Renovating & Remodeling Skills & How Tos

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Sometimes when faced with a very outdated room, say like a kitchen, your first instinct could be to pour a lot of money into it to try to bring it back into the present day.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.

This cramped and outdated kitchen almost prevented Christina from buying the house!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 And other times older bathrooms are just dull and outdated.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.