Comments on: Do It Yourself

By: maja

maja — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:26:09 +0000

The new place looks great in those photos! So exciting

By: docdave

docdave — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:41:27 +0000

Before you start cutting sheet vinyl, you might see if you can find a deal on “floating” strip flooring–is applied a “plank” at a time, adheres to its neighbors, not the underlayment, and is easy to trim down to fit when the time comes to install the last row. Is high density so it stays down, but flexes a bit in case the floor does, too! Main advantage–if you screw up teh cut on a plank, you can always replace just the one plank.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:41:40 +0000

I installed Allure-type vinyl flooring, and I have a lousy skill set. It really wasn’t all that hard. You could use paper to make a template around the tricky areas, like doors, then cut from that pattern.

Also, on kid beds, have you thought of having them sleep in the Japanese manner? Just roll up bedding during the day?

I am so happy for you to be able to find this home! Thanks for sharing with everyone about how the fix-up is going.

By: Sheila

Sheila — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:31:00 +0000

Just caught up with you again. Donation sent.
for beds- Maybe a trundle style bed under one bunk to free up floor space during the day for the Lego man. A few casters on it to slide under the other bed.

By: Catherine N.

Catherine N. — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:37:00 +0000

We have a place here called ReCONNstruction, where people donate kitchen cabinets, lighting fixtures, construction materials, etc. And they’ll sometimes have flooring, or blinds, or paint… check and see if you have anything similar near you…

And I agree with checking craigslist, freecycle, etc…. and ’tis the season for yard sales too.

By: boxcarkids

boxcarkids — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 03:48:10 +0000

Trust me – we know all about living bare. I doubt many families live with as little as we have had for the past 2 years! I am looking forward to a little more space and plan on filling at least some of it (kitchen counter) with things from our storage unit. Can’t wait to get the slow cooker and rice steamer and such back.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 03:25:34 +0000

Do not try to do everything at once. Do the floor. Do the painting. Then live there for a bit and see how you use that room. Are they in there all day, do they like having the extra floor room? Would beds on the floor be okay?

Doing a quick search, it looks like there are two types of bunks for RV, ones with two narrow beds top and bottom with the bottom one able to be folded up leaving the loft bed solid all day, or one with a double on the bottom and single loft on top, leaving about half the room open (because no bunk opposite the first one).

And the tables and couch? Wait! See what you need. Live with least amount of stuff you can. Purge! I love living bare.

By: Maryl

Maryl — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:53:22 +0000

Curtains? Those are called bedsheets (shop yard sales/thrift stores) which have that nice big top hem more than adequate for a curtain rod to be run through. Of course, you’ll want to hem them, and that is why God made stitch-witch, the iron-on hemming tape stuff.
Do you have a Project Restore around, which is a part of Habitat for Humanity. They sell all kinds of household things.
And by the way, are there screens there that are in bad shape? Screen material and a spline tool are not expensive AND you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to replace a screen.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:39:28 +0000

PS…for fast (temporary) window coverings, I have been known to tape up tissue paper sheets on the glass.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:38:24 +0000

We were at Lowe’s in Ventura last night looking for a floor covering for Jim’s mom’s Victorian house, which has uneven floors, and they showed us a wood look material that is a solid sheet. They suggested it because it is edge glued which makes it easy to apply, waterproof (no seams unless you need to go wider than 15 feet) and covers irregular surfaces well. It’s also inexpensive and looks quite good, either in wood look or tile look, and there are several patterns which are being discontinued at something like 44 cents a square foot. You might want to look at it before you buy the Allure, which looks much trickier to install.