Fixer Upper-ing

Just over two months ago, Taylor and I purchased our first home in Cincinnati. It was a short sale home, making the entire complicated transaction span more than four months. We closed with two days left before our apartment lease was up; we signed the papers and moved in the next day.

Now that the dust has settled a bit, we've been taking on some minor home decorating projects. Before Taylor accepted his new position in the ER we did a lot of this stuff together. But now that he is working overtime at all hours of the day, I've started to venture out on my own into the world of home renovation. Without a regular job to go to, I've decided I can contribute to our household by pumping time and energy into our place.

Some of the projects I'd like to do take money, so I've been careful not to go too crazy in spending Taylor's paycheck before he brings it home. But mostly I've been putting in a little elbow grease for the biggest payout.

Here's a picture of a recent re-furb I completed on a built-in dresser in our bedroom:

Before I refinished it, the dresser was painted ivory with antique bronze handles (note to self: take a 'before' picture next time!). It had a cool vintage look but wasn't really what we were going for. Originally we had pushed our bed against that wall to cover it up, but one day I decided to switch up the furniture in the room, exposing the built-in dresser, which prompted a total renovation! I dismantled the drawers and handles, sanded them down, and applied a few coats of paint. Then I found some new drawer pulls and attached those, as well. And voila! The dresser has new life, all for less than $20.

I imagine quite a few young people are in my shoes right now. With the recent tax credit for first time home-buyers, many people snatched up older foreclosed and short sale homes on the cheap, knowing that they were in for a long road of renovations. With good jobs scarce, many people have all the time in the world to do this work themselves instead of contracting it out (which probably partially contributes to the job shortage in general labor). For my fellow DIYers out there, check out this blog for more practical, affordable tips for any project you are ready to tackle. It's one of my new favorites, and you can link to it directly from my "fave blog list" on the right of my page.

When I was younger, my dad was laid off from quite a few factory jobs as companies bought and sold the plants where he worked. And every time he was between jobs, a new project in our house would get done, like refinishing the hardwood floors or stripping wallpaper or working on an old car. I think this is a pretty common experience for people looking for work--there is plenty of work to be found right where you live and somebody's got to do it! It doesn't pay too great now, but it keeps me busy and it keeps my morale up. At the end of the day I have something tangible that I have contributed to our house, which is important to me.

I'll post more pictures--hopefully of the 'before' and 'after' variety next time--as I get more work done. If you'll excuse me, I need to go clock in!