I like to think of myself as being a little handy. I think it’s really my willingness to learn and also how unwilling I am to pay for labor. Some of my friends know how cheap I can be. I have really scaled back on some of the projects I will do myself, but on this particular project I had a budget that I wanted to stick to.
The housing market for most of 2021 was inflated and buyers, including myself, were paying over asking price on homes, closing costs, and above appraisal values (appraisal gap). Since I did a hefty up front investment to buy this house, I decided to do a lot of this project myself.
This home that I bought was built in 2021 so I didn’t have to do anything to it, but I had to put my touch on the home. When you buy a new construction home, it does not mean custom. This home was complete when I first viewed it, so I was not involved in any of the selections in a home. So I got busy on my Pinterest board on what I wanted this home to look like. I wanted to include accent walls throughout the house and I have imagined black and wood accents.
With her help, she could get the walls finished in no time, and it would take me at least double the time to do the same. She knocked it out in a day and a half so I’m glad that I brought her down. While she was painting the walls, I could paint the front door an accent color, put up the blinds, and paint interior doors.
The next project was my privacy wall. The house next door is very close and I wanted some extra privacy when sitting outside. I had my dad help me. He measured the wood pieces while I cut them and he assembled. My thirteen-year-old stained the wood after it was up. I found this inspiration on Pinterest as well.
After the stain dried, I added the pots and fake plants. (Both ordered from Amazon) I would love to have real plants but with me living in another city mist of the year, and the maintenance on them, it was not realistic. It turned out nice but I wish we made the slats closer together, but I am overall satisfied.
The next room was the master bedroom. I love the look of wallpaper but I did two small projects in 2020 and it was terrible. The peel and stick looks easy, but it is so easy to get the sheets stuck together, or if they are slightly off, it will not look great.
Since wallpaper is not an option, because of lack of time and for my sanity, I decided to do a painted accent wall. I found a few inspirations on Pinterest and decided I would stick with the black accent theme, but do chevrons instead. I started using a stencil, but it was honestly easier and faster for me to just freehand it.
The goal with the accent wall isn’t necessarily perfection, but you can create faint lines with a pencil and level so that your lines are straight. It took me two hours or so to finish the wall, whereas it took over 2-3 hours to do the wallpaper and it was in a much smaller space.
The last room I wanted to dress up was the laundry room. Because of the layout of the home, I wanted to do something special. The laundry room is off of the kitchen and leads into the backyard. Since it is a larger room, I decided to paint another black accent wall. I also wanted to put up a shelf to hold up the supplies. Originally I wanted to stain a few cabinets, but the shelf was much more cost effective. I bought a few black triangle shaped shelf holders and used some leftover wood from the outdoor privacy wall. It took less than an hour and looks amazing.
The last room I wanted to dress up was the laundry room. Because of the layout of the home, I wanted to do something special. The laundry room is off of the kitchen and leads into the backyard. Since it is a larger room, I decided to paint another black accent wall. I also wanted to put up a shelf to hold up the supplies. Originally I wanted to stain a few cabinets, but the shelf was much more cost effective. I bought a few black triangle shaped shelf holders and used some leftover wood from the outdoor privacy wall. It took less than an hour and looks amazing.
There is more that I want to add to the home, but I prioritized what I could get done in the very short time window I had. I wanted to also organize the supply closet, stain the fence and deck, finish a second privacy wall on the back porch, and possible add some landscaping. For now, I am satisfied at where the house is at and will finish my other projects in the new year.
As a female entrepreneur, she knows you need something stylish and ready to go. Grab your theme and get back to doing what you do best - running your business!
