Lowe's Home Improvement

I purchased my very first home back in 2005 in Lawrence, Kansas when I moved for a new position at GSK.  My first experience with home ownership was a brand new town home in one of my favorite places in the country and home of the University of Kansas, where in earlier years, I mostly skipped classes and was a connoisseur of local nightlife.  Now that I was older and more established, I decided against renting and dove head first into home ownership.  As I put a lot of savings into the down payment and closing costs, I wasn't in a cash position to pay for any major upgrades or professional painting other than allowing them to go ahead with the no additional cost builder's grade Navajo white.  Anxious to decorate and turn the boring white walls into something that would reflect my style, I began thinking of color schemes that I could paint myself.  How hard could painting the white walls a fun color really be?  Since I was now the decision maker and didn't have to worry about getting a deposit back, I was really looking forward to accomplishing do it yourself projects in my brand new home with just a paint brush, a hammer and a drill....and it wouldn't take long at all, right?

Wrong.  After painting the first of many walls which I found out was extremely porous not to mention textured, it was much harder and more time consuming that I originally thought.  I had already used one gallon of Behr paint in a light mocha and still had a significant amount of coverage and cutting in to do.  Actually, the wall paint looked fantastic and was exactly the color I was going for.... if you didn't look too close at the paint drips and the inconsistency due to lack of primer...The entry hall was next and I knew that I wanted Ralph Lauren Venetian Red. It was after three coats in this process that I realized I needed to do a little more research on the projects I was attempting as well as outweigh whether or not  the cost was really going to be less if I do it myself rather than hiring a professional. Even after the painting debacle of 2005, most of the time I am willing to run the risk of waiting to call in the reinforcements because I love making my home better through various projects by at least attempting to do in myself.

Since 2005, I have learned a few things along the way:
1. Projects that seem easy and may be fun at first may be time consuming and back breaking work.
2. Just because you can buy almost every material and all the supplies you would need to build a house from the ground up at Lowe's, doesn't mean you can actually build your own house!
3.  If you do start a project and get in over your head, there is always a professional that can do it in half the time and will ensure the work being done to your satisfaction....so demo and remodel away! You can call a contractor later.

Here are a few projects that I have worked on that ultimately ended up looking really good but you can see why there are paid experts to help out if things go south:

Half-Bath Remodel, North Carolina House

Time: 3 Weeks
Trips to Lowe's: 10
Total Cost: $1200
Contractor Quote: $1500 (materials and Labor)
Contractor Work:  $300
Chiropractor Appointments: Yes






Popcorn ceiling removal and painting entry hall ceiling, North Carolina House

Time: 4 days...planned to do the entire main floor.  Stopped after entry hall was completed.
Trips to Lowe's: 5
Total Cost: $500
Contractor Quote: $1000
Contractor Work: None
Chiropractor: Yes
*Note:  Don't start in a place that MUST be finished right away.  The entry hall was not the ideal place to begin this project.  Also, this is a project you quickly find out why contractors charge so much for labor.  Gravity seems to be a big part of why this is such a hard project to try the do it yourself method.

Switch plate replacement to satin nickel, Lawrence Kansas House

Time: 2 hours for 15 multi-layout plates
Trips to Home Depot: 2
Total Cost: $90
Contractor Quote: None
Contractor Work: None
Chiropractor: No






Paint main level of Lawrence Kansas House

Time: 5 days (before I gave up)
Trips to Home Depot: 6
Total Cost: $250
Contractor Quote: None
Contractor Work: $800 (to fix my work and complete kitchen, entry hall and master suite)
Chiropractor: Yes



Bathroom faucet updates, North Carolina House

Time: 3 hours
Trips to Lowe's: 4
Total Cost: $150
Contractor Quote: None
Contractor Work: None
Chiropractor: Yes






Refinish spare bedroom furniture from oak to platinum paint, Virginia Beach House

Time: 6 hours, about 18 to go
Trips to Lowe's: 2 so far, but return trips are inevitable
Total Cost: $190 so far
Contractor Quote: $2500, to paint and cut, fit and adhere mirror flat surfaces
Contractor Work: Not yet....keeping my fingers crossed
Chiropractor: There is a strong possibility




Replace shower head to luxury shower head, all 3 houses

Time: 15 minutes (if you read the directions)
Trips to Lowe's: 1
Total Cost: $50-$100
Contractor Quote: None
Contractor Work: None
Chiropractor: Only if you have a bad back anyway and have a standing appointment



Lowe's is always running fantastic sales and they have friendly and patient individuals that are there to ask copious questions and get recommendations from.  For bigger projects, although I do not do this often, it may be worth getting a Lowe's credit card because most of the time they will offer 0% interest for 12 months.  Not to mention the inevitable multiple trips per project to return and purchase additional supplies may be easier if you are using one credit card.  I always pay the card off as soon as I can to avoid back interest from being applied after your 12 month grace period.  This way, if you are not in a cash position to replace washer and dryer or have projects that far exceed your budgeted amount, you don't get into trouble.

Happy remodeling!

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