Condo renovation

I own a condo that my parents used to live in. Dad died and Mom moved to a retirement home and I want to sell the condo. I decided to renovate it to increase its value. In doing so I added some little woodworking touches that my LJ friends might find interesting.

The first picture just shows the kitchen with all new cabinets, countertop, sink and faucet. These are pre-made because I didn’t want to take the time to build them from scratch.

The second picture shows a light fixture that I made. The interior is from the old light fixture and I added the oak surround and a new piece of acrylic. It is intended to match the cabinets and it does so very nicely. Note – this project used about $25 in materials and an hour of labor. I could have purchased a whole new fixture just like this for $270 from the decorating center.

This condo is on the first floor of a 3 story building and has these ledges and window sills that were just drywall. The picture in not good but in the 3rd picture you can see that I covered the ledge and window sill with oak. It really improved the look.

In the 4th picture you see a woodworker’s touch. There was an unavoidable gap between the counter top and the pantry. That piece of 5/4 oak hides the gap nicely and fits perfectly around the curves of the countertop.

The 5th picture is of the bathroom with a new vanity. A piece of oak hides a gap here also.

The 6th picture is only added because I believe a well done plumbing project (that I did) is a thing of beauty.

As an FYI – About $4,500 in expense and 200 hours of labor (that I enjoyed) and I think I increased my market value by about $20,000.

Also note – - I have not been as active as normal on LJ for the past 4 weeks. Now you know why.

IT’S DONE!! IT’S DONE!! IT’S DONE!!!

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.