Sunday, November 14, 2010

The Fixer Upper

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I don't mean him....I mean his house. Yup, the Sgt has a fixer upper house that at times, if I think about it to much, can seem a little daunting. I think he probably feels the same way about his house. Or maybe it's just me that seems like a daunting task to him? hehehee MaryDeluxe can be a handful at times! But, since I will be relocating my whole life next Summer to the fixer upper, there are a few things that I asked him to do for me to the house before I move in...actually I made a list and my requests were things he planned on doing eventually anyway...he just now has a specific time frame to complete them in...like before I move in! (insert MaryDeluxe being a handful here)

So, about my list, one of the things on my list are hardwood floors in the bedroom and a walk in closet! I really hate wall to wall carpet and the carpet in the bedroom is old and needs to go. Hardwood floors are great and add resale value to a house. Of course, I've never priced hardwood flooring before and can I just say, Wowza!! Geee do you know how expensive hardwood floors are! We went and priced them at a local hardwood flooring store and to do just the bedroom 270 sq ft, it was going to cost us close to $1500.(just for the floor) I don't know about you folks but I work really hard for my money and I'm picky about what I spend it on and how I spend it. You know me, thrifty all the way and how can I get something cheaper! Nice thing is, so is the Sgt. (We plan on being a bunch of cheapskates together but making it look like we spend a lot of money on things.) Anyway, we started exploring other options of locating hardwood floors for the fixer upper. As luck would have it, we just happened to find a builders auction going on this weekend in my area and went to check it out. The renovation Gods must have smiled down upon us because at auction, we scored an insane deal on hardwood floors.... 960 sq ft of pre-finished maple hardwood for $1.25 a sq foot! That's right, we spent the same amount of money we would have spent on 270 sq feet and now we'll be able to do all the rooms on the second floor! Heck, all the rooms wasn't even on my list...a MaryDeluxe bonus!

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Mirage flooring is a really high quality maple hardwood that comes from beautiful Canada! The Canadians really know how to make a good quality hardwood floor. I'm sure if we would have gone to a flooring store, we would never have been able to afford this at the regular store prices. So seriously, if you're remodeling your house, it is so worth going to check out a builders materials auction. Just make sure you know exactly what you're looking for and what the price would be in a regular store so you don't over pay for it. Sometimes people get into bidding wars and you don't end up getting the deal you think you got. I see many more builders material auctions in our future as we continue to renovate the fixer upper.

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Pretty, pretty floors!

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A very proud, triumphant moment for the Sgt as he is sitting on a huge score and has conquered the auctioneer! Yes, Sgt is having an auction after glow or as I like to say...bidders high! But before he gets to cocky.....I hope he remembers he still has to put them in! Oh and build me my walk in closet...tick tock, tick tock Sgt.

6 comments:

  1. Wow...your house is completed, it makes sense that you need another to work on, hehe. Once you add that "woman's touch" to his place he will value all the work you two put into it together. Building a home together is one of the most satisfying things you can do as a couple.

    Good job on the flooring score!

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  2. Great deal on the flooring! Renovation can be so expensive can't it?

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  3. I just got a new floor in the bedroom, and it's second hand, haha! We used the old floor from my parents' living room, grated it (is that the right word for it?). Colored and finished it with color- and hardwax oils. The oils were €50,-. And it looks pretty! :)

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  4. Wow....that is completely inspiring. We are in a rental right now but I can't wait to thrift my way through a renovation. I love that you bought your flooring from an auction.

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  5. I moved in to my new husband's fixer-upper 6 years ago. After 5 years, I'd had enough. Nothing was done after he promised and my things were still in boxes and I was so unhappy. I'm not happy unless I'm "nesting" or making the house a home and not a bachelor pad. Mind you, he's a mechanic and had parts all over the house .. a transmission on the floor in the den! He promised to change it and very little was done. After 5 years, I said I'm moving. You can move with me or visit me on the weekends. We ended up buying another MAJOR fixer-upper but this time he's worked beautifully and it's about 95% complete after being gutted. Just don't give up till you get what you want. I don't need fancy, but I have to have clean and tidy! We did all but the roof and AC ourselves. Youtube has great tutorials. It's amazing what I learned, tiling, sheetrock, texture, plumbing, I can do alot of that myself! Good luck .. stand your ground!

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  6. PrettyPinkPin...hahaha no worries here, I got my own tool belt! :)

    ATG...Thrifting your way through a reno is the smart way to go! Why pay more when you can do a little research and get it for less!

    Marloes...SCORE and they sound like they turned out beautifully...double score!

    STM... It can be really expensive and with today's housing market, you have to be extra careful not to put more money into your house then it's worth. It can be tricky and costly if you over invest into renovations. Since we plan on possibly selling down the road, it's smart for us to hit up home builders auctions.

    Kim....you said it, as soon as I walked into his house for the first time, I realized no woman had ever lived there with him nor was he seeing a woman (or one that was important enough to add her girly touches)! hahaha I was so happy about that too!

    ~MaryD

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