It always seems like a good idea. I’ll watch some home improvement TV, I’ll read a book written by someone wearing flannel, & I’ll try & tackle the home improvement project myself. It usually ends up with me crying & a big hole left in the wall. There are several home improvement shows that bring in professional help for people who get stuck in DIY projects. I love to save money, but DIY isn’t always cheaper. It’s definitely more frustrating.

The secret is to find a construction company who takes pride in their work. I was just looking at txconstruct.com that specializes in Austin home renovations, they even worked on Fonda San Miguel.They’ve been in business since 1996 & were recently featured in Tribeza magazine. What I really like about this site is that they show all of their credentials right on their site. They are a member of AIA Austin & even the green building program. The site is very well designed, & easy to use. Best of all, they list their available services & I’m amazed at everything they can do. They can handle anything from window washing to room additions. Their portfolio is always stunning. One of the first rules of DIY projects is to know when you’re in over your head & you need the professionals.

Technorati : austin, construction, home+improvement, home+renovations, repairs, texas

A few years ago I had the brilliant ideas to faux finish the walls in the breakfast nook. This was the perfect solution because the walls didn’t have a lot of texture on them so this would be a fantastic way to add dimension to the room. I really wanted a stucco look. I just decided to jump in. I didn’t need a fancy sea sponge. I’d figure it out as I went along, how hard could it be?

Honestly, I’ve never really liked the research part that comes along with DIY projects. Since I didn’t read up about the project I used paint instead of glaze. I didn’t want to bother with a primer or base coat. I didn’t know to use two similar colors. I also never figured out that I should blend the colors together. So I basically slapped dark green paint on top of taupe paint using a plastic bag. It took a very long time. The result was that the walls looked moldy. That paint treatment lasted for less than a week before I painted over it. I’ve been scared of faux finshes ever since because I just don’t think that I can do them correctly.

This is why doityourself.com is such a great site. They have tips on everything from outdoor woodworking to decorative painting. It’s really one of the most extensive DIY sites that I’ve seen. There are even helpful DVD’s that really could’ve saved several of my home project disasters. I especially like the fact that the site even has forums with categories such as auto, plumbing, gardening & everything in between. The site is easy to use & even makes the research aspect of DIY projects painless & fun. So my advice to anyone embarking on a DIY project is knowledge is power. Learn as much as you can before you ever start because if you’re like me, you won’t just pick it up as you go along.

Technorati : decorating, diy, faux+finish, paint

I’ve known for awhile now that duvet covers were an excellent way to change the look of a room for not a lot of money. However, for some reason I’ve been scared of all things duvet. I was very adamant on this stance until I accidentally got pen ink on my $200 down comforter. Then I decided it was time to overcome my fear of trying to put a cover on a king size duvet by myself. I’m a princess though, how hard could it be? Here are some steps to put on a duvet cover the Sarakastic way.

1. Forgo ironing. No one will notice the wrinkles, besides the fact that ironing is not fun.

2. Try to scrunch up the duvet.

3. Invent new swear words. Repeat.

4. Decide that it will be easier to just tear a bigger hole in the duvet cover & then duct tape it back together.

Technorati : diy, duvet, home, housekeeping, humor

I have seen a lot of TV decorating shows that inspire questions like, “Can I paint tile?” or “Can I paint carpet?” Yes, you probably can. Should you? Absolutely not. It’s just that in the DIY world, flooring can seem like one of the most intimidating changes. However, it’s usually the change that can make the biggest impact on a room. Instead of trying to work around something you hate, it often saves time & money to just do things right & go with your first choice in materials but save money on labor.

Hardwood floors have made quite a comeback in popularity, & quite frankly, I want them in my house. There are types of flooring out there such as parquet that can be installed in a weekend. There are actually a lot of places that sell hardwood flooring at prices you can’t believe. The trick is actually learning how to install them yourself.

Such a project can seem overwhelming if you don’t know what you are doing. I watch the commercials of people installing hardwood floors & I know that it’s not that easy. I was looking at Doityourself.com today & was very happy to see all of their instructional DIY DVDs. The clips I watched covered problems that might arise in DIY projects such as, what if your floors aren’t level? I love how comprehensive these DVDs are, & the price is really reasonable. Plus, you can choose from several DIY projects such as installing hardwood floors or even building a garage. The DVDs seem to be really straightforward & are filled with problems that might occur & solutions to them so there aren’t any nasty DIY surprises in your projects.

I’ve tried all the shortcuts to get out of replacing flooring. This was because I was scared to tackle such a big project & I thought it would be too expensive. Instead, I tried cheap fixes that took up a lot of time & didn’t look very good. Like they say, knowledge is power. DIY projects don’t have to be intimidating if you have the right information & tools. They can even be fun. Be sure & Visit DoItYourself.com for more and buy the DVD.

Technorati : diy, do+it+yourself, home+improvement, home+projects