Why so many renovations? I had a similar experience myself when we rehabbed my buddys house and my parents house. I learn all sorts of stuff, plus I felt so butch!!! lol 

 

I should not have used the word "renovate", I should have said "redecorate".  Hey, I'm gay.  We have to stay ahead of the curb so the breeders have something to aspire to.  :-D

 

Doing a quick run of the numbers in my head, the price I paid for my apartment and the cost for all renovations/redecorating to date is around 65-70k. 

 

Although, most real estate agents would say, "you never want to be the best house on the block", I disagree.  You don't need expensive products, designers/decorators, or furniture to improve the cost of your home.  All it takes is a little ingenuity and creativity!

 

My cousin still to this day, says he doesn't know what I see in stuff in the trash.    About 80% of the things in my houses are from the trash, yard sales, thrift stores, clearance sales or used products from home shows that can't be used again.  So the amount of money Ive spent is considerably less, than if I had bought retail.

 

The rebuilding, renovating and redecorating is "therapeutic" for me.  What ever mood I'm in, It's reflected in my house. 

 

This is about 12 years ago, when I was happily "cohabitating".  I built the entire fireplace surround.  Although the godawful piano, my Ex wanted took up too much space in the Living Room.  All those chairs came from May Co.

 

Then when my Ex and I broke, I was an angry bitch so the house was all dark and I had skulls all around the house.  The lamp, table and Ice bucket came right out of the trash.  I just stripped the table and resealed it.

 

Even the dining room was dark.  I found the blocks on Train Avenue and drug them to my Uncles house and found the table in the trash on Lake Ave.

 

Then right before I got my current job, I was happy again.  My Dad, nephew and I did all that trim work.  That was painful.  The phrase, "measure twice, cut once" is so true!

 

Although not all my "ideas" work.  I found everything in the dining in the trash but the table....It was so "uugggggh". My aunt was going to throw the chandelier away, my grandparents were going to throw those garden chairs out, but I reupholstered them.

 

Then I tried to add a piece of artwork my nephews and neice made by playing twister in paint on canvas...It was hot mess.  The dining room didn't stay that way for too long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holy cow, MTS. Your place is seriously one of the most amazing I've ever seen. Nice job.

I think reusing items makes a house unique.  My uncle has an old door from the french quarter that is gorgeous.

Holy cow, MTS. Your place is seriously one of the most amazing I've ever seen. Nice job.

 

Thanks. This is nothing, you should see the couple of rooms i've done at my parents house!  If it were not for my dad I would have turned that place into a palace!  Ironically, my bedroom has remained exactly the same for the past 20 years.

I think reusing items makes a house unique.  My uncle has an old door from the french quarter that is gorgeous.

 

I agree, especially if you're HOME has a natural character of its own.

Ironically, my bedroom has remained exactly the same for the past 20 years.

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Ironically, my bedroom has remained exactly the same for the past 20 years.

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

LMAO.  It's not that, but it was the first "room" I "did" and as weird as this sounds, I'm really attached to my bedroom.  It's weird to describe but all my preteen and teenage memories, good and bad, are all wrapped up in that room.  When ever I spend the night at my parents, I feel all warm and fuzzy.

Can I ask how much your renovations/redecorations cost over the years? If you'd rather keep it private, I understand. I'd just love to take up a similar project one day, and I'm just wondering what I'd be looking at.

 

Of course, I'd have to buy my own apartment/house first. :)

right around 40k

Damn those pictures look nice!  They need to do a photo shoot of your place for the Shaker Heights magazine. 

Damn those pictures look nice!  They need to do a photo shoot of your place for the Shaker Heights magazine. 

 

Thanks, but they are old pics.  Also, I don't live in Shaker Heights.  :wink:  See my Avatar.  he he he he.

Damn those pictures look nice! They need to do a photo shoot of your place for the Shaker Heights magazine.

 

Thanks, but they are old pics. Also, I don't live in Shaker Heights. :wink: See my Avatar. he he he he.

 

Yeah, I know, but sometimes the magazine articles venture over to the Square. :-P

I think those are homes in the Ludlow (South of the square) or Boulevard (East and North) sections of Shaker, which wrap around Shaker Square.

Cleveland Magazine then  :-P

Wow, look at those wonderful red ceilings and stylin' wood paneling!!!  Damn dude, glad you had patience and didn't go hayward-style and take a sledge hammer to it all.

Wow, look at those wonderful red ceilings and stylin' wood paneling!!!  Damn dude, glad you had patience and didn't go hayward-style and take a sledge hammer to it all.

 

Trust me, a lot has changed the entire rear-eastern section of my apartment was reconfigured.  We ripped out a lot of walls.  As you can see from the plans below. They aren't to scale.

 

The original kitchen lost 3 feet, the original laundry room lost 2.5 feet, the bathroom was moved next to the laundry room (and uses the existing pluming) and enlarge by 5 feet and one of the maids rooms turned into the closet and the other and extra room, which was initially was the nursery, then a workout room and now my office. 

 

I've hidden a 4" sash in the wall, opposite the bathroom and my office so that in the event I would need to sell, a pocket door can be added so the closet, which is now on the outside of the room, will then be on the inside of the room, making it a true four bedroom.

 

 

 

to this (a window is missing):

 

Nice house MTS. I really like the dining room! Cool lighting effect.

Nice house MTS. I really like the dining room! Cool lighting effect.

 

Thanks.

Pretty amazing place, MTS! Just looking at the photos is a visual feast.

 

I'm pretty good on the technical/mechanical end of projects, but if I wanted to design something like that I wouldn't know where to begin.

 

Show me some piece of construction, and it's likely I can replicate it or fix it if it's broken, and I can appreciate someone else's creativity, but don't ask me to come up with a design or theme.

Don't drink.. whoaaaaa..

yes, It helps me stay young

wait... I drink to stay young...

You need to go shopping with me!!!! I terrible at just putting random things together. It seems like everytime i TRY to do it, it just ends up looking like a garage sale exlpoded in my house!!! LOL

 

You just gotta know where to "shop".  Older and historical neighborhoods that haven't gentrified are the best places to find items.  Rich neighborhoods are salso great places to find stuff as they tend to throw out items they think they don't need or think is no longer in need, or put stuff out in yard sales that they should be keeping!

 

Pretty amazing place, MTS! Just looking at the photos is a visual feast.

 

I'm pretty good on the technical/mechanical end of projects, but if I wanted to design something like that I wouldn't know where to begin.

 

Show me some piece of construction, and it's likely I can replicate it or fix it if it's broken, and I can appreciate someone else's creativity, but don't ask me to come up with a design or theme.

 

Thanks.  I've always like finding stuff.  I can't draw or put in my head I can see things and can explain how I would like them place.  Sometimes it better to design and grow as I say.  Some people try to put everything together at one time instead of adding over time.

 

I always loved shop class, building, construction stuff and power tools!  :laugh:  I think once you start designing, you can just go.  There is nothing wrong with a lil trial an error?  Right??

 

wait... I drink to stay young...

Lawd!

 

 

Quote: The rebuilding, renovating and redecorating is "therapeutic" for me. 

 

Amen.

Great work MTS.

 

I don't know how I missed this thread when you started it.

I like your place both before and after the remodel. I probably would have left it alone because I'm  cheap and and like cheesy stuff. But you did a tasteful, classy job -- I'm real picky because I think a lot of times these days, people make their houses look worse when they remodel.

awwww.  Thanks again kids!