The Basement .......

Okay, so I can't really re-do the whole basement for nearly nothing, but I can sure try! AND fortunately for me, my husband has 'somewhat' jumped on board to see how much we can do with as little as possible. Again, it's not just about being on the cheap .. it's about the challenge of creating something from nearly nothing!

When we moved in, the basement was a fairly livable, finished space, but over time and a few floods, we began again. At the moment, it's a progress of stages. I began by dividing the room (very bowling ally-like space) in half with a hutch and bookcase. My husband had gotten a sprayer a while back and was really wanting to try it out so he began to paint or I should say spray the ceiling (it had a drop ceiling before) white. About a quarter of the way into spraying, it all went kaput! So, out with the sprayer and me on top of a ladder painting it with a brush - boy were my neck and arms sore. Thought I would never be able to look up again!


With the ceiling done in white and it having steel beams and basically plywood, it needed some help. A faux finish was OBVIOUSLY necessary and off I was to scrounge up something to help me make that happen! Back I was with a shower poof, paint, duct tape and a pole. Soon the pole and duct tape were history. I was trying to save my arms and neck, but the poof wouldn't stay on the stick, no matter how much duct tape. So, back on the ladder again!



Of course, the make-shift, hutch/bookcase wall lead into a real wall, with a door in the middle. The floor, also, got painted and soon it will be a completed room!








This is just the first stage of this re-do. More to come ... bedroom, bathroom, kitchen ... yep, more to come, not quite sure how that will be done for nearly nothing, but you never know!

Porches...

I absolutely love porches ... you know the big wrap-around kind, that has a porch swing or rockers, where you can sit and chat with your family, friends and passer-byes.  I have a porch, not the wrap-around kind, but it is a porch! I have tried to make it to my style over the years, changing with seasons and one day, I'd like the whole thing to be revamped, but that is definitely a job that can't be done for 'nearly nothing'! So, I find treasures at sales and thrift stores to enhance it and make it work :)

 

 

The Icky Side Yard Dilemma

We have lived in our house for almost 14 years and we have battle this area in our yard for nearly that long. It is a spot that only grows weeds and not much else. It was too wet to plant anything and too shady ... so I came up with an idea ... imagine that!

My idea was to use PALLETS to build a deck-like area. When I told my husband I had found free pallets one Saturday morning, he got out of bed and went with me to where they were 30 minutes away. I know ... I have a keeper :). Unfortunately, we did not have enough caffeine in our system (I don't think any at all) when we made that decision and we were on our way to discover ... there was NO way we were going to be able to fit those in our little car. We have a truck, but it was in the shop and you know how you just get used to having something and don't think things through so well? Yea, that and like I said before, no caffeine made for a bad idea.

Again, my husband (with some caffeine in him now) shakes me back to reality and works on a plan to make this happen. Of course, this required a trip to the lumber store....HIS favorite! When all was said and done, we spent under $30 to make this project happen.

I love how it looks and am excited that we now have a space that we don't have to refer to as, "You know that icky side yard?!".

 
 

The Icky Side Yard.....

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THE Table!

I love to be outside! Growing up in the Midwest you learn to love being outside no matter what the seasons may bring, but we only have a short "sit on your deck" season and I like to make the most of it!

We have had various "patio" tables over the years - some from the store, but most were makeshift creations. That was my doing. I couldn't decide on a style I liked nor did I want us to spend the money. Some call me frugal ... my husband most of the time calls me 'cheap'. I will admit, I would rather find a way not to spend money, but when it comes to items like these, I like to see how creative I can get with as little as possible, spending as little as possible.

So, for this first entry, let me give you a little history. Pallets seem to be all the craze and I have seen so many ideas for them, including building a patio table. So, last year, I had ONE pallet. One pallet doesn't do much, but I took a HUGE planter I had and set the pallet on top of it. It was definitely the topic of conversation and not in a good way. So, this summer I had an idea ... imagine that!

My idea came from the types of patio tables I gravitated towards at the stores. I was finally able to nail down what style I liked and then started brainstorming. Tiles ... I liked the look of a table with tiles. They sold in the store for about $500 with chairs and I certainly thought I could make it for far much less than that. So, the search began. I thought it would be easy to find a rectangle table at a garage sale or a thrift store, but the ONLY one I saw was one that was warped. Even I know warped is not a good thing!

As I began to explain to my husband what I was looking to try to do, he came to my rescue as he always does (and brings me back to reality, as he says). He is the master at making my creations into the amazing treasures I want them to be.


This is the fist time I have shared a step by step process of one of our projects. I will post other projects that we have done, but you will just get to see the finished project, not each step.

The Table....

First, we decided on the size we wanted and got 4x4's to make the base and a sheet of plywood for the top. We had some used 4x4's, but the new ones look so much better.

Next, the edges were framed. The top has a sheet of waterproof membrane, then two layers of thinset.

Of course, it needed to dry and of course, it was going to rain. So... up with the canopy!

Next we laid the tile out in the pattern (going for random) we wanted.

We rented a wet saw for the few cuts we needed.

Then used our trusty spacers and laid it out one more time.

Notice that this picture has two rows that are a different sizes. Word of advice....always make sure you open all the boxes first!

Now, off with the tiles ... again ... and another layer of thinset.

and we quickly placed the tiles back on again.

Just in case it was going to rain we covered it again.

Yay! Sun! and grout! We chose a grout that was called Nutmeg - It matches great!

 It dries pretty fast. After, we worked on getting the haze off.

Time to sand...

And put the pieces in for the holes.

Now, it's time to stain .... ahhhh ... wait a minute, I'm not loving that color...back to the store we go :(

Much better and we are finished!

I love it! It did cost some money, but with the tiles and waterproof membrane being free, we saved a TON of money! It is super heavy, too, so it won't go anywhere when we have those strong winds (lost a gazebo and a couple of tables that way over the years). It is the perfect place to enjoy conversation and laughter with family and friends. Now...what about that deck??? ... hmmm....