We’ve been living in the house since December 2017 and having two young children didn’t help keeping the walls etc in a top shape. I gave up keeping up with marks on the walls and such, and decided to wait till they’re old enough and then work on fixing everything. My wife and kids are traveling overseas in a couple of weeks and won’t be back till August. Due to the nature of my work (O&G rotational), I might end up being home this entire time and wanted to work on house renovations. What I want to do: paint every single wall in the house, replace carpets in the bedrooms, paint the cabinets, replace the kitchen sink, replace the stove, replace some furniture. Assuming I have dedicated funds, is my plan even realistic? What should I tackle first? Are there any sources dedicated to DIY home renovations (besides YouTube)? For reference, it’s 4 bedroom 1.5 story (office is on the second floor), 2,400 sq ft house. I don’t have much hands on experience, however am relatively handy (or so I think). And personal experience or feedback would be greatly appreciated
Home renovation DIY help
- Thread starter parshisa
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2022
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- 394
Best advice I have is figureout what is worth DIY and what isn't. Example, painting is worth DIY every quote I have had for interior paint is stupid expensive. Carpet - not worth DIY. You need special tools and some experience. The cost is all in the materials. Install is cheap and fast they also haul off the old. Range- not worth DIY you can have the new delivered, installed, and old hauled away for the same price.
It will take you longer than you think. I have done all that. Don't do a rush job. Flooring last. Be meticulous how you do the cabinets. Use a dedicated cabinet paint. Behr has one. I would paint walls just before flooring. If something seems beyond you get it done by a pro. I recommend carpeting by a pro. Not that much more expensive and will look better with a guarantee.
All depends on how much you hate paining. LOL. I pay for painting now. They do a much better job than I could do. But if you like and are good at it... I figure the money that I save doing my own car repairs and PM makes up for hiring out painting. I used my local family owned Certa-Pro franchise. No complaints about them. I agree with everything else that you said. The kitchen sink replacement will be expensive to hire a plumber.
My back hurts thinking about moving furniture.
Believe it or not, I've given up on conventional rollers and (for the most part) brushes. I painted the exterior of my house with the 6 inch microfiber ones. It is a tiny but thick fuzzy roller. It worked so well, I purchased the smoother 6 inch microfiber rollers for inside, and the microfiber edge block pads. The idea that one can do a better job with a huge roller or spraying is not correct on my stucco house. This thing gets every nook and cranny, without making a mess or needing to protect all the windows and doors.
In the end, did it take longer? I don't think so. I did not need to mask anything. Just a simple drop cloth, placed properly where I was working inside. I used nothing outside. My home has one wall that is 80 feet. That took about 4 hours, including the window openings. Which I also used the roller on.
In the end, did it take longer? I don't think so. I did not need to mask anything. Just a simple drop cloth, placed properly where I was working inside. I used nothing outside. My home has one wall that is 80 feet. That took about 4 hours, including the window openings. Which I also used the roller on.
Thanks! What’s your preferred brand for these things?Believe it or not, I've given up on conventional rollers and (for the most part) brushes. I painted the exterior of my house with the 6 inch microfiber ones. It is a tiny but thick fuzzy roller. It worked so well, I purchased the smoother 6 inch microfiber rollers for inside, and the microfiber edge block pads. The idea that one can do a better job with a huge roller or spraying is not correct on my stucco house. This thing gets every nook and cranny, without making a mess or needing to protect all the windows and doors.
In the end, did it take longer? I don't think so. I did not need to mask anything. Just a simple drop cloth, placed properly where I was working inside. I used nothing outside. My home has one wall that is 80 feet. That took about 4 hours, including the window openings. Which I also used the roller on.
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2022
- Messages
- 394
For interior paint I have found the best value to be the Glidden premium (redclabel) in the 5 gallon pail from Homedepot or Pitsburg Pro from menards. Buy that and 3/4" nap roller and do 2 coats. It did a nice job and is cheap. Sherwin Williams super paint is super nice but for me the price isn't worth it.
Realistically, how many hours per day will you be spending on this?
If I’m not out of the country for a job, I’ll have at least 10-12 hrs per day to spare (couple of hours for a gym/pool in the am). Used to 12-14 hr work days
Painting the inside is probably realistic.
The kitchen depends on your current setup. If you have an undermount kitchen sink like many homes, replacing the sink will mean re-doing the countertops. Do you want to pick out a countertop without your wife present?
Cabinets will likely need to be removed from the wall, taken outside, prepped and sprayed. Huge messy ordeal.
Stove isn't a huge deal...usually.
Carpet is the easiest - just pay the install fee...it's like paying to have your tires mounted/balanced. It isn't even worth hassling with.
The kitchen depends on your current setup. If you have an undermount kitchen sink like many homes, replacing the sink will mean re-doing the countertops. Do you want to pick out a countertop without your wife present?
Cabinets will likely need to be removed from the wall, taken outside, prepped and sprayed. Huge messy ordeal.
Stove isn't a huge deal...usually.
Carpet is the easiest - just pay the install fee...it's like paying to have your tires mounted/balanced. It isn't even worth hassling with.
Painting cabinets properly and getting a good durable finish is a huge deal.
Agree with critic.
The sink, are you looking to just put like for like or make it bigger or a farm house or something?
OH, also, you might think about something other than carpet? LVP maybe.
Agree with critic.
The sink, are you looking to just put like for like or make it bigger or a farm house or something?
OH, also, you might think about something other than carpet? LVP maybe.
Pretty ambitious project, but I think it can be done. Be forewarned paint prices are through the roof for good paint. Get to know your local Sherwin Williams store or a place that sells Benjamin Moore. Prep is the biggest part of the project which will determine if the end result looks pro, or like crap. I would get a bunch of paint samples and let the better half have reign of color choice.
Painting cabinets is not that bad. It's all in the prep work with it as well. I did mine a couple years ago and it was a labor intensive job, but turned out pretty good for the old cabinets I have. I removed the doors and left the frames in place. I used an oil base primer since it was old stained wood and used Benjamin Moore Advance for the paint. Using the recommended microfiber roller it came out almost like you sprayed it! I have a relatively small kitchen and it took about 7 days all together.
Painting cabinets is not that bad. It's all in the prep work with it as well. I did mine a couple years ago and it was a labor intensive job, but turned out pretty good for the old cabinets I have. I removed the doors and left the frames in place. I used an oil base primer since it was old stained wood and used Benjamin Moore Advance for the paint. Using the recommended microfiber roller it came out almost like you sprayed it! I have a relatively small kitchen and it took about 7 days all together.
I only work when I’m gone. When home, I work as a SAHD but with the kids gone for the summer that duty is out of the equation, so I’ll have all the time in the world lol
Carpet can hide a lot of imperfections and unevenness in the subfloor. Most hard flooring is NOT very forgiving - just went thru this myself.
Also, if he goes with hard flooring, he'll have to learn to DIY base boards.
That’s true, noisier too, but better for allergies.
I was thinking just replacing it with a new same one, same exact size and layout. I didn’t expect that would require counter top removal?
I like the idea of “hard” floors, however I like carpet as well. We don’t really have any allergy issues in the household (minus couple of weeks in spring when pollen is everywhere), so I’d probably keep the carpet.
Show us how your sink is currently mounted.
Sink is under mount, and I was under impression replacement is possible assuming I can find exact same one. I suppose I’d need to look closer and re-assess.
The more I read about the cabinets, the less enthusiastic I am about doing it myself..might be too big of a bite for me.
Appreciate the suggestion on the carpets. Just hoping to find a good contractor for that and hope they won’t do a hack job
Will get a picture later today once I’m back home. Thank you
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