rwseven80's Profile

Remember the "monkey saint" in southern Italy. My mouth dropped when I read about that elderly lady trying to "fix" a valuable painting from Italian church. Hopefully no one will find anymore valuable paintings at the local salvation army, but I did recently hear about a Renoir that turned up at a flea market in West Virginia. She bought it for $5 I think. At least she recognized it. My best advice for anyone would be to research a painting before you alter it.

I'm originally from Jacksonville, so I'm curious where your house is located. Near Riverside or Springfield maybe? Anyway, great room for a kid. I get a little tired of seeing overly themed and decorated kids rooms.

I would remove the wallpaper, and paint with a cleaner color paint. Nothing to heavy or dark though. Strip the cabinets down to clean wood, and use a clear poly. If you can't afford new appliances (Habitat Stores have affordable options) then I would use appliance paint or you can have custom covers made, but I don't know the cost of those. I'd actually remove that oven and add matching cabinets in its place. If you can't tighten up the drawers yourself, then maybe a handyman can do it affordably. I also don't know the situation your heating. Is it electric or gas. If it's electric, then maybe you can move the stove to another location. It's difficult to tell by the photos, but in our house the frames aren't all one piece. If you can I'd rip up the carpet. You never know what's beneath. We found the original oak flooring under our kitchen linoleum. If it needs soemthing laid, then there are always peel and stick or laminate options depending on budget. And shelves are easy to replace.

Also do you need a table in there, because if you can get rid of it then that creates more space to work with.

I would make some of the more simple changes, before drop the money on the roofline. If you like midcentury, than you can push this house back a little closer to that. I'd paint the house a nice medium gray. Get rid of the shutters and planter. Replace the window all together with one large window. Paint the garage door black, and if you need to replace just the shingles on the roof I'd go with something darker than the paint color. They have metal roofs now that are cost effective and last a long and I think that will be fine enough. I'd also cover the brick with something a bit more natural, like stone or false stone. And don't forget to paint the door. "The midcentury modern style in homes is characterized by clean simplicity and integration with nature." So, I would then closely pay attention to the surrounding landscaping, making sure that the house blends with the natural landscape.

Also, you can replace just the tiles where the grip handle attaches. Just look up a how-to online for replacing single tiles. If you go the refinishing route, it won't matter what color tile use to replace these because they'll get refinished anyway. And, the size is fairly common, so you won't have a problem there either. There are "Miracle Method" companies all over the states.

Depending on how fa you want to go their are some extreme things you can do. I agree that the motion-detecting systems are a good, but I will suggest a few more idea. Electric Pet Fences will prevent animals like those cats and even other animal from entering your perimeter. Plant Lemon Balm its a natural cat repellent used to ward off tigers in India. Plant Cat Nip in an area away from where you want them to go. Citrus peels in the garden. I've even heard someone put a dried snake skin in there flower bed and it kept cats out. This is gross, but some people use the urine from other animals on their perimeters to keep out other animals. Ground black pepper around your plants. Mint. And there are cat repellents you can buy, but I'd don't know about those. And for the most extreme. Adopt a dog from your local shelter. That will keep them away.

So, I wasn't sure if this was mentioned, and you probably have already checked but have you looked under the carpet to see if there is already hardwood matching the rest of the house. In the last 5 months we had our oak floors refinished, and there was really old dirty cream vinyl tile on our hallway floor and the kitchen. Since we were already going through with the refinish we thought we'd check to see if there was oak flooring, and sure enough they had covered the original hardwood floors in that hallway and kitchen. And despite the glue and tile, when we had them rip the tiles out and refinish all the floors looked consistant and beautiful. You'd be surprised what professionals can do. And they only did this for $1300. If none of this is the case, than you might be able to match the other flooring in the house. I'm sure there are newer options similar, or you can try salvage places and get a good deal on planks of the same period as your house. In the long run, resale will better with the hardwood. And there are cheap area rugs out there.

If you're looking to save the most, I'd definitely paint the cabinets a soft white. I'd add decorative trim to the facing and then paint. Instead of handles, I'd go with knobs. This will save you a bundle, and then you can spend more on the countertop. Also, I'd rethink the lighting fixtures. And I'd add glass panels to the cabinet fronts where you store dishes, maybe flanking the sink. Other than that I can't really see the end of the kitchen properly, but if you have too many cabinets you can always remove some them. Also think about what you need from this kitchen.

My dad's a firm believer that duck-tape cane fix anything. Even in wart-removal.. He's always looked for cheap fixes, which never of course last.

Depending on how long you plan on staying, I'd set a low budget and stick to it. Color can make a big change, and works with small budgets. Also, there are plenty of backsplash ideas out there, and some of them non-permanent. Before you do anything though check to see what is possible for changes. Maybe you can even make some more permanent changes, which could be taken out of your rent. You never know.