Doing It Yourself’ in Dallas
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by: andrewbeene
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Word Count: 673
Now a lot of people would say: “I know absolutely nothing about carpentry” or “I’m probably going to mess this up”, but the truth is, nowadays, it can be really easy to do your own renovations with minimal effort and skill.
I recently went through the same thing. We have been living in the house I bought with my wife 20 years ago and to tell you the truth, the wear and tear has taken its toll on the old dwelling. The little signs of dilapidation have become bigger and are now finally starting to show. Actually, signs of disrepair have been creeping out quietly over the years: a squeaky door here, some cracks on the wall there, it was obvious that the place was in dire need of a makeover. And since the kids are away for college, it was the perfect time for me to do the repairs.
The first thing that I absolutely needed to change was the bathroom. I couldn’t stand how it looked anymore. The whole place looked so worn and old that I didn’t want to stay another second inside if I could help it. I knew for a fact that the bathroom would be one of the most expensive rooms to renovate. Tiles and fixtures sold for bathroom remodeling in Dallas would easily cost me somewhere around $1000 to $1500 altogether and that doesn’t include installation. Fortunately, I did a bit of research and found some cheap but beautiful minimalist style sinks online from Kohler. In the end, I decided I would only buy the fixtures and just do a thorough cleaning of the tiles. I also did the pipe-work myself as plumbing service in Dallas can also get very expensive. We just hung some new paintings on new ledges I did myself, put a few seashells and voila: The bathroom looked as good as new!
Kitchen remodeling in Dallas would also be very much like bathroom remodeling: it can get very expensive if you buy your fixtures from local companies. And since it’s not like the bathroom where you really need some ceramic or waterproof fixtures, you can easily do the kitchen yourself. A good idea would be to just replace the table top with a new marble slab or change the cabinet doors and install new handles. I also put up a nifty metal bar over the stove to hang pots and pans and the different cooking utensils very much like the ones you’d see in cooking shows or in restaurants. All in all, it cost me around $4000, only because I bought a new oven/stove so I could finally enjoy some good cooking. I then rebuffed the tiles and added the new countertops myself.
Lastly, to give the house the final finishing touch it needs, I needed to do some painting. Now if I could do the kitchen and the bathroom by myself, it would just be absurd if I called a painting service in Dallas. Instead, I enlisted my wife and kids for an afternoon of house painting and actually enjoyed a rare afternoon where all of us were together under the same roof. After everything’s been said and done, the renovations took a little bit over $5000 dollars from my pocket but the experience of doing it yourself or with a little help from your family was priceless.
About the Author
Freeman Home Repair is a company offering kitchen, bathroom and plumbing services in Dallas. For more information, visit their website at http://www.handy4dfw.com
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