Wednesday, January 11, 2012

We're headed to Alt Design Summit

By Andrea and Tammy


Say goodbye to those winter blues at Wilsonart's Summer Tea
mini-party Alt Summit!

Jaunary 20th - Sussex Room - Alt Summit

HGTV's 'Design on a Dime' Summer Baltzer is on hand to help you design your dream kitchen and answer any pesky kitchen problems.
  
* Gift Bags for the first 100 people * 
* Enter for a chance to win a KitchenAid mixer * 
*Fun photo ops with your Alt friends *

So get ready for the best dressed (and you won't want to miss them) and enjoy Summer in Winter!




Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Remodeling on A Budget Part 2

By Jenn at Five Dollar Shake

When doing a major remodel (see Remodeling on A Budget Part 1) there is one thing you can be certain of.


Your project is going to take longer than you expected!

Especially if you’re doing the work yourself.  Once you really get going, there will be surprises that you couldn’t have planned for and there will always be ideas of how to make the project better.  You might as well fix “this” or do “that” since the place is already a mess, right?  Makes sense.

Living under construction can be a real stressful time for a family.  Yet, if you plan ahead there are a couple of things you can do to make it a whole lot easier.

So, plan ahead for the inconvenience!  Trust me, no wiser words have been spoken.

Here are a couple of tips based on my own experiences while my husband remodeled our living room, dining room and kitchen.  Basically our entire first floor over a two year span.

1. Decide on a “gathering” space or room while the construction is happening.  A space you can still sit together and spend time as a family.  For us, we’re lucky to have enough space in our basement for our living room furniture and television.  It worked out very well.

2. If you don’t have one – borrow or purchase a griddle, electric frying pan, slow cooker or something of that nature.  Trust me, this will save you a ton!  It’s all too easy to fall into the habit of buying out.  I mean what better excuse than not having a kitchen.  I had a griddle and a George Foreman Grill set up in our laundry room.  It wasn't ideal, but it sure helped us stay within our budget.

By simply making the best of what space we had that wasn't under construction, we saved our-self a lot of headaches, stress and over spending out of frustration.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

(Up)Date Night Part III: The Big Reveal

Tami wraps up her (Up)Date Night story, telling about the great change the new Wilsonart HD Countertop and undermount Wilsonart Stainless Steel sink made to her kitchen. Tami also sends kudos to L.E. Smith Company and Bryan Building Center for their contributions. Click here for more information about Wilsonart HD.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Remodeling on A Budget Part 1

By Jenn at Five Dollar Shake
 
Six years ago, my husband and I decided to sell our little two bedroom house in search of a bigger and better home to raise our kids in. It didn't take us long to decide on a location, but the house was another story. There were very little homes in our price range to choose from. So, we went with the best constructed home that needed the least amount of work. What it did need was cosmetic attention, and lot's of it. Each and every room was covered in wallpaper and dark brown carpet, ah la 70's style.

Then the economy crashed, and our income was cut in half. Making even the cosmetic changes more difficult. Happy to be in a home in our choice of neighborhood with our choice of schools, we waited, and waited. We waited until one day I said, ya know what - let's just do it, let's dig in and if it takes us a year, so be it. Well, it took us way over a year, much closer to two, but we did it, and we did it all on a budget.

I’m very excited to have the opportunity to share the details here on The Lean Remodeler of our complete make over of three rooms (kitchen, dining, living room) all at once, and on a budget.

The biggest tip from our experience of remodeling on a budget is to plan to do everything you are capable of yourself! Thankfully, my husband is a real “do it yourself” kind of guy. Taking advantage of opportunities such as Wilsonart’s DIY countertops literally saved us hundreds!

Below is a photo of our living room, and an example of how we lived while doing our remodel one step at a time, as our budget permitted.




Was it worth it? You'll soon see for yourself...