Need Small Budget Upgrade Ideas
sunrisemorningbeauty
3 months ago
Suggestions for this bathroom to make it refreshed and a little more updated. Paint or decor particularly. We will be gutting this bathroom down the road but I would like to make it look better in the meantime.
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grapefruit1_ar
3 months ago
PROlisedv
3 months agoJust made the suggestion below for a similar bathroom to yours about 2 weeks ago. The vanity was painted charcoal but can be done in other colours but the floor and countertop and similar to the other one... Let us know if it's something like this you're considering or if you don't plan on painting the vanity.
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Small sloping garden, small budget. Ideas?
Comments (4)Drainage is a tricky thing, especially when the backyard is draining towards your house. You'll want to be very careful that you don't do something which in 'wet' years will cause problems for your foundation. You say the right side is all concrete? But in your "from the bedroom" photo it looks as if theres grass and dirt past those iris leaves. IÂll assume if that is concrete, thereÂs only a thin covering of dirt and grass, so you could build a basic raised bed for planting. This will even things out, and allow some height so you can have a much prettier view outside your bedroom window, with complete privacy as new plants grow in. Using the link below to a collage I made, what would you think about looking out at this instead? Think moderate height, interesting foliage, partial shade shrubs. This doesnÂt look like a large area, which helps keeps costs down. Your costs would be mulch, some pressure-treated lumber, soil, and 3 to 6 shrubs from container, depending on the size of the bed. I donÂt know if youÂre East Cst zone 9 or West Cst zone 9. IÂm the latter, so what I used (all evergreen, BTW) was: Top left: Pink cestrum. This grows very fast, vase-shaped at maturity, flowers almost continuously, hummers love it. About 6-8 H at maturity, 4 across but takes pruning very well. Right side: Tibouchina heteromalla. This can be a tricky plant to find and grow, but once correctly sited itÂs stunning and grows fast. ItÂs a tropical understory plant, so canÂt take too much sun but is somewhat frost-tender. 5 T and at least 6 across at maturity. The leaves are an amazing fuzzy, silvery gray-green that stops people in their tracks. I have had more people ask me what this shrub is, than any other I have. Once a year it puts up tall spikes of brilliant purple flowers, simply gorgeous. Do not get T. urvilleana, which is more common but a much more scraggly, leggy shrub. (If this wouldnÂt work in your zone, something like a variegated rhododendron, or even an Aucuba japonica 'Mr. Goldstrike' or ÂGold Dust would add year-long interest and foliage contrast.) I added a couple of ferns just to fill in the space. But IÂd prefer to add something more interesting, such as Abutilon ÂSavitzi or even ÂThompsonii if thereÂs room. A dwarf camellia would work, but they grow very slowly. The jade plant thatÂs there seems to be leaning into the walkway. You might want to move it  they can get quite large across at maturity so they may outgrow that space theyÂre in. Fill in with smaller plants that youÂll see when youÂre outside  dwarf hydrangeas, fuchsias, liriope, or even shade annuals from a six-pak. The brunnera ÂJack Frost has been a great performer in my shady bed, and the baby-blue flower spikes are charming. The seating area with the fountain as shown, is just leveled with mulch as a temporary measure until you work out your fencing and terracing solutions. Anyway, HTH spur some ideas for you! Good luck, itÂs always very exciting to consider possibilities for new landscaping....See MoreFloor Plan Review / Ideas for Small Upgrades
Comments (31)I posted the following in the landscape section over at GardenWeb, but hoped ya'll would have some suggestions as well. There is an additional picture there as well which has the plot map with some notes on it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Everyone. I have run into a situation in my new construction where I am having drainage problems. Not necessarily for me, but for my two neighbors. In trying to be a good neighbor I'm wondering if you have any ideas to help me out. My property lies between two completed houses. The house to my right (off screen in the picture) was having some drainage issues on the front corner of my lot which is the back corner of their yard. They have trees planted and it is the low spot of their yard where the lawn slopes to. There is a bit of slope coming from their lawn towards mine, but I would only estimate it as 4' over Compounding the problem there is that the drainage ditch along the road there overflows it's banks and comes into both of our yards when there is a significant rain or snow melt. When the county inspectors saw the water there (possibly after being called by the neighbors) they required me to put a swale in my yard going from the front of my yard along the side and all the way to the back yard (light blue in the drawing). Not something I really wanted, but hey... life, lemons, lemonade, etc.. My plan was (in the future when money grows on trees) to make the swale into a dry creek bed with river rock and boulders. All draining to a large pond at the end of the swale (to be built later as well). The pond would probably be roughly a 20' by 30' oblong shape. Also along the swale I planned to put in a culvert and road so I could reach the far back corner of my lot where I will build a shop and vegetable garden. The swale is in now minus any landscaping or rocks and after this springs snow melt the water was running sometimes over 8" deep all the way to the end of the swale and washing out the dirt in the neighbor to my left's tree line. The big culprit, in my opinion was that the ditch along the road was draining through my swale and not through the developers planned drainage to the north (left in the picture). You can see in the plot picture that the easement has drainage heading between two lots to the north of me. Either way, I want to be a good neighbor and try to slow down the velocity of the drainage in the swale and had a few ideas I would like to run by everyone. First, I wonder if putting landscape fabric down and then small gravel in the bottom of the swale (larger rocks on the side and then a few boulders interspersed as well) would slow down the drainage or speed it up? Second, If I were to put in a smaller depression/mini pond along the swale's path before a culvert and road crosses it would it slow it further? Finally, could anyone verify that the pond as a catch basin at the end would be a good solution? I'm hoping that by landscaping the swale now, unfortunately as an unexpected expense, and following it up with a call to the developer and county regarding the ditch flowing through my yard and not their designed location will be enough to fix it. Any thoughts on this and also how to landscape/plant along the swale would be appreciated. Here is a link that might be useful: Other forum...See MoreSmall kitchen on a tiny budget, advice needed.
Comments (10)I would paint the cabinets rather than staining them. Make sure that you create a flat matte surface to paint on so the paint looks good. Grey is quite popular and looks 'in style' right now. Light taupe is another possibility. If the cabinets are flat slabs, this will give a nod to the MCM feel with your planters. I would pick the wall colors that are similar, maybe 1 or 2 shades off of the same color sample on the paint chips. This will give you a visual expanse in a small kitchen. When you have done that, your visual interests will be your counter tops and cabinet hardwares. Painted cabinets and wall colors will create a calm and recedeing background for the counters and hardware. Fun and playful can come from accessories. Another fun and playful (inexpensive) way to update an old kitchen is to remove the doors from the uppers, paint the interior of the cabinets, then put colorful every day dishes in the uppers for visual interest. You have instant open shelving system which is quite popular right now. Do you have enough light coming into the kitchen? You may need to update lighting for functional reasons....See MoreUpgrade kitchen on a small budget
Comments (31)Your realtor can honestly give you the best answer to the question of if the kitchen will prevent the home from selling or significantly impact the sale price. So much depends on your local and even hyperlocal market — and when you go on the market. If you end up renting, do not put a dime into the kitchen! Rental property and rental property maintenance requires a very different mindset. You have to think about as a business: what’s the least amount you have to spend to keep the property consistently rented at a rate commensurate with its size, beds/baths, garage bays, and location. It’s nearly impossible to significantly increase the rental rate with upgrades. Staying in the property is yet a different conversation—so much more fun—because these are choices you make for your needs and wants! I am no pro at design but would want to replace chipped countertops for sure, and a single level for the island/counter could be lovely. That island/counter layout is a very standard one for the era with the angle. I have seen (and unfortunately cannot find right now) some slight alterations of this layout that may be of interest to you. This would mean some reflooring but it could be worth it. The most dated of your cabinets look like the uppers. You could replace only those doors and paint just the uppers, leaving the lowers as is. They do work nicely with your flooring. Some people prefer uniformity in their cabinetry though. Just thought I’d throw that one out there!...See More
acm
3 months agoNot a bad looking bath. Agree that my top priority would be new light fixtures, but I'd also upgrade the faucets -- even an inexpensive update could make it feel fresh. Am assuming you don't want to mess with the vanity or counter for a small budget, so focus the rest on decor like nice coordinated rugs, art, towels. Could paint the walls or not.
VIGO Davidson Single Hole Bathroom Faucet, Brushed Nickel · More Info
Luxier BSH14-S Single-Handle Bathroom Faucet with Drain, Brushed Nickel · More Info
Karran KBF430 1-Hole 1-Handle Basin Faucet With Pop-up Drain, Matte Black · More Info
3-Light Bathroom Vanity Light in Chrome (M80038CH) · More Info
Hudson 3-Light Bath Bar, Chrome · More Info
Trade Winds Raymond 3-Light Bathroom Vanity Light in Matte Black · More Info
Kira Home Asher 23" Farmhouse / Bathroom Light, Funnel Glass Shades, Smoked · More Info
Hardware House Avalon Collection Light Wall or Vanity Fixture, 3 Light · More Info
Sea Gull Lighting 3-Light Wall/Bath, Chrome · More Info
You currently have finishes in this room in chrome, black, and brass. I chose examples of the first two, but you probably want to pick one to focus on.
kazzh
3 months agoUpdating the hardware is one of the easiest ways to change a look. As mentioned, choose on one of the threes metals present and run with that. Chrome might lean your cabinet towards a mid century vibe…..
la_la Girl
3 months agolast modified: 3 months ago- PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 months ago kandrewspa
3 months agosunrisemorningbeauty
3 months agoeld6161
3 months agosunrisemorningbeauty
3 months ago
Maureen
3 months agolast modified: 3 months agoAn inexpensive update that will have a huge impact are peel and stick tiles.
I’d complement the hardware and change the mirrors and lighting. If you don't need the medicine cabinet, I’d remove and paint a color that works with the tiles. While you are at it, suggest removing the high towel rack and add a hook. Change the faucet if budget allows, but the other updates will have the most influence. The counter is neutral so I wouldn’t worry about it.
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