Hey y’all, this is Sarah Smith and I’m back (if you missed last week’s intro post, check it out here)! See, I get to say y’all even though I live in Wisconsin because originally, I hail from Kansas City (Missouri not Kansas and yes, there’s a difference) and although we’re very midwestern, and will never claim to be southern, there’s this weird rash of folks who “warsh” their clothes when they’re dirty and carry that southern dialect a little further north than you’d expect. Which, is obviously fabulous and super sexy when mixed with Wisconsin’s tendencies to confuse their vowel sounds. Example: “Let me put on my boooooooots so I can help you bring in your paper begs from the store.” So between adding additional consonants from my upbringing and switching up vowels in my adult years, it’s pretty safe to say that I should never be given a speaking outlet, but here I am! So hey y’all let’s get to it, eh!
I have so many stories and crazy happenings that I’m ridiculously excited to share over the coming weeks, but I felt as though before I really got started I should clarify a few things that suck about renovating an entire home and the unexpected costs as budget (or lack there of) plays a very, very large part in how we do things. Make no never mind, we are not professionals at our craft, but my DIY-guru of a husband has a solid knowledge of the basics of construction and home repair. So, luckily, things like electrical, plumbing and the demolition of walls don’t scare him. Did I mention he has dreamy blue eyes and is the hardest worker in the history of ever? Here let me show you:
Seriously guys. *swoon*
Plus as an added bonus, he also allows me to “use his body as size reference so I can remember the size of something when I get home.” I mean — make him wear the world’s largest lampshade in a store while I giggle and take pictures to post on the internet later. What? You’d totally do it too.
Now, even though I’m married to a rockstar construction guy (who has learned most of what he knows by watching others and Googling it — so don’t think you’re unable to DIY if you’re new to it), no matter how much he knows about re-framing a wall and rerunning new electrical over every. last. outlet. and. fixture. in our entire home, some things that you think might not have a heavy cost to them — will. So, today, I wanted to preface my still-to-come-crazy-misadventures with a few of the ways we get the job done along the way without skipping meals — because we’re already at ramen level here, so starvation (I mean “new weight loss plan”) is really the next step down and homegirl likes her snacks y’all! *nom nom nom*
So without further ado, I give you 3 things no one told you would cost your soul when rehabbing a home. They make it look so easy on TV. Magic numbers suddenly pop on screen and even though we’ve seen folks exhausted and dirty, they never really show where the money comes from — it just appears. Like from the tooth fairy — and we all know who pays for that! Here’s 3 things that are still crazy expensive and how we’ve worked around the expense in recent months. (spoiler alert, it involves ditching expectations and getting creative)
1. Drywall
Yes, I know it’s roughly $7-$10 a sheet. Yes, I know that isn’t that expensive. Yes, a movie ticket on a Friday night costs more than that — I know. But when you have 40 different walls and ceilings that will require, roughly (very roughly), 300 sheets of drywall, suddenly $7-10 is a legit (2 quit) expense. Sure, we watch for sales, but we’ve also tried to purchase things when stores have deep rebates so there’s money coming back and kept an eye on our town as well as surrounding cities via Craigslist for the remains of other people’s projects. Often, folks over-buy building materials and just want them out of their garage and are willing to let them go for free or at next to nothing prices. We’ve totally driven 3 hours just to pick up a trailer full of drywall for $5. $60 in gas is well worth the $500 savings!
2. Windows
For most folks, the idea of replacing every window in your home isn’t a pretty one. 9/10 it will involve a loan unless you have rockin’ savings and didn’t spend all the money on your youth on back and forth plane tickets to Alaska because you thought you were in love with a boy — but I digress. Windows, seriously folks, are crazy expensive and holy-expletive-expensive when you actually want to replace them with ones that are the same size! Crazy right? For those with savings the size of the sum total of change found in your couch cushion, there’s a few options. The most accessible for many is your local ReStore from Habitat for Humanity. They’re an excellent resource and you can find an array of windows in all different sizes. We have 10+ ReStores within a 3 hour drive from us and we make that entire 3 hour drive in all directions usually once a month. Several of our windows came from said ReStore adventures, but the majority came from a storage unit auction. That’s right, we paid $5 for 90% of the windows in our home. Were they the same size? Absolutely not, but I’ll happily make my dining room windows 7″ shorter for an $800 per window discount! Did I have dreams of thin metal framed modern windows for my modern-farm-dream-house? Sure. But I also have dreams of being Beyonce and honey, that just ain’t in the cards.
3. Trim Work
Sarah — this isn’t a photo of trim work, or anything that could even be remotely considered trim work. Yes, yes, I know! But this is a trailer full of workbenches and cabinets we pulled out of a garage in Sister Bay, Wisconsin which is up on the thumb of the mitten (Wisconsin and Michigan are both shaped like mittens and folks who live there will tell outsiders where they lived by pointing at their hand — like it makes any sense outsiders, but that’s just the way they roll). It was far and the load was heavy, but for the cost of gas and $20 in overhead money, we were able to give these pieces new homes and pay for the trim and finishing work for the entire top floor of our home. We’re talking outlets, lighting, actual wood trim and more! The small details kill ya and likewise, make all the difference in the design of your space. They can make it chunky or bulky or light and free — but no matter what zen feeling they give you, it isn’t cheap! Make sure to remember to turn to your local, or not so local Craigslist for deals you just can’t pass up to sell to someone else who didn’t want to drive 4 hours each way to get them. #hustlebaby!
So hopefully this gives you a tiny insight on how we do our work. It isn’t often we walk into a big box retailer and purchase something outright. We’re always digging and scrounging while we’re out and about to acquire the pieces we need, even if we have to adjust our construction plans to fit them. Sweat and time is less expensive than retail pricing! What items are you having a hard time finding for less? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll help source them for y’all down the road! Have you had an amazing Craigslist or ReStore steal that you couldn’t pass up? Share your treasures so we can all be jelly (sidenote: It makes me cringe when people can’t be bothered to use the entire word jealous, but then again I say y’all because that extra syllable would be too much work!).
I live in Iowa & we’ve got rogue warsh-ers up here, too, lol.
What??>>!?!? You live in Wisconsin?! What city? Where is your restaurant? AHH THIS IS EXCITING! (I’m in Milwaukee!)
Hi Carmella,
I am Sarah Smith, a guest poster here on Vintage Revivals who has the amazing chance to share all of my full home renovation woes from our corner of the world in Waldo, Wisconsin.
Info about Mandi’s restaurant makeover (which is not in Wisconsin) can be found here: https://www.vintagerevivals.com/2016/06/durangos-restaurant-reveal.html
It’s so dreamy, I just want to move right in!
Waldo? Huh… I have lived in Wisconsin my whole life and have never been to (or heard of) Waldo; I’ll have to change that. Anywho – Welcome to Wisconsin! BTW – your comment about using our hands to show people where on the ‘mitten’ we live is SO TRUE! I literally laughed out loud when I read that. (Yes, I do it). Loving your ‘guest blogger’ posts!
Hi Carmella – I’m in Milwaukee TOO! (Bay View to be more exact)
Sarah!!! I am wanting to build some headboards and a desk for our new house, but because we are buying a new house hubby is being crazy frugal. Where would be the best place to find some wood for said project at cheap enough prices that I can justify it to him. I really don’t want a bare house after waiting this long to finally have a place of our own.
If you’re looking to save some cash and aren’t sure what direction your new bedrooms are taking, one of my favorite standbys are hollow-core doors. You can find them for $4-10 at any ReStore (including the one in Appleton Wi near you). Then just paint them up, mask off a cool geometric design or add some personality to them.
Then once the dust settles and you have a chance to truly decide which direction you want to take a room I highly suggest checking out wall treatments and headboard ideas right here on Vintage Revivals!
I really need to check out the restore place. Darn always having 2 babies with me that make it impossible
One of my dreams is to build a tiny house (maybe on wheels). I anticipate it will require a good deal of sweat & maybe some tears. My hope is that I’ll be as fantastic as you are for blogging some masterfully about it. Thanks for sharing.
Um, you using your husband as a size reference is so hilarious! I was not expecting to see that picture while reading through the post! Thanks for the laugh!
This is hilarious and so, so true. But while you have a husband who is embracing and doing this renovation, mine (a cabinet and entertainment unit, etc. builder) likes to do “office” kind of work on the weekends, leaving me much like the child of the cobbler—with no shoes (or new windows, or fixed walls, and so on). I look forward to your segment. Thanks so much for sharing your travails.
Everything in our Habitat for Humanity store here is RIDICULOUSLY Expensive! $5 windows?? Hell no!
Truth be told, the ReStore that’s the closest geographically to us, isn’t super inexpensive..It pays to make a day trip to one a little further out as they have less space to hold things and need to move them out quick to make space for incoming items!
Oof-dah trim adds up fast! We’re (*gasp*) painting the trim in our home but it’s saving us loads of moola because when I buy replacement pieces I can buy pine instead of oak. I know it’s a soft wood instead of hard, but for a lot of areas (like crown) it won’t be taking much abuse anyway. It also saves the ginormous headache of trying to match 100+ year old stain (plus I love me some white trim).
We’re facing the window issue too, but opted for a little repair vs replace at this point so we can save up. We have triple-pane (triple!!!!) windows which as great at reducing noise, but are suuuuper heavy and the catches are all plastic so have broken over the years (we think they were installed in the 80s). We bought a bunch of 1x2s and cut them to fit so the outer sash wouldn’t collapse (one did while we were on vacation and I got a panicky email from our cat-sitters). We also cut supports so we could prop the windows open since they won’t stay open themselves and airflow is nice in a house with no a/c. Ideal? No, but the whole thing cost around $20. Boo-yah!
This post was so fun to read! “Make no never mind” I had to re-read this three times, I thought there was a word missing…hahahaha 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
I found a guy on Craigslist that was replacing his bungalow’s original windows with new ones and I was able to get the whole window set (frame, sashes, storms, victorian brass hardware, and weights) for about $3 each set! Most of mine are original in my house, but the newer ones are the ones that need replaced. Lots of stripping/painting/glazing in my future, but totally worth it!
Just so, I read recently that newer windows have to be replaced after just a few years…maybe 10-25….. Now that seems a long time, but your little kids will be in high school before you know it. Love the way you write, MizzSarah, but hate the way this website is producing a light screen and I can’t see what I’m typing. Weird. please forgive typos…can’t hardly see to fix them…..
MJ
That is supposed to be 10-20 years…..
We are currently you guys up here in Canada, trying to completely overhaul our entire house with no savings (you spent your savings on Alaska, I spent mine on Virginia…). Our current over the top giddy steal was responding to a kijiji ad (Canada’s Craigslist) for “free if you pull it up” hardwood and spending 6 hours pulling old oak hardwood out of a hundred year old home (they were replacing their flooring) so that 500 sq. ft. of our floor could match the rest of the house. Our hubby’s could be really good friends.
6 hours worth of labor is still worth free flooring any day of the week! Great score!
Oh my garsh! Great post – you’ve got me thinking I need a trailer and trailer hitch for my car…..or maybe just trade in my car for a pickup!
We are hardcore diy’ers in the Michigan mitten. I love my restore. It’s my husband’s birthday today. What should I get him? What is something you guys use all the time that isn’t traditional? We have saws, etc. Just something or of the box.
Ryobi has a lot of fun tech tools, like a measuring tape that gives exact measurements using your phone, etc. Hubby loves those kind of gadgets that are helpful and “cool”! Happy birthday to your Hubby.
Hi – just wanted to share my amazing find from my local ReStore in Peoria AZ. Last year I went in just looking to see what they had and to my amazement I found that they had just received a Cobalt blue Kohler farmhouse sink! Yes it had been used but once I cleaned it up it was in great shape. I paid $50 for a sink that is still online for $3000! I like to come up with a plan and then take my time finding things like tile, butcher block etc for my kitchen and storing them till I have everything I can think of so that when I am ready to actually go ahead with the project I have saved quite a bit of money for the unexpected.
great post! We use the same craigslist and habitat remodeling method. Little by little.
Hi! I look forward to seeing your progress. I know exactly where Waldo is, I grew up in Random Lake and currently live just a little south in Grafton. Love the restore, craigslist, goodwill & st. vinnie’s for all sorts of treasures. Also check out Maxwell st days in Cedarburg if you’re looking for vintage odds and ends for decor, furniture and projects.
I so love reading about your adventures in home reno-ship, Sarah! And I *AM* southern, so “y’all” will always be part of a language and dialect I can readily speak 🙂
Thanks for the information. I’m gonna remodel my house so I find this post is so useful for me.
Great post! I’m about to remodel my house next month. Your post is invaluable to me. You did a really good job! Keep it up!
Yeah agree with you that google is the best teacher for everyone want to learn things. Your husband is a great man. I’m facing the window issue too >_< It didn't stay open whenever wind blows. It's time to replace it now. 5$ for 90% windows in your house…umm…if it's true, then it's a great deal. I love your post not only because of the information but also the funny sentences you write ^^ Nice job