, on a not so big budget. We’ve always loved beams. But we didn’t love the prices. Luckily, we discovered faux beams, which sell for a fraction (like 1/5) of the cost of real wood beams. And guess what? They look real. Seriously.

When Adrien and Jon moved into their essentially turnkey home in Los Angeles seven months ago, they still had one major project to tackle. As a fashion stylist and owner of Adrien’s Closet, Adrien has a massive collection of clothing that she uses for shoots, styling sessions, and rentals, and even a dedicated spare bedroom in the house didn’t provide enough space to contain her inventory (more on her style here).

Our home was built in 1919. The bathroom had undergone multiple “updates” which included a huge clawfoot tub. When we moved in, the bathroom renovation was not our first priority but after about a week of living in a house with one bathroom with only 10 inches between the toilet and bathtub, it became our priority.

When my husband Mark and I purchased our 1890s brick row home in Frederick, Maryland, we knew the kitchen would eventually need some attention. There was really nothing wrong with the space… it was just utterly lifeless. Like the rest of the house, the kitchen had received some well-intentioned but poorly-executed updates. Everything was off-white: cabinets, countertops, linoleum floor, walls.

When Megan and Sam bought their New Orleans Victorian two years ago, they decided to tackle a complete bathroom renovation on their own. Thankfully, Sam has a lot of construction and renovation work under his belt, so the job was familiar terrain. Here’s what Megan had to say about the project: After ripping out all the ugly brown and beige tile on the floor and walls (and one trip to the hospital for stitches–always wear work gloves!

Jeremy and Elizabeth’s West Los Angeles townhouse has a lot to offer: high ceilings, a large roof deck, and loads of space. The pair likes to entertain and cook, so they spend a lot of time in their kitchen, which until recently had a few drawbacks. Cabinets over the range meant that there was no ventilation for the stove top, and they also prevented natural light from the kitchen window from passing through into the dining room.

When I moved into my first one-bedroom (rental) apartment I knew I had a lot of work to do. The previous tenants left it in pretty bad shape and it was hard to see the final vision through all the clutter. But, I knew the place had great bones and I couldn’t ignore the 7 windows that wrapped around the whole place letting in a ton of sunlight. I loved the open floor plan and for a Beacon Hill place, it was a great size just around 600 square feet.

My wife and I bought our house last year and there was a back house that was part of the property. At the time of the sale there was someone living in the back house so we weren’t able to see it (other than peering through the windows). In short, we had no idea what state the house was in but, from what we could could gather, it was a dump. Once we closed on the house, we finally got to tour the back house and we were in shock.

My husband and I bought our house 7 years ago, in the city of Laval, a suburb north of Montreal. The layout of the bathroom was typical of the houses in the neighborhood. Since the first day I set foot in it, I did not like anything about that room. The shower was so narrow that we had difficulty washing our feet. The bathroom was as demoralizing as a rainy day. I demolished everything, including the ugly shell-shaped soap dish and the strange podium around the bath.

My husband, Jake, and I recently purchased our first home. It’s a 1950s ranch and we have lots of fun projects we need to tackle to bring it up to this decade. The first thing we took on was our smaller bathroom. We were able to salvage the tile in the tub and the toilet but almost everything else had to go. We (mostly Jake) did all the work ourselves including demo, putting in new drywall, electrical work and plumbing. Our final budget was around $1200 for all materials.

We’re big fans of small updates and little tweaks round these parts. But we get equally excited when we see a space that has made some major changes. Taylor’s kitchen went from beige and blah to absolutely stunning, and the best part is you can tell she absolutely loves it! From Taylor: When we bought our house, the kitchen was pretty sad. There was hardly any counter space or storage. Over the years, we slowly replaced appliances until we were ready for a full renovation.

We recently featured a House Tour of Shena and George’s Formerly Blighted, Beautifully Salvaged New Orleans Home; owner George Peake’s transformation of this 19th century house from a decrepit property on the brink of demolition to the gorgeous home it is today is staggering. George graduated from The Tulane School of Architecture and has been renovating historic houses in New Orleans since 2005, when Hurricane Katrina forced him to rebuild his first property.

We bought our house a few years ago. Nate had wanted a tree house and I’d hoped for Mid Century modern. I definitely wanted a home we could slowly remodel to fit our needs. We purchased our place from a wonderful man who adored his home. He’d spent many years updating it and left it with us in wonderful condition. The owner before him built it in the 70s and there are lots of little details that we adore. I’m just now learning more about them…from our painter! Small town.

When you look at a lot of kitchens, you see a lot of white cabinets and white marble countertops and subway tile. And of course those things are lovely, but every once in a while it’s nice to see something totally different, a kitchen with colors or details or elements that completely set it apart from the rest. Here are five kitchens that are completely off the beaten path — in the best possible way.

This past winter I fell on ice and broke my wrist. As you can imagine, this made many things more difficult, including housekeeping. My husband and I (and now our two kids) have lived in the same rental apartment sans dishwasher for eight years. My husband had been campaigning for one for years, but I had resisted for two reasons: 1) why invest money in a rental apartment and 2) why give up valuable cabinet space in our already small kitchen.

I have see the future of tile and it makes me want to renovate my bathroom or kitchen…again. At Cersaie last month, which is *the* bath and tile show, I had a chance to see lots and lots and lots of examples of what’s next in that world. Here are some of the trends I saw: As technology improves, ceramic tile makers find new methods to create tile that looks and feels like completely different material.

Los Angeles-based designer Patrick Cain sent us these photos of a dingy, neglected South Central apartment that he transformed into a stylish home. Patrick upgraded nearly everything about the apartment, with the goal of creating a look that was equal parts industrial and midcentury, with a little bit of L.A. style in the mix. Patrick owns a fourplex, near USC, that’s over 100 years old.

When the last of their kids moved out, Hafeeza and her husband decided to make a big change: they sold their 4,500 square foot house in New Jersey and moved to Manhattan. They were tired of the maintenance a big house requires, and wanted to be close to the city and all it has to offer. After a year in a temporary spot, they found the perfect apartment. The kitchen just needed a little tlc.

The kitchen in Sam’s new house couldn’t have been much worse. There were mice everywhere, the units were filthy, the cooker was condemned by the gasman, the back door could only be opened with a crowbar and worst of all, there was a mysterious smell, which they eventually tracked down to an open waste pipe running straight into the kitchen.

Kelsey and her husband Heath had their work cut out for them when they moved into their new home with an outdated kitchen. But they worked with the home’s bones for a makeover that both fits the house and their personality! From Kelsey: This project is/was the most time and energy intensive DIY renovation we’ve sunk our teeth into, but it has also been the most gratifying.

We’re all about the affordable makeovers that completely transform a room for not a lot of money. And though this kitchen does get a new floor (the price of which is not reflected in the $500 budget mentioned here), pay attention to the rest of the room where the $500 was spent. Alex got creative and outlines everything done to achieve a fresh new look. From Alex: I’ve wanted to redo my kitchen since I bought the house five years ago.

Sometimes when faced with a very outdated room, say like a kitchen, your first instinct could be to pour a lot of money into it to try to bring it back into the present day. But as Sabrina proves with this simple and subtle redesign, you can make a big impact on the look of a space with very small but potent changes (and only a bit of money). From Sabrina: Believe it or not, I bought this home at an estate auction, and these people were looking at it as well.

Jordan and her growing family were looking for a home, but knew with San Francisco’s high prices they would probably have to settle for a home that didn’t quite match their dreams. Even though friends warned her of the high prices of renovating, discounts were searched for and they did a lot of work themselves. From Jordan: My husband and I recently bought our first home together in San Francisco. We wanted a large home that had space for our growing family.

Project by: Jessica Davis Location: Short Hills, NJ From designer Jessica: The client wanted to revamp three rooms in her home, but there were certain things she wanted to keep and not change. The living room received the largest change-up. I added a seating/game area in a cozy corner and updated most of the pieces, only keeping just a few key antiques and reupholstering an existing chair.

This cramped and outdated kitchen almost prevented Christina from buying the house! But it was a charming 100-year-old Craftsman-style house that won her over, and she made the goal of brightening up the kitchen and maximizing space a priority! From Christina: When we toured this house, the kitchen was the reason why we almost didn’t buy the 100-year-old Craftsman-style house. It was so small, so brown, and so ugly!

Sometimes older bathrooms are full of charming and quirky details that are totally worth keeping as-is. And other times older bathrooms are just dull and outdated. Can you guess which one Tanya’s was? Waiting on when the budget will allow for a full renovation, she tackled a few DIY, tried-and-true tricks to change the look of this space to be more livable now. My husband and I just moved into our house and are saving up to renovate our main bathroom.

Yikes. That’s what I thought when I saw the ‘before’ version of Lisa and Brian’s Brooklyn kitchen. Old cabinets covered in so many layers of paint the doors would no longer close, peeling vinyl flooring, ancient wood-grain (!) laminate countertops — this kitchen had it all. And not in a good way. Oh, and also the oven didn’t work. It was time for a change.

Project by: Lisa Hershman Location: Greenwich Village, New York, New York Looking for some small space inspiration for small homes that also house young kids? You’ll love the ideas in this New York City apartment — the clients wanted a space that looked good, but one that could also be flexible enough to change as the family grew and withstand any damage two small kids could throw at it.

Looking for the inspiration + resources to transform a boring bathroom into something that wows? Darlene Chimaliro and Caty Tillman of Studio MOD(ish) were tasked with adding some personality to a boring condo for a young fun couple. The two bathrooms were transformed, each to match the style of either spouse. The guest bathroom — dramatic and over-the-top — was designed to reflect the wife’s bold tastes, and Darlene and Caty shared the resources they used to create this look.

Who hasn’t dreamed of living in an old, converted firehouse? Aaron and Heather took on just such a massive building in St. Louis (complete with a fire pole in their dining room) and are slowly working on the renovation, room by room. First up is their parking bay, formerly for the trucks and gear…are you ready? Wow. The huge open space is now used for their photography business, and is the perfect blank slate for photo shoots and meeting clients.

I have to admit it—this area of my home has always been a problem for me. I’ve reworked it, redesigned it, added shelves, painted walls— pretty much everything you can think of— in order to make it liveable without removing that dreaded desk. Each redesign, I was happy with the area for roughly three days, until I realized that I still hated the desk and I still didn’t understand why the previous owner of our condo would glue and screw a desk to the wall.

Potential can be a dangerous thing. Like when I sell myself on a fixer-upper accent chair from Goodwill, convinced I’ll watch a YouTube video one day and learn how to upholster it back to glory. “But it’s got so much potential,” I tell myself, while the chair collects dust in the basement. Bri of Emerson Grey designs saw similar potential in this laundry nook in a potential new home… Thankfully, her story ends better.

It can be easy to think completely changing the look of a room takes a lot of new furniture purchases and money. But as this bedroom reveals, some attention to existing furniture, fresh bedding, smart arranging of furniture and careful curating of new and vintage accessories can completely transform a space. Helped by Jesse of Scout & Nimble, this client’s bedroom got a much-needed makeover when the existing furniture was moved to make better use of the space.

This is Lisa’s old kitchen — complete with tiny old stove, wonky old cabinets, and a backsplash in a particularly delightful shade of green. And then there’s the part you don’t see: hiding behind the sink cabinet is a big hole in the wall. This past summer, after having lived in the apartment for a year (and with her fancé about to move in), Lisa decided that it was time for a change.

What happens when you find yourself in need of an area to call an “office”, but the layout and/or space inside your home doesn’t offer delineated work and live boundaries? That’s the issue general contractor Tim Logsdon faced when helping set up a home office in Atlanta, Georgia for a novelist who needed somewhere to write.

To save money for a down payment, Heather and her boyfriend lived in her mother’s garage-turned-studio apartment. They did manage to clean it up from this before, and transform it into a gorgeous space! From Heather: My mother’s garage is converted into a studio apartment with a full bathroom and a cute little kitchen.

This townhouse only had two bedrooms, and desperately needed a dedicated workspace and playspace. Angie was struck with inspiration when she thought about all the unused space in their 2-story foyer — why not build a loft? Join Us on Pinterest: Apartment Therapy She had her husband and father-in-law build this clever, creative loft and made it into a little nook for working and playing.

Fuzzco, a small design studio in Charleston, recently renovated an old beat up church. Their self-remodel features natural resources and some elements made by friends! The result is phenomenal and really proves that anyone can do a renovation themselves.Helen & Josh, owners of Fuzzco, spent 5 months renovating this space. They opened up the space by removing much of the facade and inserting a giant glass wall with door.