Prudent and Practical

November 16, 2009

Movie Room and Table Painted

Filed under: DIY — Tags: basement, DIY, home improvement, projects — K @ 11:59 PM

The last week has been full of projects (and shopping)!  We’ve accomplished three projects and have more to come this week.

1 – After a few late nights and a lot of touch ups, we have the basement painted!  We have ivory on the top and red on the bottom.  Both are Pittsburgh Paint’s colors.  We left a white strip in the middle to see what it would look like.  We love it but think it needs a little oomph so we’re heading to our fave home improvement store to pick up some molding that we will paint white.

basement remodel 002 112x150 photo Movie Room and Table Painted

A tip for those who haven’t painted a dark color on a light wall:  take into account that you’ll need to paint 2-3 times.  The first layer of paint looks very splotchy and uneven.  The second layer covers up any light spots and the third painting is for touch ups. (I think the same could be said about painting a light color over a dark wall.)

Every house has their weird and quirky things (I could write a whole post about this ;-) ) and the basement has been no different from the upstairs.  The most recent thing is the installation of the 2x4s.  My understanding is that the 2×4 has a 4-inch depth.  The 2x4s in our basement are turned so that it’s a 2-inch depth.  D speculated that it added square footage – 6 square feet to be exact!  The studs are not on 16″ or 24″ centers and seem to be randomly scattered throughout the walls.  This has caused a slight problem with where the projector will sit.  We’re trying to figure out what to do.

2 – We have a super retro little side table that has had faux maple wood grain – yuck!  I think the modular-ness of the table will look great in the room, so I have painted it black.  It looks like it belongs in the basement now!

basement remodel 003 150x112 photo Movie Room and Table Painted

basement remodel 005 150x112 photo Movie Room and Table Painted

black retro table 150x112 photo Movie Room and Table Painted

3 – D and I built a frame for around the projector screen.  This is helping to keep the projector on the wall.  It will also hold black curtains and a valance.

basement remodel 014 150x112 photo Movie Room and Table Painted

basement remodel 015 112x150 photo Movie Room and Table Painted

basement remodel 017 112x150 photo Movie Room and Table Painted

basement remodel 018 150x112 photo Movie Room and Table Painted

We are so impressed and excited with the progress so far – recessed lighting, paint, screen frame, and a table.  It’s made a huge difference!  The room now feels warmer and much more up to date.

The quest is on for finding some decent used cabinets.  Every once in a while something pops up on Craigslist, but we let it slide because we don’t have a hauling vehicle (aka: truck or van) and everybody wants you to haul it.  I’ve also checked for carpet and tile on Craigslist.  The carpets are remnants (we need 12′x30′) and the tile is ugly so far.

While D was at the game on Saturday, I ran around shopping.  I have all the materials for a Christmas gift for the dogs (more on this in the next couple days!), bought six large frames for movie posters, and black imperial velvet to make movie screen curtains.  The best part about about it was that most of the stuff was on sale.  It’s going to be a busy week!

I’m happy to share this post with:

November 9, 2009

Basement Remodel Begins

Filed under: DIY — Tags: basement, DIY, home improvement, movies, projects, saving money — K @ 11:50 PM

Winter is approaching. Since we’re spending more time being indoors, D and I decided to get a start on the basement. Iowa winters can be harsh so the main objective is to turn the basement into something fun ~ a movie room! This is not going to be a nice television downstairs room. We are going all out (almost) on a budget and can’t wait to both share the results with you and use the room as well. And embarrassingly, it’s messy now because we’re in the middle of a project ~ I love how projects come together near the end ;-)

Here’s the main idea:

  • Red and ivory with black accents. Since we’re on the verge of putting it up for sale when the economy gets better, we didn’t want to go the traditional home theater room route by making it floor to ceiling (and including the ceiling) black, navy blue, or hunter green. That freaks me out just thinking about it… it would be complete turnoff to potential buyers. Keep in mind that this is a long and narrow basement room, not a dedicated theater room. We wanted to make it fun and functional, yet intriguing to potential buyers. And if it doesn’t sell for a while, we have something to enjoy!
  • Replace old globe lights with recessed and add more lights
  • Replace old, dirty outlet covers with new wood ones
  • Paint the walls – ivory on top and red on bottom, separated by a chair rail molding
  • Get rid of self-stick duck wallpaper border
  • Update the furniture – one new piece, slipcovers for the old couch and love seat, paint our modular/retro side tables
  • Move the projector screen to another wall – 120-inches of movie goodness!
  • Make a decorative cover for the projector screen casing and sew up some black velvet curtains
  • When we can find a good deal, we will be replacing the dark, splotchy brown carpet with a lighter carpet and tiles near the basement entry. Eve has unraveled the carpet at the laundry room, so the tile will solve her bad habit, while giving us a floor for…
  • Installing a 5-foot wet or dry bar by the laundry room
  • And finally garnishing with our favorite movie posters and memorabilia!

How do we plan to do this?

  • We already have the projector screen and D made a projector three years ago – he really loves DIY projects! ;-)
  • We purchased the paint and recessed lights on sale through Menard’s.
  • We purchased one slipcover on clearance through Target.
  • We purchased our new piece of furniture, “The Big One” LoveSac off of Craigslist for less than 1/3 the new price.
  • D purchased surround sound speakers and a receiver on clearance online.
  • I am looking to purchase a granite slab and cabinets off of Craigslist for the wet/dry bar.
  • I need to call in a plumber to see if he can do a drain or pipe or something to make a wet bar. If it’s going to be to extensive or expensive, it will just be a dry bar.
  • I plan to purchase the movie screen curtain fabric through Hobby Lobby or Joann’s when it goes on sale.
  • Carpeting and tile are still up in the air… we’re hesitant to spend that much money, but it will really improve the look of the basement. The room is 36′x12′ so we plan to have 30′x12′ carpet and 6′x12′ tile. We have no problem installing tile, since we have tackled that one before, twice. (Our kitchen doesn’t look like that now either!)

The Project Commences

We started with the lights. The weather’s (uncharacteristically) nice now, but will soon become chilling. Turning off the basement light breaker means turning off our thermostat upstairs – yes, our house is wired extremely weird – and turning off the heat for a loooong time, while D works his arms off.

Of course there are a few surprises. A “nest” of wires just tossed up in the ceiling. Multiple wires coming together but not in a junction box. And of course, you’ve got to love the 3-way lights: because somebody couldn’t walk reach 3 feet to turn off a switch. This means a lot more time and care go into making sure that certain wires are connected to the right place. And a quick note ~ I really wanted to change the drop ceiling to drywall a while back. We were told by a realtor that making the change in our town would not help sell it, so we left it. So as much as I dislike the stuff, you can see in the photos how much we have benefited from it.

So, what projects are you up to this week? What’s the biggest project you’ve tackled? Do you like LoveSacs? :-)

August 31, 2009

SKIL RAS900 Router Table Giveaway!

Filed under: fun — Tags: giveaways, home improvement, online — K @ 4:43 PM

I JUST saw that Ethan over at One Project Closer has reviewed the SKIL RAS900 Router Table and now SKIL is giving a brand new one away to one lucky winner!

THIS ENDS AT 11:59PM EST TONIGHT!  So get your butt over there and enter!

complicated route 1 300x155 150x77 photo SKIL RAS900 Router Table Giveaway!

Here’s a little bit about the router from the One Project Closer web site:

This is the One Project Closer August 2009 Giveaway!

SKIL is giving one lucky OPC reader a brand new RAS900 Smart Design Router Table – a $150 value!

On the heels of their recent lithium ion drill driver combo release, SKIL is back at it with two brand new offerings in the woodworking / capentry department: the RAS800 and RAS900 Smart Design Router Tables (official site).

Both of SKIL’s router tables were designed for the junior and mid-level woodworker–someone who wants the capabilities of a router table without the usual $300-500+ price tag.  As a bonus, for those of us without much tool storage space, both tables fold to less than 10 inches high and store neatly on a workbench or garage shelf. For more information, check out the full SKIL Router Table Review.

You must live in the US or Canada to be eligible to enter.

June 26, 2009

How to Make a Free Compost Bin with Pallets

Filed under: Headline — Tags: DIY, free, home improvement, natural, projects — K @ 12:49 PM

3 years ago I tried to build a compost bin out of 4×4′s and 2×4′s – big mistake!  I only made one panel because it ended up being so heavy so I gave up on the idea.  That following year D and I finished installing our 40 foot long retaining wall and we had quite a few pallets sitting in our driveway.  These were something that our hired dump truck would not take away.  About this time we had slowly started thinking more “green”.  I wanted a compost bin now and had talked D into one.

Basically we made two attached topless cubes using 9 pallets.  We had some snow fence, so we stapled that to all pallets to keep the compost better contained, but I have seen some pallet-compost bins without the snow fence and they’re doing just fine. All pallets were screwed together except the front pallets and bottom pallets.  We attached the front pallets with some twine so we can easily pull them off and flip the compost.  We just left the bottom pallets unattached – you may opt to not even have a bottom; we just put them there because we had extra pallets.

Here are a couple of the photos!  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

As requested, here are the tools needed:

  • 9 pallets
  • All weather screws – we used 12
  • Drill
  • Fencing (snow, geogrid) – if using
  • Stapler – to attach fencing if using

Where to find pallets:

  • Big home improvement stores (Lowe’s, Menard’s, Home Depot, etc.)
  • Grocery stores
  • Warehouses
  • Shipping / transporting companies
  • Electronic stores (Best Buy, Staples, Office Max, etc.)
  • Subdivisions/where homes are being built
  • Craigslist
  • Put out a “wanted” listing in your local newspaper
  • The Wooden Pallet Recycling Exchange

Remember to talk to a manager and also find out if you can have them for free.  Some places may charge you for them since it cost them money.

Now that you have your compost bins, what do you do with them?  Read the next article in composting to find out!

June 18, 2009

Top Remodels During a Recession

Filed under: saving money — Tags: discounts, home, home improvement, projects, shopping — K @ 1:09 AM

A few months ago Kiplinger’s magazine talked about what you should do to improve your home in the recession.  It wasn’t that you get a large return for the specific improvement – it was that the price of the main material has gone down during this slow time.  So without further ado, here are the top remodels to do during a recession according to Kiplinger’s:

1. Replace the roof – According to Kiplinger’s the price of asphalt has been falling lately.  While researching this, another site states the opposite, that the cost of liquid asphalt has increased 90% in the past year.

2. Repave your driveway – The price of asphalt is apparently falling, but unbeknownst to Kiplinger’s may have increased.

3. Upgrade vinyl siding – The price of petroleum-based vinyl fluctuates with the oil prices.  Lower oil prices mean more affordable siding.

4. Add a deck – Kiplinger’s states that lumber costs have declined 5% over the past year.  Since the publication, the US Department of Labor, Producer Price Index has showed that lumber has dropped even more (6-7%) over the past year, meaning a 38% decrease since 2004.

5. Replace or add insulation – Prices are down 2% and are a reflection of the current housing slump.  In addition, you may qualify for a tax credit, which would help to defray the cost, too.

The funny thing is:  although the prices have gone down on construction costs, these projects are still very expensive, with insulation possibly being the cheapest.  We’re still talking $1000′s unless you do some of the work yourself.

D and I got new blown cellulose insulation when we moved into our home.  Even during the housing boom (early 2006), the insulation was decently priced.  We have looked into having the other projects done over the past couple years.  Even with prices dropping, we don’t want to spend all the money to get the “big ticket” projects done, especially since we’ve been thinking about moving for a while.  We met with a realtor last November who told us that it’s not worth it to spend the money to get a new driveway and siding installed – we’d need to live here at least another few years to see any kind of return on it.

  • If you’re interested in the cost off fuel, asphalt, and steel, New York state’s DOT has compiled a list of prices from January 2006 through last month so you can see the fluctuations for yourself.  Construction Magazine has also compiled bi-monthly reports of Design Cost Data from metals to sheet rock and the construction materials in between.
  • And a little lesson — before doing a major renovation, do your research.  The prices are fluctuating constantly with the economy.

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