Frugal Home Improvement Projects

[AndersonGal]

~Describe some of your *Frugal Home Improvement Projects*.~ (I love to hear others ideas.)



Shelling a Shed:

There was a LARGE walk in cooler, used as a shed here when we bought the house. Being on the coast where everything rusts, it was looking pretty bad. So, I am "Shelling the Shed". With *tile grout* and beautiful shells found at the beach. It looks great so far!!!!!!

Note: This is not a project for those with hustle bustle lives. It is time consuming and will take forever to complete.

[cata5]

Ok I don't have any really frugal projects like that!

My frugal home improvement projects so far amount to buying items like a ceiling fan at a garage sale. ($5 )

BUT... I have seen MANY things for sale at garage sales that people bought too many of when they did some remodeling. This includes light switch plates, new paint, wallpaper,insulation, wall board, sinks (NEW!), faucets, vinyl flooring (enough for a hallway or small bathroom), light fixtures( many people replace perfectly good ones when moving into a new home), doors, and tons of nails, screws, and other hardware. I bought new drawer pulls for my daughter's dresser and many hooks good for closets or in the bathroom. I also found brand new sponges for sponge painting, paint rollers, a "wall art" kit, brackets and standards for shelves, and tons of baskets and organizing containers.
Church rummage sales have lots of remodeling supplies (usually used) really cheap.

If you are thinking of a big project, look in the classifieds. I have seen things cheap and sometimes free. Sometimes they want you to take it apart or just want it hauled away. These might include wood, fences, dirt or other landscaping items, and fixtures like tubs, sinks, etc.

Also, check with your city's recycling program. Ours offers supplies such as paint for free. These are things people drop off and are still usable. Of course, your choices and the quantities may or may not work for you.

[kat]

Our community also gives away paint. We have a once a year paint trade - but you don't have to give to take. This year I went & came home with 17 gallons of paint - 8 in a beautiful off white (perfect for mixing) and the other 9 in designer colors (blues, greens, yellow, orange, etc.) I've been painting the kids' rooms, my bathroom, the kitchen, etc. all for free. I figure I would have easily spent at least $250 for the paint at the home store (most was unopened from contractor's who had overpurchased for new homes in the area).

I'm also installing a backsplash in the kitchen. Instead of using $180 in tiles that cost about $0.50 each here, I'm breaking ceramic plates into pieces & then gluing them with grout on the walls. I found the perfect color at WalMart for $1.75 each - the total cost with grout will be around $25.00! (I saw this idea on "Trading Spaces" - there are lots of great frugal decorating ideas on that show!)

[AndersonGal]

You can always look for supplies when you MS.

[hootieman]

Well, my dad is always digging through peoples junk at the side of the road. He brings home lumber, tin, pipe and other things. We had a huge ugly pile in the back yard. We had a big garden then and lots of leaves from the many oak trees. I used alot of the scrap metal and wood to build a compost. It got the pile out of the back yard and I needed the compost for the garden. Leaves are free and make one of the best soil additives ever. You just have to let them rot down into leaf mold and you've got a dandy of an additive.