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5 tips when remodeling


Renovating parts of a house (or the entire thing) is definitively a task full of surprises. For me, the accelerating feeling one gets when starting to see the space taking a new shape, is definitively a priceless moment. But it never goes as happy and smooth as one might think because the “Renovating Road” is sometimes full of unpleasant obstacles and lots of doubting paths.
Today I’m sharing with you 5 tips that helped me make this “Renovation” process a bit peaceful and a lot less stressful.
1.Make the waste count: When doing tile flooring, keep in mind that you have to add to the final square footage a 10%-15% of waste. This will help in the events of broken pieces or when making specific cuts. Also, you don’t want to find yourself needing an extra box of tiles if something breaks in the future. You’ll soon realize that either the color is completely different or they ran out of stock. So make that waste (overage) count!
2. Use Primer: Nowadays there is a vast variety of wall paints that come with primer. I know some of you might think that primers are not always a requirement, but I have to say that for me they make a painting job a lot easier and the color selected for that wall comes out beautifully.
3. Ask around: Social Media has grown to the point that you can almost find all your answers online. While planning on doing my hardwood floors, I suddenly found a dear Instagram friend who recently did hers. Since I had so many questions, I decided to write to her asking about this procedure and needless to say her information was incredibly beneficial.

4. Electric matter: If you are changing the lightbulbs throughout your home, try using LED bulbs instead of the regular incandescent ones. Although these are a bit on the pricier side, they will save you a couple of $ on the long run. Also, take the time to update the switch and outlet wall plates. Add this to your new colored walls, and your house will look like new.
5. From the inside out: We all want to show off the updates in our new home; and perhaps making an “Epcot-Center-type-of-garden” seems the first thing on the “to-do-list”. But keep in mind that budget plays a big role in how you move around while remodeling. First thing we did was the bathroom instead of the kitchen or any other part of the house (there is always pizza delivery!). This allowed us to move in quickly and to pay just for the mortgage and not for another month on the rental.
Hope these tips can come in handy if you are in middle of buying an old house and remodeling. Now, bring in the greens!

New home... First home

new home, home owners, first time home owners, fixer upper, curb appeal, 1938, miami, spanish influence
Although "Orange is the new Black", this 1938 home is about to have a change of color (among other things) .
At last and after all the search, investigation, and signing a dozen of documents... the house is finally ours!!! The last couple of weeks have been a bit nerve racking for us because if this was going to be our first home, we might as well select the one that fits our needs as a family of 5. We've been living in a rented apartment for 3 years now, so it was about time we made a huge change.

new home, home owners, first time home owners, fixer upper, curb appeal, 1938, miami, spanish influence
new home, home owners, first time home owners, fixer upper, curb appeal, 1938, miami, spanish influence
Love how small details around this structure speak of an era gone, but never forgotten. 
This process hasn't been easy since the realty around Miami has been escalating during the last year. But nevertheless we were fortunate enough to find the perfect home. Although this 1938 jewel needs some repairs, we can not deny it has an era charm on its little details.

new home, home owners, first time home owners, fixer upper, curb appeal, 1938, miami, spanish influence
Garden floor that screams help! A dark wood flooring that will soon have a "floor-lift" and my pride and joy, a mango tree!
Today I've decided to share with all of you some photos of our lovely nest which I hope will be taking a better form during the next couple of months. So, stay tuned and let the "Renovation Games" begin!

new home, home owners, first time home owners, fixer upper, curb appeal, 1938, miami, spanish influence
Wish I could figure these letters out! The details on this original 1938 fireplace mantel are astonishing.