Introduction
Considering taking on a DYI home improvement or renovation project you haven't done before? Only one of you and it looks a lot like it will take at least two? Maybe not. Here are some projects I've done over the years that I was able to accomplish without a crew. My particular focus is on woodworking; flooring, trim, cabinets, with some tile thrown in once in a while. Each month I'll post a step by step Feature Project here.
We unfortunately live in a society that provides instant gratification. In the case of most home improvement projects, gratification must come in stages, sometimes very long stages indeed. The idea purveyed that you can complete most projects in one weekend is to put it bluntly and concisely...BS. The keyword to all typical home improvement projects is "PATIENCE"...the second is "COMMITMENT". If you can't apply both, your "project" will end up being the quintessential and dreaded Am-Job classification.
Featured DIY Projects
- Building a Dramatic Wood Beamed Ceiling
- Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing
- Granite Counter-tops
- Bar and Surround
- Fireplace Mantel and Surround
- Patio and Landscapping
- Garden Arbors
Fools For Tools: Router 101
Window Valance
Featured Project: Beamed Ceilings
Steps to Complete The Project
Goals and Objectives
In most cases the goal of the DIY of course is money saved while improving value, while it actually should relate more to accomplishment ending in a better product than you would get from your typical sub-contractor. Well first you have to really like doing it...it can't be a chore. Next we must recognize the two things that separate us from the sub contractor's crew...repetition and tools. Tools of course is money and you aren't going to run out and purchase a six-hundred dollar dual bevel laser miter saw to cut fifty feet of crown molding. So one must balance the cost of having it done to the savings, and if you intend to use that miter saw a lot, it is worth it (even if it goes in the garage sale at 50% later). The equipment today makes up for inexperience, just as the new golf club technology has turned 15 handicappers into 7 handicappers. But even with that think "SCRAP". SCRAP lumber, tile, etc. is your friend. Before starting a project use scrap material to perform the functions until you are comfortable that you can perform them with ease, before wasting expensive finish materials. I'll also include some sources for handy little gadgets to make stuff like cutting complex crown pretty simple, in the tools section.
Savings
Ok, money is nice too. The bid to do the kitchen cabinet project that will be shown here was over twenty-thousand dollars...the cost to do it was about $1,100.00. The granite counter-top bid was $3,200.00...the cost to do it was $1,100.00. The bid on the wood beamed ceiling, over $10,000 (as installed)...the cost to do it $850.00. Just purchasing standard (1/2 inch thick) common colonial base is about $2.50 pf...the cost to buy raw (3/4 inch) material and make them myself 77 cents pf. So as you can see, the savings adds up pretty fast, especially if you are doing a major renovation.