KITCHEN FIXES AND UPGRADES ON A BUDGET – FRESH PAINT, STAIN, NEW FAUCETS, & CABINET HARDWARE

” …today’s American kitchen — no longer a place to simply cook and eat, it’s now the “real” living room — a place for living, working and entertaining.

Given the current recession, it’s no surprise that consumers are saving rather than spending. And when they do spend, they’re doing so from cash on hand; rather than credit,” said Jack Suvak, senior director of research and insights, Moen. “This change in spending behavior has had a dramatic impact on remodeling projects. Most homeowners are choosing to perform ‘room lifts’ — small updates to personalize a room — rather than undertake major remodels.

…Plus, homeowners are choosing to personalize renovations to fit their needs, rather than update a room for the next family that will be living in the house. In the kitchen, this might include everything from creating solutions that better integrate the management of electronic devices…to creating ‘kid level’ storage areas…to adding safety features for aging boomers.”

Except from: MOEN… New Research Finds Homeowners are Renovating to Create “Live-In Value;” Rather than to Sell – April 26, 2011

Here’s a Handyman Tip: Whether you Do-it-Yourself or decide to hire a professional handyman, carpenter, plumber, electrician, painter, tile installer or general contractor…

Create a Plan and a Realistic Budget.

The plan should be influenced by your lifestyle and your personal style (Look at images in publications for ideas until you have a heartfelt “yes. that’s it!”) Creating a realistic budget does not necessarily mean sacrifice… often it means being a smart shopper. ( Shop sales in stores in person or online as well a internet sites such as ebay.com, Amazon.com, lowes.com, homedepot.com and more).

If you plan to Do-it-Yourself ( DIY) be honest with yourself about your skills and do what you can and get help with the rest.

 

What Kinds of Projects Does a Handyman Do?

Wikipedia Defines a Handyman as…

A handyman, increasingly known as a handyperson or handywoman, is a person skilled at a wide range of repairs, typically around the home. These tasks include trade skills, repair work, maintenance work, both interior and exterior, and are sometimes described as “odd jobs”, “fix-up tasks”, and include light plumbing jobs such as fixing a leaky toilet or light electric jobs such as changing a light fixture.

Handyman projects

The term handyman increasingly describes a paid worker, but it also includes non-paid homeowners or do-it-yourselfers. Tasks range from minor to major, from unskilled to highly skilled, and include painting, drywall repair, remodeling, minor plumbing work, minor electrical work, and furniture assembly (see more complete list below.) The term handyman is occasionally applied as an adjective to describe politicians or business leaders who make substantial organizational changes, such as overhauling a business structure or administrative division.^[1][2] In the past, handypersons have usually been men, and home repair tasks have been seen as a male-oriented activity, but handywomen are becoming more prevalent as well as women using the term handypersons to describe themselves.

List of handyman jobs

The list of projects which handymen can do is extensive, and varies from easy-to-learn tasks which take little time such as changing a light bulb, to extensive projects which require multiple steps, such as kitchen remodeling. Here is a partial list:

Air conditioner installation Appraising of property Barbecue pit maintenance Cabinet refacing Carpentry Ceiling repair Ceramic tile repair Cleaning Concrete work Countertops Curtain hanging Decks Door installation Door repair Drain cleaning Dryer repair Dryer vent cleaning Dryer vent installation Drywall Installation Drywall repair Electrical wiring Energy Updates Fan installation Fence fixing Fireplace cleaning Flooring Installation and Repair Foundations

Framing Garage door openers Garage doors General Maintenance Gutter Cleaning Gutter Repair Heating system tune-up Home inspections Home security systems Hot tubs and spas Insulation installation (batts) Insulation installation (blown-in) Lamp repairs Landscaping Lawncare Lockset adjustment Molding installation Moving Paint removal Painting Patio stone installation Pest control Photography Plumbing repairs Porches Remodeling basements Remodeling bathrooms

Remodeling kitchens Safety modifications Sealing driveways Senior Living Modifications Septic system repair Shelf installation Shelving Skylight installation Solar panels Soundproofing Sprinkler repair Sprinkler system installation Stain removal Staining furniture Stone work Storage area construction Storage area repair Swapping a toilet Swimming pool maintenance Tiling Wall building Waste and junk removal Water purification Water softening Window cleaning Window installation Window repair

Note: this is a partial list

Excerpt from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handyman

 

DIY – Affordable Ready-to-Assemble Furniture – RTA

If you are furnishing a a room, an apartment or a house and need to do it on a budget, consider purchasing from your furniture from one of the many companies offering furniture in a box.

If you are handy and can Do-it Yourself (DIY), Ready-to-Assemble (RTA) furniture is a great way to save money when furnishing your home or office.

If you are not handy or do not have the time or patience, there are service professionals in every community you will do it for you at a reasonable price.

In the Greater Los Angeles County and Orange County California call My Pro Handyman Can at 562-804-8775 for fast affordable service.

There are many places to purchase RTA Furniture. Two of the original companies that produce the lions share of products is Sauder Furniture and  IKEA.

Here’s a history on these two pioneering companies.

SAUDER FURNITURE:

Sauder started crafting furniture in 1934, then began making RTA furniture in 1951. Shortly thereafter in 1953, our founder, Erie Sauder, was granted a patent for the first assemble-it-yourself piece – an end table that snapped together in minutes. Today, the entire world can buy, transport and install Sauder furniture pieces in a manner inconceivable at the turn of the Twentieth Century – assembled quickly and easily at home. But our innovations didn’t stop there—we continue to develop new lines of home and office furniture, TV stands,bookcases, and more with specialty features and details that keep us at the forefront of the furniture industry.  http://www.sauder.com/.

Here are is a link to find  furniture dealers in the Unites States that offer their products.   http://www.sauder.com/dealers/dealerlocator_usa.asp

IKEA: 1956 – Designing furniture for flat packs and self-assembly

The decision for IKEA to design its own furniture stems, ironically from competitors pressure for suppliers to boycott IKEA. Exploration of flat packaging begins when one of the first IKEA co-workers removes the legs of the LÖVET table so that it will fit into a car and avoid damage during transit. After this discovery flat packs and self assembly become part of the concept. To read more, please visit Our business idea.

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/the_ikea_way/history/1940_1950.html

Here’s a excerpt from Wikipedia:

Ready-to-assemble furniture (RTA), also known as knock-down furniture or flat pack furniture, is a form of furniture that is purchased in multiple pieces and requires assembly. This form of furniture generally arrives in a box and contains instructions for the buyer to follow in order to assemble it after purchase.

Ready-to-assemble furniture is popular among consumers that wish to save money on their furniture purchases by assembling the product on their own and no need for delivery cost. In addition to saving the consumer money, flat pack furniture is generally simple to assemble and requires only the use of simple tools.

Merchants benefit from selling ready-to-assemble furniture because furniture that is already assembled tends to be bulky and more expensive to store and to deliver. Since the furniture does not need to be assembled in the factory, ready-to-assemble furniture is also less expensive for the merchant to purchase. Due to these many factors, selling flat pack furniture is a more cost effective method of conducting business.

Ready-to-assemble furniture is typically packaged in a kit form with the pieces packaged in one or multiple boxes. The kit may contain a number of flat parts, fasteners, screws, fixings, and other parts that are needed to assemble the furniture.

A furniture assembly industry has grown from otherwise desirable furniture being sold only in ready-to-assemble form. Consumers engage a service provider to come to their home and assemble the furniture they have purchased.