Recycled houses?
 

Hi all, Im finally moving to my very own (council) house, UPDATE; Moving on the 7th of January!

Thing is the house is completly empty so im wondering if any of you resourceful jumbletowners have ideas for low cost renovations, reusing stuff that i might have or am able to get for uses that i might not have thought of??? (unfortunatly im not a visionary- to say the least)

Im usually a dedicated shopper but thats just not an option lately so hopefully you all have some bright ideas???

I would like to recycle/repurpose anything I can!!!

***Garden ideas also welcome***

congrats
 

Well Kiara,
Congrats ...You must be very excited, I only have a little bit of advice really and thats...Take your time, Dont try to tackle all at once, do one thing at a time, and enjoy.
Best wishes M

Good luck in your new home, Kiara. If I think of any useful ideas I'll let you know. Mind is blank atm! Best wishes, Gillian

Thanks 'the mammy' Im afraid time is a luxury that I just dont have (not for the big jobs anyway) Im due our 2nd little bundle of joy at the end of February so Im panicking a little bit! On the other hand I do beleive if its worth doing its worth doing right so anything that can wait, will.

I've seen some amazing ideas from other jumbletowners and it makes me wish I could be more creative minded but I don't 'think outside the box' very well. I am fairly handy though so carrying out the ideas shouldn't be a big problem, now if only I could borrow Unapam's brain... lol

Thanks Gillo :)

Hi Kiara, I was in a similar position to you two and a half years ago regarding finally getting my very own home, as a result of private personal events.

I had been renting for 6 years at that stage but the last place I rented was unfurnished so I had had to come up with furniture for the place. Jumbletown did not exist 8 years ago so I did not have the option of looking here. I bought what I needed 2nd hand and kept it to a minimum, two beds, a suit of furniture, a leatherette sofa I saved from a bonfire (in perfect condition). The house was in terrible condition so whatever I spent was done so on paint and curtains to brighten the place up. Friends who came to visit liked my minimalistic style, no overcrowding with furniture and so on.

I 2nd The Mammy's advice. Make the place comfortable and don't rush into getting loads done - take your time to get a feel for the place and write down a list of the items you really need for each room and stick to it, otherwise you will end up having too much stuff and not enough space.

I have actually painted my entire interior the same throughout, because it saved me money. Get a feel for the place and know what rooms get sun and so on. In time you can decide on different colors for different rooms.

Plan to grow your own vegetables if you have even a small space available - it will save you money in the long term.

Have fun and take your time :) Good Luck in your New Home.

Kathy

Thanks Kathy, I do plan to paint downstairs the same for the time being and I will be growing veg, as my 3yr old daughter loves gardening at my mums and I've promised that now we have our own place that we will have a veg patch that she can help with and she will have her very own flower bed too! Really looking forward to getting stuck in now, kiara x

***update*** Both my daughter's room and the nursery have small alcoves, any ideas on how to use these for storage/space saving???

alcoves
 

The obvious storage solution to me with alcoves is to put up shelves all up along the height of the wall, that way you have storage space for their books, small toys and even photos etc, without losing any space in the room itself. This is what I did in my daughter's room. Hope it helps

Borrow my brain??!!
Ah sufferin' heart..me poor brain is on overtime as it is!

Seriously though, I am delighted you are getting your dream home. You will enjoy it - even in the early days when it is just starting to come together.
Jumbletown is you best resource. You will source all the things you need and then all the things you want! (Give Kiara a digout everyone!)

Best of luck to you and I hope you have a very happy 1st Christmas in you new home.

yes i was thinking of shelves low down for my daughter but maybe a rail over it for clothes, but I'm not sure where I'm going to find such short rails... I'll think of something...

Thank you unapam, your very kind and we will (hopefully) be in and ready for christmas! kiara x

^^
 

Hi Kiara,
It's great to hear to are finally getting the KEYS. May you have many years of happiness & health in your new home. Best of luck with studies also. B.

Congratulations you lucky thing!! I've been on a spree lately of searching for ideas for repurposing and recycling etc. and I've a good few links saved, I'll have a look and post a few up for you :)

Forgot to ask - do you have anything or are you starting from scratch? And what are your main few priorities? I just looked at my favourites list (and all its subfolders :P) and I don't know where to start!!

Alcoves
 

You can get lengths of rail from builders merchants, and brakets for it from either the same place or a hardware shop. If you ask nicely they will even cut the poles to size. Good luck with the new home
Tod

thanks bunty, x

hi magiceight, yes im starting from scratch as im moving from a furnished rental, iv a 3 year old girl so her room is an immediate priority I'm pregnant too so I'll be doing a nursery, really dont know where to start! kiara

thank you I'll try that on monday, kiara x

Hiya Kiara
 

Well done on your new home. Exciting times ahead. I was gonna suggest wardrobe for the alcove & the pole could be dowelling or aluminium piping (copper piping left over from building site maybe?) I bought the fixings in our hardware store - there are loads of different kinds of fixings so you'll be spoilt for choice. Put up a screen in our sitting room using this and a towel rail in the bathroom. Buy one length and it should do your wardrobe and your towel rails/toilet roll holders too! Do you want a single locker? Do you want a lovely stereo system (tape doesn't work and the cd tray ejects from time to time) -3 cd holder and mighty sound out of it. Great reception on radio also. If you know anyone who can figure out why it ejects ....

thanks for the advice bluecurlygirl, and il pm you about the locker, kiara x

Hey Kiara, congrats on your new house...I'm delighted for you!

As other posters said, keep it simple and prioritise. I can imagine that you want to get as much of the house finished as possible before the new baby arrives, but you really only need to get the basics in place.


Place some "wanted" ads on here and also on

http://www.rollercoaster.ie/handiton...7&mycounty=All


You could make your own stencils for decorating your daughter's room...do a google search for some of her favourite characters, print them off and cut out pieces to make a stencil...a small bit of sponge and some acrylic paints and just repeat the stencil as many times as you want. You could paint some numbers or the alphabet on the wall or perhaps paint/make a height chart on the wall. Alternatively, get your daughter to colour/paint some pictures and let her hang them on her wall.


Regarding the rail for the alcove in your daughter's room...could you just use the wooden handle off an old mop or sweeping brush??

Penneys used to sell plain coloured 'pop-up tidys' for €3...not sure if they still stock them but they are very handy for storing toys. Try the €2 shop for kids posters, stickers, small household bits, etc


Regarding the garden, I don't know much about gardening, but perhaps, get some seeds and start them off in old food containers and maybe get some slips/branches off shrubs and try growing them with some rooting powder....other JT members will be able to advise you on the correct times of year for doing this and the correct procedure as I'm not really sure.

Kiara, perhaps place a really long wish-list of every single item that you need or would like for the house & baby and update/shorten it as you receive each item!

ha ha your not the 1st one to suggest that! I have a 'furniture and kitchen appliances' thread in wanted but I really dont want to have a big long list and people would just think I'm milking it! Truth is though I really do need alot of things and my partner is out of work since Sept and will be for awhile yet (severe back problems from being overworked!) so I can't just go shopping, although it might be a blessing in disguise because I used to shop way too much and end up with stuff I just didnt need! So now I'm being alot more resourceful and reusing alot more and actually I kind of enjoy it! Myself and the little lady have been making christmas bits lately and she loves it so I might take your advice and give her a more active role decorating her room, crafts etc. I'm definatly gonna build in her wardrobe so i might get a beaded curtain, are they hard to make? lol (only half joking I actually have a surprising amount of beads!) kiara x

Yeah I understand...but I don't think that people would necessarily think that...just thought it might be the easiest way of doing it as people could look down through the list and could then decide what they had to offer you based on what you need.

I, too, have always loved shopping but there is soooo much more satisfaction out of making stuff yourself and its soooo much cheaper. I love the €2 shop though, as I can indulge my shopping habit without spending an absolute fortune.

I seem to have developed a habit lately of gathering up as many craft supplies as I possibly can and anything that I think I can make something out of. I'm doing a design-related course in college and it has made me realise that I am the best person to design stuff to suit my own taste as nobody knows what I like better than I do myself...lol I'm hoping to start trying to design some furniture soon as boyf is starting to decorate a self-build (and as a s/e tradesperson work is now rather scarce for him so I want to save him money). He asked me what I want for xmas and I told him I want a 'jigsaw'...he didn't understand though as he asked me "how many pieces do you want in it?"... lol

I have been searching online lately though for "home decorating" ideas....I like looking at interior design or even just general design blogs for inspiration.

Hiya

i'm a big fan of www.marthastewart.com. Theres loads of cool ideas for maximising space and storage. I love the one of hanging a curtain in front of shelves to hide the clutter, perhaps in daughters rooms you could hang one a bit out from the shelves (it depends on the depth of the alcove and the depth of the shelf) and it turns into a cool space for little people, they can use it as a puppet theatre, a dress up space, a hiding place ....

Fair play, if you can do it go for it completely custom made furniture, i love it, if I tried that I'd probably lose some fingers lol!

Hi Kiara
 

I am moving house at the end of Feb if you can wait that long I have a old wardrobe chest of drawers and bed side locker that you can have you could paint them in your daughters favourite colours and add stickers and stuff. let me kmow what you think?

Congratulations Kiara,
You should pick your paint colours for every room and give all your friends a colour and have a house warming/painting night. If everyone brings a bottle and a pot of paint, you would all paint and party at the same time. You , would have your house painted and your house warming all in one night. It would be such a laugh too. The pots of paint would be your moving in presents from your friends. Just make some finger food and put some good music on and you`re laughing.
Good luck
All the best

thank you antoine, sending pm

Sounds like fun! But theres no need really the painting isnt a problem, anyway I'm nearly 7 months pregnant so the drink will have to wait! lol, kiara x

New Home.
 

hi Kiara, wishing you all the best in the new home, and hope you get it set up. If i find anything i think you could use that i have hanging around I'll let you know. I'm not crafty but hey you never know! Best wishes now and in the future, Siobhan. P.S. Enjoy making lots of memories in your new home.

Thanks bawnie, I can't wait to have our own place, decorated whatever way we want and the best part... no more moving! Anyone who's renting will know how annoying that is... moving everytime your lease is up! My 3 year old daughter was brought home from hospital to 1 house where she lived for 2 months, we moved into a house closer to my mum but it was freezing so 6 months later we moved again into a beautiful house with brilliant neighbours, I loved the place and the people, my daughter had made friends and it was the only house she remembered and then after two years the landlady decided she was selling up! so we moved again into our current house, its close enough to the last one so we can visit our old neighbours but its just never felt right (we have been here nearly 9 months!) So now hopefully we can settle down and have a real home! kiara x

Oh wow!
 

Congratulations on your new home!

I will def keep an eye out for ANYTHING I might have at home. I might have an old mop that is about to go in the bin if you would like me to save the handle?

Also if you are anywhere near Dublin I will gladly offer you my unskilled hands if you need help with anything! As long as there is tea I'd be happy to help out :)

thanks very much but im in ennis co clare so id say its a bit far for you :) kiara x

He he Maybe just a little far away!

I am so delighted for you with your own place though! I only bought my house a year ago and there really is no feeling like it. Walking through the door and knowing its yours!

I hope you get all that you need from here and wishing you many happy years in your new home!

Hi Kiara - here area few things I had saved to start off with.... I have more but I'm brutal for not categorising my bookmarks so I've to look for them!

Beer can butterflies! Aluminium cans are easy enough to cut using a kitchen scissors (mind the sharp edges though). This can be done with plastic bottles and containers too.

http://www.notcot.com/archives/2008/..._villinski.php


Paper lightshades – I love these to pieces. The second link has a tutorial for making a DIY one.

http://padstyle.com/iq-light/499

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=231484.0


Room dividers – the possibilities for these are endless. You can make a big one to stretch across the room, or smaller ones for doorways or just decoration. I love that you can use almost anything to make these :D

http://ayoska.wordpress.com/2008/05/...water-bottles/

http://flickr.com/photos/8171839@N05/792565548

http://frazierandwing.com/one_of_a_kind

(This one’s very cute)
http://www.designsprout.com/my_weblo...recycle-1.html

If you’re using beads for beaded curtains etc., you can make really cool beads from recycled paper:

http://flickr.com/photos/73966497@N00/588658460/



Decoupage – one of my favourite things ever hehe. You can give old furniture a new lease of life, and make plain old cardboard boxes for storage look really cool and designer-y.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6610020
(Everyone’s doing this with old maps and it looks amazing IMO, but you can use anything really)

http://flickr.com/photos/bombusdesign/498231251/

http://flickr.com/photos/moline/532041113/


T shirt rugs: these are really easily made using the latch-hook method

http://museumofhappiness.blogspot.co...-shag-rug.html

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5626795


Tin can kitchen storage… sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. I have lots of my craft supplies in tin cans lol

http://www.canadiandesignresource.ca...gallery/?p=927

You can also just use them free standing, and paint or decoupage them. I think some funny labels like ‘Can of worms’ or ‘Can of whoop-ass’ would be hilarious :P


Recycled paper baskets:

http://en.espritcabane.com/pretty-th...per-basket.php

I know I have loads more, I’ve to sort through all the saved links and see what else I have…. I get loads of ideas from sites like inhabitat.com, apartmenttherapy.com, curbly, notcot.org, craftzine, and my favourite ever - http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=347.0

If you go onto Flickr and search using words like repurposed, recycle crafts etc. you can get tons of ideas.

If you have access to a sewing machine or a lend of one, cushion covers and patchwork throws are easy to make up using old clothes, samples and swatches from fabric and curtain shops.

I’ll post more links as I come across them! Hope these inspire you a bit anyway :)

(disclaimer – all of the links I’ve posted are for inspirational purposes, I’m not suggesting anyone rip the original artists/designers off – I’ve found them great for giving me ideas for similar projects though :D)

A few good sites for creative inspiration….

http://www.packratmag.com/

http://housewife.splinder.com/

www.treehugger.com

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com

http://hautenature.blogspot.com/sear....y.%20projects (Great blog, this is the DIY craft section)

http://craftzine.com/

http://www.notcot.org/

http://www.curbly.com/

This is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a bit – I reckon you could get a similar effect by photocopying pics onto overhead transparencies (check schools & colleges for any they might be throwing away, now that everyone’s gone digital).
http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/film-...ade/index.html

Beautiful idea for felt or fabric rugs – I think this could be done easily enough using recycled materials like old clothes etc. http://www.ecosalon.com/title/Felt_Like_It ,

http://freshome.com/2007/03/27/beaut...f-flowers-rug/


Think outside the box when it comes to flooring…. http://asthecrowflies.org/2007/10/14...l-paper-floor/

I’m trying to put together a prototype for sort of a parquet effect flooring made from cardboard… will post pics if I can get it to work…

Never underestimate good old collage for some really striking wall art
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/20...er_sale_e.html


Cardboard furniture!! I’m itching to have a go at making some of these
http://freshome.com/tag/cardboard/

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/g...rniture-040982

http://www.trucdesign.com/index.php/...435-miss-julia

Imaginative way to store CD’s disguised as art :P
http://inventorspot.com/articles/han...s_wall_ar_9728

This, my friends, is how we’re all going to get rich – check out the price tag!!!!! http://store.greenergrassdesign.com/droog-rag.html
Now go raid your houses for all those bags of old clothes and get busy LOL

The pics are just some random repurposed things I’ve saved for inspiration (not my own work), to get ideas etc.

Good luck with getting your keys today Kiara (it is today isn't it?)

Tell us how it went later won't you :)
I'm all excited for you lol....

Magiceight I love all the links. Thanks a million.