Posted by Phil on May 24, 2008 – 6:20 am
Good things do come to those who wait. It’s a very unpopular concept, especially in our commercial driven culture that screams-out for us to constantly spend now and pay later. As a culture we have grown so accustomed to living in debt that it seems normal. In fact, prior to World War II, only 2 percent of Americans had a house mortgage and now it’s the opposite with only 2 percent of homeowners not having a mortgage.
In September I wrote the post, "Delayed Purchases Pay Huge Dividends". It featured a lovely picture of my dog laying on a concrete floor in my living room. I decided that living on concrete was better than our old dirty carpet that was a little past due for replacement. The idea was to save-up and wait until we had cash in-hand to have tile laid in our house.
The day finally came, after painting, replacing hardware and other upgrades, we had the funds available to pay for the materials and labor. Having freshly laid floors is like living in a new house and we are enjoying it very much. Best of all is that every single tile is ours paid-in-full. We don’t owe the bank or the legalized mafia, the credit card companies a nickel for them.
Posted by Phil on April 10, 2008 – 5:09 am
Decision to fix-up the house rather than move, some cash in-hand and a new Lowe’s opens within a mile of my house all makes for a very dangerous combination. We’ve developed a long list of projects and purchases for the house and it seems that I’m singlehandedly knocking stuff off the list everyday. Somewhere along the way I got the idea to get it done quickly, so every evening I’m laboring away cleaning, painting, shopping and scheming my next move.
One thing I’ve quickly discovered is that each choice impacts the pocketbook. Afterall, I’m not trying to build a Taj Mahal Texas style, just spruce up the old homestead. The basic question is what to upgrade and what to fix-up. The first inclination I have is to replace an item, that is until I investigate the cost. I’m both an optimistic dreamer and a cheapskate.
Originally, I was thinking of replacing the front door and the back sliding glass door. As Sabrina and I did the leg work to order the new doors we found a new creative edge when faced with the cost for replacement. It’s amazing what a little paint, new hardware, new screen door and molding will do to an existing surface.
What is really maddening is dealing with the big box stores. For the work we are going to have done, namely new tile for two-thirds of the house we are hiring an independent contractor. Love Lowe’s for the convenience factor but their and Home Depot’s rates are too costly and I figure labor for laying tile is cheaper than knee replacements.
So here’s my list of stuff that can be done very cheaply to spruce-up the homestead with little out-of-pocket expense and a little elbow grease:
- Paint – Probably no greater bang-for-your-remodelling-buck than a good can of top-quality paint. The cost is in the elbow grease, don’t skimp on paint quality. You’ll regret it later.
- New light fixtures and ceilng fans – Lighting really does set the mood. Hanging a ceiling fan is a cinch. The most challenging part is putting the darn thing together. If it’s your first time, look for a good used one at Goodwill or a garage sale and save yourself the headache. I’m amazed that no two seem to be built the same.
- New hardware for the doors - Unless you have a love for brass, imagine what a dark or silver metal would do for your home. A real stylin’ measure is to match your lighting with the hardware with something swank like brushed bronze.
- Outdoor furniture and coverings - we scored a heavy-duty pergola kit for the backyard at Lowe’s made of sturdy black metal beams. The same item built from red wood, would have been three times the labor and cost of materials.
- Landscaping - Patience grasshopper is a good thing to remember with gardening. I’m also a bit of a gardening evolutionist believing in survival of the fittest. If you don’t have a green thumb, just plant stuff that is native to the area and it will do fine without a lot of fuss.
- Throw rugs and pot plants – a few well chosen accent pieces do wonders to finish-out a room.
Even if you are new to home ownership or feel intimidated even walking into a Home Depot, you can learn how to do some basic remodelling and upgrade your environment on a budget. Just watch-out for the refurb madness, It’ll get ya.
Posted by Phil on March 9, 2008 – 9:10 pm
With our oldest nearing official teen-hood, we debated whether to do some remodeling in our current location or relocate. Living in a house that is only a little over 1,200 square feet for five people, it’s tempting to think bigger would be better. After researching other options for residence in the area we’ve come back around to staying put in our current location with a few modifications to maximize our space.
Two primary factors driving our decision to stay put: a) we really love our location and overall design of the house and b) we really don’t relish the idea of incurring significantly greater debt, taxes, utilities and other costs associated with a larger house.
Some Simple Space Saving Ideas Completed
- Make the master bedroom multi-purpose. Our bedroom houses guitars hung on the wall, a second computer in a compact desk, an exercise machine and a TV for entertainment.
- Add an additional flat screen TV in one of the girls room. Even with a small house there are now three locations for watching movies.
- Hang new light fixtures. This isn’t a space-saving feature per say, but it does add a nice touch in the overall style of the house.
On the Horizon
- Re-surface all floors except bedrooms with tile. Visually this ties the rooms together and is a nice touch to get away from living on wall-to-wall carpet.
- Add some storage buildings in the yard. This is a relatively inexpensive way to offset the need for storage in the house and garage.
- Convert the garage to a 400 square foot dance studio/multi-media room for the girls. By insulating, heating and cooling, and finishing-out the garage the girls will have the space they need.
- Add a covered porch to the back of the house. With the weather in Texas being so mild most of the year an outdoor living area is a very economical way to add living space.
The temptation is strong to continue to upgrade or move to a larger house that we will fill with more stuff. At what point do we hold ourselves accountable to push against the intense pull of consumerism. A friend of mine once said, "Consumerism consumes consumers." What steps are you taking to push against the pull to consume?