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How to Refinish Old Woodwork
One of the things I like most about my house is that it still has the original, wooden trim and doors. No one has painted over them. The stain used is a deep, reddish mahogany color. Unfortunately, it’s been awhile since anyone’s paid much attention to the trim. There are some nicks and worn down…
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Back Door Entry Makeover
The back door entry space to my lower unit in my duplex was anything but welcoming. The walls were marked up, multiple spiders were making home to the corners, and the carpeting was worn out, holding a strong pet odor. It was one of the first spaces I chose to really tackle. The picture taken…
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Facing the Fixer Upper: Befores
Here it is: what my house looked like when I first moved in. I purchased the house in August 2018. It’s an upper-lower duplex, originally built that way, in 1918. Each unit has two bedrooms and one bathroom. As you can see, a definite fixer upper! The two units are nearly identical, with a couple…
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Staircase Makeover
Tackling the stairwell to the upstairs made all the difference to feeling like a more welcome apartment. This staircase makeover wasn’t too expensive and was completed in a couple of weekends. The majority of it involved painting- and lots of it! A Look at the Before The stairwell entry to the upper apartment wasn’t inviting…
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Cute and Quaint Kitchen Remodel
Up to this point in my renovation experience, my kitchen remodel has been my favorite project. It’s cute…and quaint…but it wasn’t always that way. When I moved in, there were huge holes in the flooring. A haphazard caulk job. Pieces of laminate countertop breaking off. Makeshift “laundry cabinets” as upper cupboards. A stove riddled with…
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Budget Bathroom Remodel
The first major project I found myself tackling after I bought my fixer upper duplex was my bathroom. Several descriptors for this room include: dated, yellowing, moldy, and rusty. Just to name a few. You can observe from the pictures below: Close inspection led me to believe that some improvements had been made in the…
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Five Ways to Spruce Up Your Front Entry
The front entry of your house should be a warm and welcoming platform to greet guests and reflect what’s on the inside. After spending a year working on the inside of my fixer-upper home, I decided to seriously tackle the front door and porch area. Here I share with you five of the things I’ve…