Design On A Dime, Part II: What Did I Get My Self Into???

Dirt, cat hair and rust; oh my! I got the keys to my new apartment the other day so let the work begin! All I can say is, “Wow!” I’m starting to wonder exactly what I have gotten my self into. First of all, this whole idea of “design on a dime” is completely thrown out the window. I’ve already spent over $200 on paint and supplies - and that’s just the beginning. Regardless, though, I’m still thrilled to have my own place, with no one to bother me, where I can just come home and do whatever I want; so in that respect it’s totally worth it.

Anyway, as you can see I have provided some lovely photos of what the place looks like right now and it’s not that pretty. I’ve started to rip up the carpet – that was the first order of business because why on earth would I hide parquet wood floors? However, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to do because it seems that there were some closets added to the living room and bed room which were built in over the carpet – great! It’s all good though, I’ve got my box razor, some good old elbow grease and a lot of determination - so that nasty carpet is coming out! To be honest, as soon as I started ripping it up the place already looked a million times better – so it’s definitely got potential. It just needs some major “TLC.”

So besides the carpet issue, the walls are quite cracked and dirty. So my next project is to scrub those suckers until they’re shining like the sun. See, the problem here is this: when I went to look at the place it was still full of furniture and the previous tenants’ belongings; so what I’m figuring is that although it looked like it needed a good scrub, the bigger problems were totally hidden. The cracks in the walls were covered with pictures, the hole in the dining room floor was masked with a table, the paint on the would-be beautiful floors in the bedroom was covered with carpet. So I’m less than amused about the fact that this is going to be a lot more work than I had anticipated. But looking on the bright side – it’s mine, all mine! So who cares, right?

Now, I really don’t want to gross you out; but I need to talk about the bathroom for just one minute here, because that’s the worst part of all. The tile isn’t that bad. Granted the sky blue tile isn’t my favorite, but I can deal with it. The grout, though, is in need of some long overdue attention. It’s not so much white anymore, but instead a grimy brown mixture of soap scum and dirt – yuck; and the tub? I don’t know if I even want to go there – its entirely filled with grit and grime from, probably years, of not really being cleaned – ick! No problem though, because I threw an entire bottle of bleach in there and have been letting it sit for about two days now – tonight is actually when I’m going to clean it out, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that it’s in good shape, otherwise all bets are off (either that, or I’m going to be requesting a whole new tub!) In addition to that, as if it could get any worse, the window in the shower has started to show some mold. Now, luckily the landlord is a good guy, and has agreed to replace the window as well as the entire top and bottom vanity and the knobs in the shower. He also let me rip down the mildew covered shower doors to replace them with a curtain – so that’s good.
Thankfully, he’s being honest about what needs to be fixed up and he’s doing the work that was agreed upon. I walked in to find a brand new stainless steel, digital stove and he’s been doing some electrical work, as well as replacing the carpet and tiling the entire hallway and stairs throughout the building. It seems that the entire place is being updated a bit so I’m happy as hell about that!
Other than that, things are pretty good. As I told you in the first part of this series, I’ve been super lucky to have such generous people in my life that have given me furniture, appliances, etc. which was such a major help, because if I had to buy all of that stuff on top of what I have to take out-of-pocket just to make the place livable, I’d be out a lot of friggin’ money.
So, here’s a word of advice to anyone looking to move out soon; look at everything! Inspect that place with a black light and a white glove and make sure that you negotiate within the lease arrangements to have whatever work needs to be done, done – before you move in! I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining or unhappy with my new home – because I’m not. I love it! All I’m saying is that I was a little naive, and I wish that I had known all of this beforehand.
So stay tuned for the last part of this riveting series, in which I’ll show you the finished product and hopefully be able to give you some tips on how to cut costs and still have a great looking place.