Do Your Homework!

I've already discussed how a house can go from "ugh" to "wow" with just a little bit of work. But, some of you are probably still skeptical. My advice for you--do your homework!

My husband and I are pretty handy, but there were some projects we wanted to tackle that involved skills we didn't have. For instance, we wanted to redo the original hardwood floors but neither of us had ever redone floors before. Instead of skipping that project or hiring it out for more money than we could afford, we did our homework.

We went to the local library and checked out books about redoing floors, spent hours on the Internet researching different methods, and also used the people and resources available at home improvement stores like Home Depot, Lowes and Menards. After we had done the research, asked questions and had gotten all the right materials and supplies, we took a leap of faith and did it ourselves. And, the homework paid off! The floors came out beautifully and we had a sense of pride knowing we did it all ourselves.

Granted, not every project is going to turn out perfectly, but it never hurts to give it a try yourself first.

Lindsey