Home Projects--Making dirt shine, one project at a time

Hey! So, I'm not sure if anyone is interested in all of this but we moved into a 4 bedroom house a few weeks back and it was a shit hole. Sorry to be blunt but it just WAS. Holy moly! My uncle rented it out to 5 different people who NEVER paid the rent so he had to evict them. He didn't think it was THAT bad and told me he'd hire people to clean it. Well the people he hired were scum...like begging him to help them out becuase they were broke yadda yadda. And he just can't say no...and he can't, he's literally too nice.

Anyway...we moved in and I cried. But then I got into whip this place into shape mode and started hacking away. We didn't have to pay a security deposit so I decided I would purchase new carpet for a few of the rooms. There was a vanity that was tore up, so I found some wallpaper and make-shifted a whole new desk. I needed to use the one coat closet for a catbox, since we're sharing a house with my best friend and her two kids so we made a coat rack and got some shelves for SEVEN dollars. Home Depot had them all and they're discontinued so they were 7 bucks. Yep!




upstairs hallway


upstairs hallway


stairs...just...wtf...


stairs again


upstairs bedroom, you can see a bit on the left where it was YELLOW from all the cigarette smoke. UGH...you can see the floor too.


upstairs bedroom floor close up


living room #1<---this was the worst. It was a carpet that had been there since 1994. Never cleaned...rarely vacuumed and then the dog started dying and throwing up everywhere...but the tenants never cleaned it up. Nope. When they lifted this carpet it up I nearly died...black underneath.


the level of dirt we had to deal with was unbelievable.






Upstairs hallway


stairs


living room--need to get rid of the ugly fake wood paneling. I can't stand this look personally.


Upstairs bedroom! Before putting all his toys in AND before the stars. WE asked him what he wanted "lightish darkish blue with a yellow star" LOL...so we did this and then we got a ton of the glow stars so it looks awesome.


upstairs bedroom



So then I did some little things after that and I wish I had a before picture but I don't. The before was just a blank wall.





I LOOOVE this. AHH. I've always wanted something like this so my husband made me one. :) We bought the seven dollar cubbies unit and the buckets that go inside were 5 dollars each. I love it. :) Sorry, I said that already. I just need to paint the wood and it's done!

I love my living room in the background. There are two living rooms in this house. Though I guess it should be one living and one family but we've made two family rooms. One for her and one for me, though we both always are in and out. Last night she and I stayed up too late watching Bones in mine and we finally both are starting to feel like it's a HOME! :) WOOO!!! Nothing like a little paint and some carpet!



Then I did this last night, was a little frustrating but overall it worked out. If I was not a renter I would have torn this entire thing out. Since I am...I'm covering it in wallpaper. hahahahaha. <--evil laugh.




previous tenant...wtf...like he took a razor blade to the entire thing. The entire thing looked like this and it was dirty as hell. I scrubbed real well and then...


AFTER


ahhh! I actually can TOUCH it now. I'm a bit OCD...but this was beyond the level I could handle. Now I love it!! <3



Thanks to you all for the suggestions on how to rid myself of the nasty smoke smell! It's been annoying and we've had to do a few coats but its getting much better! It's just sad...my uncle bought this house in 1994 and there has NEVER EVER been a non smoking individual who lived there. AND HE DOESN'T SMOKE!!! He's never smoked a cigarette in his life but every girlfriend, every tenant and every friend. And he's still a bachelor and he's never cared so he never took care of it. Times are changing. Haha, okay this was way too long.