WNY Handyman

When I begin most new renovation projects I make a point to be sure to make unattractive spaces look nicer.  They don’t necessarily have to be renovated, but they do need to be cleaned up to the point of no longer being detrimental, but a positive feature.  Some of the spaces that I focus on for a quick improvement are the garage space, yard space, and basement.

The basement is perhaps the area where you can find the most benefit.  It is part of the house and used often.  Remove and hanging item from the ceiling that you can. Lose old cable and wiring and remove any items from the floor that you can.  If possible, paint the floor a uniform color (they often aren’t) and even paint the support posts in the same color as the floor. This will help those obstructions to disappear.

The first home that I renovated was a perfect example of this.  The basement was very large (it was a ranch house).  However, the basement had 60 years of junk hanging from the ceiling and items taking up floor space (shelving).

Our recent cottage project provided me 2 examples of cleaning up a sight line for an immediate improvement.  The first before and after photo below shows the immediate improvement, of a stunning view, with the simple remove of an unused swing support.   This was a subtle improvement, but when you add up 20 subtle improvements, you are suddenly showing a beautiful place that feels cleaner, larger, etc. (Click the image for a large view).

Removed swing stand

The chimney, below, was cluttered with with cables, brackets, and a large antennae. None of these were necessary and cleaning them up provided a much cleaner look.  In fact, the neighbor commented as soon as he came by.  It was that immediate a change when viewed in person.

Cleaned up sight line

If you are selling or renovating a home, consider these simple, small changes. They will add up to make a world of difference.

Who doesn’t like before and after photo’s?  Where would HGTV and DIY Network be if we didn’t love them?

The following picture is a before and after shot of a kitchen that we recently renovated.  It isn’t a complete “before” shot since this was taken after an interior wall was removed, but you get the picture.

Before and after kitchen

We opened up a bedroom to expand the kitchen into a modern, eat-in kitchen space.  The cabinets were replaced with a Harvest Maple RTA Cabinets from the RTACabinetStore.com.  Our counter top was custom built (u-shaped) using laminate from Wilsonart (Madura Gold 4923).

The sink was a great option for a tight space.  Our kitchen was a bit narrow and we weren’t able to go with a full size double basin sink.  This Moen top mount provided 2 basins, but didn’t have a full sized 2nd basin.  It was a 25″ wide double basin which makes it ideal for a smaller kitchen (or a kitchen with a 30″-33″ sink base cabinet). The sink was less than $115 to boot (Moen Sink at Lowe’s).

For the appliances, we purchased Kenmore units for the range and microwave along with a Whirlpool dishwasher. The total appliance cost came in just under $900.

The flooring was a great find for a less formal eat-in kitchen look. We located an oak hardwood that was a builders grade product that was much higher quality than most flooring products in that price range.  The boards were true and the installers loved the product. Ask most installers to put in a tavern or builders grade product and they probably won’t be happy.  Many installers will refer to tavern grade flooring as “fire wood”.    However, this product was far above its grade. The lower grading had to do with the color variation in the product. However we were after a casual feel and it pulled every wood tone in the space together. The hardwood came from Georgia Carpet Outlets and came in at around $2.80 a square foot plus $2 a square foot for the install.  Well worth the money.

The wall color has gotten a lot of compliments and is a warm neutral tone.  The color is from Sherwin-Williams and is called “bagel”.   The back splash tile was done with a relatively inexpensive 2″x2″ tile from Lowe’s.  It is a stock item that runs just under $4 per square foot.

Overall the kitchen remodel turned out terrific. The space works well and the colors are warm and inviting.

Kitchen before and after

Kitchen before and after 2

When building an interior railing, you will have a few choices.  the choices that you make will have a big impact on the final appearance (obviously), but will also have a major impact on the time to build.  If you don’t to many stair railings, you probably don’t have some of the custom tools that make the job easier. On top of that, you won’t have the knowledge needed to avoid mistakes and make the job easier.  From the newel that you select to the baluster and finish, a stair can be tricky.

Our recent renovation was formerly a 1 family home that was converted to a 2 family home many years ago.  The conversion to a 2 family was minimal, so bringing it back to a single family was not a major job. In fact, the separating wall that was built at the staircase was only 3″ thick.  The following is a picture of the staircase after demolition of the dividing wall (with some new 2×6 framing added for the newel/railing structure).  You can see that we built a solid framework for our newels and bolted them in from the backside (we had to cover the panels from 1889 as they were unusable).  Click on the image for a larger version of the before and after stair railing pictures.

Stair railing rebuild

Our railing was built from the ground up, this is often easier than a remod.  We had a very specific look that we wanted to achieve and a standard newel wasn’t going to cut it. We went with a beefier newel post that is 5″ at its widest and 4″ at the narrow points. This gives a real custom (and older style) look.  It was a bit of a search to find the box newel post.

In building out this stair rail, I walked away with 2 tips.  If you are working with multiple elevations that will transition with a newel, the less detail on the newel, the better.  A detailed newel can limit the railing position when you transition to a new elevation.  Another tip that we learned the hard way was to use a baluster (spindle) that is squared at the top and bottom. This will allow for easy cuts and fitting.  Our original plan called for a pin top. Since we didn’t have the boring jig to ease the job, we altered the plan to use a spindle that was square at the top and bottom.

The before picture doesn’t really seem to fit.  The explanation for this would be the dividing wall that blocks the stair along with the closet, basement door and interior entry door for the lower unit.

Entry hall before and after

The end result turned out terrific.

Who doesn’t love a before and after shot?  I sure do.  This isn’t a before and after since it is more of a during, but I wanted to post after an out of town relative asked about the progress on the home.  There is quite a difference in the photo.

Here is a rundown of some of the work done to the exterior to date:

• Removal of carport along with the shingle patching after removal
• Replaced a flat roof and tied into the pitched roof in rear of house
• New roof
• New soffits and fascia
• New paint (not complete, but close)
• New windows
• Removal of enclosed porch windows and wrapping of columns

30 Lombardy Before and After (actually, during)

30 Lombardy - before - mid - 3/4

To complete the outside we still need quite a bit including shingles on the dormer sides along with gutters, trim paint, and landscaping.  Not to mention many of the finishing paint touches, trim pieces, driveway sealer, etc.

I’ll continue to add to the new Before and After photos category over time. In fact, I might just add some items from the archive. Who doesn’t love a makeover?

It seems like everyone loves a makeover. We renovated a home in Lancaster NY and never posted the before/after shots. The difference is pretty dramatic. The project seemed to take forever, but we didn’t have the man hours to commit to getting it done quickly. .

Take a look at the before and after photos:
Lancaster NY Renovation.

Garfield before and after photos

We took this chopped up floor plan and opened it up to give it a modern feel. We had to move some windows and add others to make the kitchen functional. Overall, it turned out great. Take a peek.