Renovating & Remodeling Skills & How Tos

Project by: Emily and Erica Refinishing the main stairwell was just one small component of the year-log, full scale, gut-renovation of our 1900’s Greek Revival house in Providence, RI—but as the staircase is the first thing you see when you come in our front door, we wanted it to be a striking feature.

Alison Dahl Kelly shared photos and the story of her amazing kitchen and dining room makeover with us. Take it away, Alison: Purchased in 2009, our artfully restored 1880’s townhouse has been taken apart and put back together again, restoring some old and adding some new. What attracted us to buy this house were the still-intact original details—parquet flooring, tin ceilings, marble fireplaces, built-in cabinetry, his and hers vanities.

Renovation by: Douglas Huebner Location: South Orange, New Jersey I’m a Realtor in South Orange, NJ and I have an investor client. I’ve helped him buy a couple of houses in the area for him to restore and resell. On this particular project he let my wife and I do the renovation. I became the General Contractor / Project Manager and my wife did all the design work. We did a complete renovation.

Project by: Louise Location: Utica, New York We live in a 1930’s Dutch Colonial house in Central NY. The second-floor bathroom (the only one with a bathtub) was a disaster when we bought the house and stayed that way for several years. The room is extremely narrow. And to make things worse, the previous owner installed a vanity so large that there was no space to move around in there. The renovation had to be affordable, so the toilet, tub and sink had to remain in the same spots.

Project by: Kara and Matt Location: Charlotte, NC This past spring we purchased a 1960’s style brick ranch that aesthetically was still stuck in that decade. The home had great bones, but like most houses built at that time, contained lots of tiny “living” spaces, like a small L shaped kitchen, a super dark paneled den and a long, narrow living room.

Renovation by: Oneiric Projects Location: Los Angeles, CA This developer redo of a house is worth a peek for your own potential projects. It’s fully updated but still charming, especially when it comes to not only preserving but improving upon its major vintage curb appeal. Details about the renovation from Oneiric: New energy efficient windows preserves the 1919 style while providing ample natural light into the home. Original front door and peephole provides a warm welcome to visitors.

Makeover by: Paige Location: Naperville, Illinois My husband and I just finished our latest project: updating our main bathroom for under $250. We went back and forth about doing a larger renovation in here, but in the end we decided to work with what we had first. If we could get it to look great with minimal labor for us, then why not try it? We replaced the counter top (which was veined with purple!

Project by: Sarah & Chad Location: Montreal, Canada We thought we were going to take a break from renovating our 1950s attached house in Montreal after completely gutting the kitchen and updating the whole main level but a leaky toilet derailed our plans.

Justin sent us before, during and after photos of his recent bathroom makeover: I bought my condo 2.5 years ago and the upstairs half bath was pretty awful. My girlfriend and I did a ton of research on materials since we wanted to go with a more modern renovation. No timeframe, but we needed it done sooner than later considering we’re talking about cohabitation.

When faced with an outdated kitchen, it’s a natural reaction to want to go for the gut and simply start with a clean slate. It takes a a good eye and plenty of design confidence to recognize a situation where not everything has to go and instead, successfully build on the old, seen-better-days bones of the room.

While in the process of diy-ing a bathroom renovation, I discovered a key process “secret” worth learning. Laying the perfect bead of caulk might not sound very exciting, but is an essential process to know for any home owner. My first attempt to lay caulk wasn’t so bad. I was trying to seal an apron sink we just put in the kitchen. My caulk work turned out nicely, but, boy, was it tedious, not to mention super messy!

When remodeling a bathroom, consider adding a recessed shower shelf into your design. It’s a practical and streamlined way to add storage space for shampoos and soaps, without taking away elbow room. Built-in shower niches are also a great alternative to gunky corner shelves and rusty shower caddies. For all of you DIY renovators, read on to learn how to build a shower shelf of your own.

Applying grout is always exciting. It’s the final touch to all of your hard tiling work, and much less tedious and time consuming. (If you missed it, see my earlier tutorial on how to tile your shower.) Yet, there are still some steps to ensure the longevity of your grout lines and the lifespan of your tiles.

Unlike painting, tiling isn’t as quick and easy as it looks. Tiling is for those who enjoy tedious, repetitive perfectionism. And I can’t say that I do, but in the end, the three days that turned into three weeks (seriously) was all worth it. Clean white subway tile transforms spaces — all in such a timeless way. So, before you start mixing the thin-set, check out the lessons I learned about how to tile your bathroom.

Earlier this week, I showed you my newly renovated sink and backsplash area in my kitchen. If you’re interested in learning how to remove and install your own sink, follow these steps to complete the process yourself! A new kitchen sink that fits both width, length and depth of the existing space Plumber’s putty Your brand new sink!

Name: Gene, Heidi and Baby WyethLocation: Downtown — Brooklyn, New YorkSize: 1,285 square feetYears Lived In: 2½ years Gene recently shared his home through a House Call Gene’s Graphics & Color: Geometric Art Collection — and I couldn’t wait to share more! A perfect kick-off to our Art, Craft & Collection month, this Brooklyn family’s loft is oozing with exciting art and Gene shared one of the most extensive resource lists (including all the art!

This small space features a music room, guest bed, as well as an arts and crafts corner. Wow!

This apartment dweller gave his space the first-class treatment.

These aren't going anywhere.

Those dollars go a long way in this kitchen transformation.

These are the biggest faux pas you can make.

How I got what I wanted, for a whole lot less.

The couple decided to bypass a pricey professional job and tackle the van buildout on their own.

The tile in this bathroom will give you serious heart-eyes.

The total budget for the renovation was a lot less than you might think, too.

These DIYs will floor you

This is a very welcome twist.

This bright, welcoming redo is fireplace goals.

Ok, yes, strong claim—but wait until you see it.

Bye, dirty carpet and crumbly ceiling tiles. Hi, dream destination.

See if you can spot all the tiny swaps that make this kitchen look brand new.

These will knock your socks off, despite the teeniest tiniest price tags imaginable.

Creating your own countertops may seem intimidating — but we’ve rounded up 10 stylish DIYs that demystify the process. Your kitchen will look brand-new in no time! 1. Above: DIY Concrete Coated Countertops by Little Green Notebook 2. Faux Marble Countertops by Batchelors Way for Remodelaholic 3. DIY Butcher Block Countertops by This and That 4. DIY Live Edge Wood Countertops by Modfrugal (This is obviously a bathroom, but the concept could be adapted to a kitchen.) 5.

This easy project adds both style and function, with very little effort.

*Blink blink blink.* Yes, it's the same dining room!

Hello, 1995? We're here to give your beige tile back.

This family got the best of both worlds: a fresh new bathroom with a classic old-school look.

One great way to get the look, without the high price tag.

Your tiny kitchen is about to feel a whole lot bigger.

It's like night and day... or day and night.

Brick veneer plus DIY art makes for one fresh hangout space.

With twenty years of accumulated items, one New York City apartment dweller was ready for a change, starting with some major decluttering.

As this homeowner says, "paint, elbow grease, and lack of fear are my secret weapons!"

A layout switcheroo plus some fresh new finishes made this bathroom way more spacious and relaxing.

Got marble counters? You'll want to read this to avoid future repair costs.

This beige-on-brown bathroom wasn't pretty, and it definitely wasn't practical.

See ya, '70s-style mirrored doors. Wallpaper and paint pair up to make this closet way more fun.

These start at just $5K.

You know what they say: the best home transformations come when the "before" photo looks like it came straight from a horror film (and if they don't say it, they should!).

First-time homeowners Nick and Sarah Wissinger bought their home in 2016 and, after having only rented apartments before, were grateful to finally be able to decorate in a way that felt like them. Their plain-Jane master bedroom gave them the perfect opportunity.

The couple snagged the retro trailer for $500, and while that price seems like a steal, you get what you pay for—meaning there was a lot of work to be done.

Myra McKeon's kitchen was, well, totally fine. "The before was functional and by all means great," she writes. "The style of the kitchen would be liked by most, but it just wasn't my particular style."

Name: Austin & Danielle (of Forage + Fodder)Type of Project: Kitchen & Garage RemodelLocation: Austin, TexasType of building: One story, Single-Family House, 1250 square feet We’ve been following along with Danielle and Austin’s kitchen and garage renovation every step of the way, from its ‘Texas suburbia’ style beginning to the beautiful new kitchen and master suite they have now.

Name: Lorna Ziller Type of Project: Open plan kitchen, dining, and sitting room remodel Location: Moonah, Hobart, Tasmania Type of building: Brick cottage After planning, dreaming, destroying and shopping, Lorna’s new kitchen and living space is here! Take the full tour now. Afterwards, she crunches the numbers and offers some hard earned DIY wisdom — as well as shares her favorite things about her sleek new space.

Name: Graeme & Rebekah Molloy Type of Project: Kitchen Remodel Location: Chautauqua Park, Des Moines, Iowa Type of building: 1920 Tudor Graeme and Rebekah’s kitchen was seriously outdated, and had a crazy layout to boot. Join them on their renovation journey to a new dishwasher, complete with old-house problems, scheduling snafus and charming Pinterest finds. We’re sharing all their photos, budget, lessons learned, and the final reveal!

Why have a room serve only one purpose when it can have a few?

The once-tight quarters included quirky floral (not-in-the-good-way) wallpaper on the bathroom and kitchen ceilings.

Aside from the embarrassment of a disastrous attempt at fixing stuff around the house, performing your own fixes could very well wind up costing your more money than you’d planned on spending.

It took about three weeks and cost around $6,400 to complete this bold black and white bathroom renovation.

Suchada Eickemeyer and her husband bought their house in 2016, just as she was beginning interior design school. She knew that she would be able to put her newly-acquired skills to good use in the home's kitchen.

"I wanted a kitchen with an open aspect that I could love, enjoy, and utilize," writes Vicky Flynn of Liverpool. Instead, she had a "dark, gloomy, decrepit space" with a leaky tap and "some interesting shades of brown."

When Andrea Jensen and her husband were house hunting, they narrowed in on a Southern California area they loved. However, "the neighborhood came with a steep price tag," Andrea writes, "so we knew whatever we bought in our price range would require a lot of work."

Allison Schaeffer and her husband Noel had a large loft space at the top of their stairs that wasn't serving much purpose—but had serious potential.

Bye bye, golden wood cabinets!

Electrical fires are the third leading cause of home structure fires, according to The Electrical Safety Foundation International. But fortunately, there are a variety of preventative measures you can take to help ensure that one doesn’t happen to you.

A dark and dated back room is now an airy and bright master bedroom with gorgeous exposed ceiling joists.

As soon as Hope Mendes and her husband saw their Cobb, California, cabin, they knew it was the place they'd been searching for.

Alanna and her husband Jesse purchased their tiny, two-bedroom Melbourne cottage when they were in their early 20s. The kitchen hadn’t been updated since the 1980s and was so small, the couple couldn’t comfortably cook in there together at the same time.

Cali Gabrielle must be a magician, because she made an ugly old house turn into an absolutely stunning home.

When it comes to kitchen design, there have really only been two options: cookie cutter IKEA or cost prohibitive custom—and not much in between. While the former is getting a lot nicer with the recent crop of third-party sellers creating design-forward cabinet fronts and various other elevated touches, the latter hasn’t seen much in the way of innovation or accessibility.

The previous owner had lived in this old house for about 70 years and it required updating.

At first glance, Nidia Serrano’s monochrome bathroom seemed like one we’d all love to come home to at the end of a busy day.