Scoot's Profile

You could cover the peg board with some sort of transparent contact paper or acrylic/polyurethane sheet, and then poke holes to mount stuff where needed. If done carefully an untrained eye would probably not see that most of the holes are covered. I don't think water damage or food deposits would be that big of a deal. You'd have to really jam food up in those holes for it to get lodged in there.

But I like the idea for a closet or studio. I think I have also seen people use pegboard to mount household electronics like modems, wifi routers, etc.

but honestly - $40 + hairpin legs is still about $250 cheaper than West Elm or similar stores.

It looks $250 cheaper as well.

I don't really know what you mean by "traditional" (the style? the method of manufacture?) but I have been very happy with the IKEA cabinetry installed in my kitchen a few years ago. I can't really speak toward the long term or toward the building process, but I would guess that the cabinetry market is flooded with mostly low grade materials. With IKEA, at least you're paying a lower cost for low grade materials than you would probably pay for low grade materials at another store.

I think the key to making an IKEA kitchen look great with IKEA cabinetry is sticking to higher grade materials and supplies for the other parts of the kitchen -- custom countertops, custom drawer pulls, appliances and lighting should probably come from companies that specialize in those features.

Hi I'm curious to know where you keep your clothes? I didn't see a closet anywhere.

Maintenance is not equity building. It is maintaining the expected condition and your house won't be worth more because you maintain it. Even renovations aren't necessarily equity building.

Even though maintenance is considered for financial purposes to be "home equity debt", maintaining the home allows it to keep its value, and keeping (or improving) value is a way to build equity.

And I agree that renovations do not necessarily build equity, but they could, and often do, so they should not necessarily be excluded from being considered means to build equity.

Also, the only way any of these is tax deductible is if you finance and you are still paying interest.

That is not the only way, as the government (here in the U.S.) gives certain energy tax credits for adding things like solar panels, geothermal heat pumps, and certain brands of windows and skylights.

Also, under certain conditions, moving expenses, property taxes, and discount points can be tax deductible, along with home equity loans. In addition, profit from selling a home (up to a certain amount) can be tax-free, and of course if you use a part of your home as your place of business, then certain improvements could be tax deductible.

I would like to note that the 30% rule of thumb takes into account the expectation of designating a large portion of one's income to transportation (the next highest fixed expense after housing in most people's budgets).

In certain cities and neighborhoods, dwellers may commonly expect to exceed the 30% threshold to live in an area that does not require owning a car (according to the AAA, vehicle ownership costs $8700 per year on average). In addition, they may expect to exceed the 30% threshold for living in a high-demand neighborhood with lots of lifestyle amenities such as bars, restaurants, retail options, etc.

So the 30% rule of thumb should be taken in context with the type of lifestyle the dweller expects to have and how they plan to budget the remainder of their income.

The bedroom and living area is very nice. However the bathroom area is not to my liking. The sinks and mirror are very reminiscent of a public bathroom. There seems to be plenty of space for a nice double vanity -- but maybe there just wasn't enough money in the budget.

The shower could also really use a tiled floor and a glass door instead of a curtain. Personally I would have moved the sinks closer to the bathtub and extended the shower into a double shower.

I never knew a Moroccan stencil could add so much LIGHT to a room! LOL.

I agree with above, I would probably not do an accent wall or wallpaper, as these are things likely to make the space look even smaller. I would probably put up a long narrow mirror (nothing too bulky or visually heavy, just enough to look streamlined). Also I would figure out some way to get rid of the bikes and other clutter. Mounting them on the wall would definitely help; storing them elsewhere would be even better.

Also that ceiling fan must go! You can buy a new one for less than $100.

@Kathleen

If you are having that issue then consider gluing some small weighty objects to the underside of the lid. I find that the lid stays on OK if you don't try to use the hole in the top of the lid (as pictured) to access wires.