Just Imagine! 10 DIY Room Makeovers to Inspire You to Buy!

November 8, 2017

By: Mandi Gubler

Just a little imagination and a few tools could make that listing your new home.

When you’re dreaming about buying a home, you imagine everything being exactly how you want it from the start. You don’t dream about outdated cabinets, bad flooring, or popcorn ceilings.

So when you actually start looking for a home, finding homes that are less than perfect can be a bit of a reality check. Unless you have a pretty penny to spend on exactly what you want, chances are you’re not going to start out with your dream kitchen. But that’s no reason not to pull the trigger on a new house.

While house hunting, keeping an open mind and imagining what a space could become is key. Sure, it might not be perfect right off the bat, but most aren’t! This is where I come in. I’m your DIY Fairy Godmother — just substitute sawdust for sparkles and a drill for a wand. I’m here to show you what can become of those less-than-ideal spaces with a little hard work and creativity.

Here are a few of my favorites. Keep in mind that all of these spaces are DIY-ed and most have tutorials for everything you see.

Kitchens:

In my opinion, the kitchen is far and away the most important room in the house. It’s where you’ll invest most of your time, and to be honest, most of your money. We’ve all seen what a difference finishes and design details can make in a kitchen. Things like cabinet color and countertop materials are huge.

1. Improved functionality. I’m beyond obsessed with Gwen from The Makerista’s kitchen renovation. It’s like all the hopes and dreams of the world manifest themselves in one perfect space. But it didn’t start out like that. It started out with outdated oak cabinets and a tile countertop.

Gwen completely gutted the space and updated it with new tile that her husband installed, a mirrored backsplash, and trendsetting new cabinets.

2. Dated no more. Blogger Julia’s kitchen was full of oak cabinetry and not much else. Over the course of two years, Julia completely overhauled it using IKEA cabinetry and DIY concrete countertops.

After the renovation, it doesn’t even look like the same house.

You’ve got to see the whole space on Chris Loves Julia. It’s going to blow your mind!

3. Maximized size. Blogger Corey’s kitchen was nothing spectacular. The one thing it had going for it was size. But there were loads of things that were dragging down the style, like that giant wall.

Amazing, right?! The faux brick wall and new flooring are doing wonders! And did you realize the ceilings were that high from the first picture? Check out the entire series on Sawdust2Stitches.

4. Vintage TLC. If you’re lucky enough to find a cottage built in 1938, don’t let a bad kitchen derail you. Vintage homes are full of personality that just can’t be replicated. Sometimes they just need a little TLC. Here’s what the kitchen looked like over the years:

5. Cabinet rescue. Don’t feel bad about falling in love with a house that has a little bit of a beige situation.

Elisha overhauled her kitchen in two months and — wait for it — built her own cabinetry!

She’s obviously a master carpenter. See every tutorial on how to duplicate this for your own home on Pneumatic Addict. But for those of us who are a little less skilled, try repainting your kitchen cabinets.

Living Rooms:

Let’s talk living rooms, shall we? Creating a space that you love is all part of the home-owning process, so roll up your sleeves and get ready to party.

6. Mix of light and dark. Judging by the before shot of this room, there were two requirements for buying this home. A tetanus shot and guts. Loads of guts.

See all of the tutorials for recreating this space in your own home on Vintage Revivals.

7. Layered living. Sometimes you just have to start fresh, which is what Lindsay from The White Buffalo Styling Co. did. If you can’t or don’t want to make the existing situation work, rip it out and start over.

If you can’t or don’t want to make the existing situation work, rip it out and start over.

Bedrooms:

And who can forget about the bedrooms? Um, no one!

8. Tiny changes, big impact. Have you seen this magic from Almost Makes Perfect?

A new paint job and ceiling fan are further proof that you don’t have to spend thousands to make a huge impact.

9.  Bolder and wiser.  Who knows? Maybe you love color and pattern, in which case this might be the master bedroom for you!

Everything from the tumbling block wall, to the sliding barn door and giant rug is DIYed. You can find all of the tutorials on Vintage Revivals.

Laundry Room:

10. From dull to distinctive. Last but not least, let’s talk laundry rooms. Man oh man, they can just suck the life out of you, right?

But with a little love and elbow grease (and tile), you can transform it into something [else].

Updating the flooring and using a sheet of plywood to build the countertop are some of my favorite projects from this space. See the how to on Vintage Revivals.

Feeling inspired yet? Now get out there and find your dream house.

4 Ways to Make Fido Happy in Your New Home!

November 4, 2017

By: Sarah Fogle

Your dog will lurve these features, which will look awesome in your home, too.

Life with pets: They frustrate you, they make things messy, but you can’t help loving them anyway.

After years of DIYing with the world’s greatest sidekick, who likes to be in on the action at all times (even when I’m on a ladder or using an air compressor), I tend to pause whenever I see a cool idea for making Charlie feel more at home among the chaos.

I have a long list of favorite ideas for pet-friendly home features, but these are at the top:

Pet Feeder:

I used to think having a fancy food bowl setup was one of those nice-to-have things that I would get around to making for my pup eventually. But little did I realize, this was one of the more impactful tweaks I made this past year, and it really changed some of the everyday annoyances I’d been dealing with for years.

Charlie had a long-standing habit of constantly flipping over her food bowl before eating, and I hated the way stray bits of food would wind up scattered across my floor in the process. But once I built her a food bowl stand that also fit my design style, it made the house so much cleaner.

It was like boom! She stopped flipping, and I stopped flipping out. I regret so much that I hadn’t done this sooner. There are lots of DIY feeder options out there, including ones that suspend from the wall, ones that include food storage below the bowls, or ones that look like mine — that just look pretty nice in the kitchen.

Outdoor Lounger:

Now that I finally filled in my backyard this past year, I have lots of DIY outdoor projects on my task list. Adding one more: This DIY “dogzebo” from my friend at the “House of Wood” blog! I’m not sure I could get Charlie to sit still long enough to be my model like hers, but I know the perfect corner to add this.

Upgraded Gates:

I used a retractable baby gate when Charlie was a pup. It was useful to help train her, but not all that aesthetically pleasing (nor was the linoleum floor she chewed up when she had to be kept in “puppy jail”).

If I could go back in time, I’d rather have had something that suits my style a little more, like this gorgeous custom-designed gate over at the “Yellow Brick Home” blog. Unfortunately, Charlie’s a little too big to be deterred by a gate anymore, but this would still be a great build for owners with small pets (like my parents’  … maybe next year’s Christmas gift?)

Dog Beds:

Charlie has a bed of some sort in virtually every room of my house. She likes to follow me around no matter where I’m hanging out, and I like to have a place where she can be both comfortable and out of the way.

Still, though: Why do dog beds always have to be so ugly? I like the idea of making them more tied into furniture, such as with an ottoman or side table. That’s pretty much what Mindi from the “MyLove2Create” blog did with an old crib turned dog crate.

That wooden top is perfect for making it look like the rest of the furniture in her home.

Ultimately, it’s important to me to make Charlie feel just as at home in our shared space as I do. While some design choices are made just for me, I’ve learned that taking her needs into account can help us both in the long run — less clutter, fewer messes to clean up, and a house that can still be beautiful while addressing my biggest pain points of dog ownership vs. my design desires.

Win-win is always better, right?