What I'd Buy on Craigslist this Week

It's almost the end of the year.  Hard to believe.  And there seems to be a lot of people who have things they want to get rid of, because Craigslist has been smokin' hot this week!

I'll get right to it.

1. This settee.  $60

I know I've included settees before on the blog, and explained why, so I won't do that again, but I included this piece for a different reason (besides the fact that I just plain like it - excellent lines and very pretty wood carvings on the back.)
If you look carefully at the post, you might notice that the seller spelled settee wrong.  I'm not trying to harp on anyone's grammar or spelling, because that's not why I'm here, but I point it out to you to because it may hurt the seller's chances of finding a buyer. If someone is indeed searching for a settee, they very well may not find this listing. That may mean you have an advantage as a buyer.  And likewise, if you're selling, use spell check! (This goes for eBay, too.)

2. This vanity… is awesome. It is so so so pretty. And $50!!

You'd need to reconstruct the seat, but it would be equally as lovely in a grown woman's room as it would in a little girl's.  I love how petite looking it is and just classic with beautiful hardware and those vintage casters.
And here's a little secret -  I did actually buy it on Craigslist this week this for someone special! (I'll share more later on that)

My Dad and I are going to refinish it for my sister for her birthday in March! I'm already looking at finish options.
White with a dark stained top?

Or red? I'm getting ready to buy a quart of Annie Sloan Emperor's Silk which would be gorgeous…and my sister is the "red" girl so she would love this.

Lots of fun. My parents and I sort of raced over to the seller's house because he said he had someone else coming to look at it. No way was I letting this one get away. Can't wait to get started on it.

3. This is something I haven't seen before. It looks like an old table that would have been in a hospital, perhaps?

I'm assuming it also lays flat. That opens up possibilities for this piece. What about making it the bedside table in your guest room?  This woman found one and put it to work as an end table in the living room.

So cool! Or you could give your child who is studying an instrument a place to put his or her sheet music. It's just a great conversation piece. They're asking $100.

4. Here's a piece that has an issue.

It's an awesome old dresser but it's missing a drawer. What to do?
For $75 here's what you do. Buy it. And then you get creative.
Like this piece from Sweet Pickins

Or this piece

Or this piece from Shabby Story.

5. When I saw this piece, pinned to someone's board, I fell in love.

Of course, it's Pottery Barn Teen and a gazillion dollars. *eye roll*  Nonetheless, this is sort of a dream project for me. I would love to put this in my daughter's room, which is the smallest bedroom in our house, where floor space is at a premium.
So when I saw these on Craigslist, you can imagine…the wheels started turning.

For $100 you could do so much with these!! They would work equally as well for either a boy or a girl.
And they are solid wood. Amazing. You just don't run across stuff like this every day. I just don't know if I can take on a project of this size right now……hmm….

That's it for 2013!
Thank you for sharing part of your lives with me here, even if it is just a little bit.
I feel blessed and lucky to do what I love.

May health and happiness be yours in the New Year.

XO,
Anne
PS - As always, if you buy from Craigslist be careful and take a friend with you. I can't vouch for these sellers or their items.  If you end up buying any of these, please let me know!

A Beautiful New Bath

It took 6 weeks, a couple hundred man or woman hours of labor, and about $2,000 in materials to get this job done.  And I am SO proud to finally be able to show you this!! Step right in!
(Here is the complete background on this room. In short, a family friend's house caught fire last year. Insurance paid for everything except her only bathroom, which dated to the prehistoric era. She desperately needed a complete gut job and reno, so my Dad, his good friend, and I set out to give it to her, pro bono.)

 The light, you might recall, came from National Builder Supply. It is a Seagull Lighting fixture from their Sussex line and Dad chose to hang it with the bulbs facing up.  The light gets bounced around on the ceiling and diffused nicely in the space. Bathrooms must have enough light! This fixture is like the crown in this room.

 The vanity came from Lowe's and included the granite countertop.

 The faucets are Moen, the Caldwell line.

 We really wanted to be able to get rid of a storage tower over the toilet.  Really.

It was taking up way too much space in this tiny bath.  Here was the inspiration photo we worked from.

Traditional Bathroom by Mercer Island Architects & Designers knowles ps

And here's the design I sketched out once we found out that we wouldn't be able to do one wide set of shelves because there is a pipe that runs vertically right behind the toilet.  

The thick white arrow represents where the pipe runs.

I had to either abandon the built-in idea, which I did not want to do, or work around it.  So I worked around it. I'm very pleased with how this turned out!  It adds architecture and storage and I think makes the room feel much more well thought-out.

We went with a mirrored medicine cabinet with storage behind it, to maximize the amount of storage Ms. H gets overall.  This is a small bathroom, and the only one in her house.  Storage is important!

Moving on... The shower curtain, I will confess, I chose myself and surprised Ms. H.  When I saw it on the JCPenney website, I knew it would be perfect for this space. It lends a great pattern and color to the room and the brown in it ties in with the oil rubbed bronze fixtures beautifully. A HUGE thank you to JCPenney for supplying this curtain to Ms. H.  It totally makes the room, if you ask me!  I'm impressed with the newer offerings in JCPenney's home department.  This ain't your grandma's JCP!

Dad also added a privacy film to the window - you can get them at the home improvement store.  It was a necessity as this bathroom is on the first floor. 

When we began, Ms. H needed a space that was brought into the current decade.  But it also needed to withstand the test of time.  We wanted this room to look current and lovely 30 years from now, and if all goes as planned, this space should last at least that long!  It was built to last!

That guided our design choices - white subway tile, beadboard wainscoting, neutral floors and counter.  Timeless and versatile, clean and classic.  

Last, I wanted to give you my best accounting of time and money that was spent on this room. 

Labor was free for this project - but please remember if you are hiring someone to do this kind of job for you, that labor costs are at least half the total budget.  This is hard work and if you want it done right, expect to pay someone for their time.  We had the ability to volunteer our time for this project, and we wanted to… even then, the cost for materials was about $2000.

That includes everything - new subfloor and waterproof backer board around the shower. Tile, mortar, grout, and sealer for the floor and shower walls. Beadboard sheets, chair rail, baseboard, lumber for the built-ins, and trim around them. Mirrored medicine cabinet. Vanity, countertop, shower and tub fixtures, and some new copper pipe, as well as some plumbing supplies to install the vanity faucet. Primer, ceiling paint, and trim paint. Safety handles for the shower. Caulk and spackle. Privacy film for the window. Shower curtain rod and towel bars.

The light fixture and shower curtain were generously donated, as was the incredible RIDGID tile saw from the great folks at The Home Depot, which all would have increased our costs.  Not that you have to buy a tile saw to do a project like this - you can certainly rent one, but that too has a cost.

As for time, my Dad was at Ms. H's house 5 days a week, almost without exception.  I was there an average of 3-4 days as was Keith.  I worked about 5 hours per day when I was there.  Dad and Keith probably worked closer to 7 hours per day.  And from demo to completion, it took us the better part of 6 weeks to complete this project.  We did everything ourselves - demo, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, tiling, and painting. 

I won't lie.  It was a TON of work. 

 

 That said, I think there is enormous value in choosing to do this kind of work...
 

 
 learning new skills...

 

 

 becoming more self-sufficient... 

 and going beyond your comfort zone when it comes to getting your hands dirty and getting to know how a home functions, from the inside out.

 I encourage you to educate yourself...

 do your homework..

 look around at the other phenomenal projects that people are taking on... 

 roll up your sleeves...

 and take a risk.

 

Try something new. 

Learn. 

 Work.

 Ask for help.

And reach out and give help to someone if you see that they need it.

 (that's my cute mom, with Ms. H.  Decades-long friends.)

 I especially encourage you to find those around you who know how to do things that you do not.  If you are fortunate enough to find them, take full advantage of it.  People like my Dad and our friend Keith, pictured in many of the photos above, are wealths of information - and kindness.  They are do-ers.  Take a page from their playbook.  Use your own two hands, your intelligence, and the unprecedented amount of information that exists in the world, and do something good.  
This has been such a valuable experience for me personally.  Spending this time with my Dad is an experience for which I'll always be grateful. 
It's my hope that this room will give Ms. H much joy in the years to come. It has given us much joy to see it through to completion.

Thank you so much for coming along with me on this journey.  I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts.  I'd love to read about your projects.  Why? Simple.  Because Home Should Be GREAT.

XO,
Anne