My first house was 8,600 square feet with an indoor pool and six bathrooms. Post divorce, my second house was 600 square feet with one bath. But it was all mine. And it needed a lot of work.

Could You Remodel a House?

In case you’re thinking I had a lot of experience, I did not. I thought that electricity was magic, and I did not own a single power tool. I knew I was clueless; I sold houses, I didn’t fix them. So I bought a Reader’s Digest Handyman Repair book, which explained what kind of tools to buy and gave detailed instructions on all kinds of repairs such as how to unclog a sink, replace a receptacle, patch a hole in the wall — even how to frame a closet.

How to Get Started

• Buy books on home remodeling / maintenance.
• Talk to contractors and handyperson specialists.
• Tour recently remodeled homes for clues and ideas.
• Go to home improvement shows.

My First Remodeling Projects

• Uncovered & refinished the oak floors.
  First time around, this was not a job I did myself. I hired pros, after calling a dozen floor refinishers. Here is what I learned:

1. Think before moving furniture so exits are not blocked by stacked furniture.
2. Rolled carpeting is very heavy to lift.
3. If you throw carpet out the window, you will scratch the window ledges. It is better to leave a path to the door.
4. Finishes vary and that will affect the price.
5. Oil-based polyurethane has an amber hue and is very durable.
6. Water-based polyurethane is clear and easy to clean up.
7. Polyurethane finishes require three coats minimum.

• Laid ceramic tiles.
  To avoid cutting tiles, I laid out a pattern for the front porch entry that utilized full-sized tiles. Around the ceramic perimeter, I installed peel and stick carpet tile, which I cut with a regular pair of scissors. Then I covered a kitchen counter in ceramic. This is what I learned about ceramic:

1. Shopping for sale prices can save a lot of money
2. It costs less to mix your own mortar and grout than to buy premixed.
3. Never mix more mortar than you can spread in 30 minutes.
4. Adding latex to thinset will help to strengthen the bond.
5. Always wash tools promptly and dry them.
6. The back of a toothbrush helps to smooth uniform grout lines; if you use your fingers, they’ll be raw.
7. Buy big sponges, rinse often and squeeze dry when wiping grout film.
8. If you are cutting only a few tiles, you’ll save money if you take your tiles to the store to be cut (over renting a wet saw).

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 12:29 am and is filed under Buying and Selling Tips, Home Repair. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.