Should You DIY by Aileen Fish and Melinda Curtis

Are you a DIY-er? Do you watch all those DIY/home improvement shows and think, "I could do that?" Well, Aileen and Melinda are here to tell you it's not that easy. Feel free to learn from our experience.

The Projects:

Aileen's: Since the bathtub in the main bath had cracked, I needed to replace the tub. The surround had me worried because of holes in the "tile" panels, so I was afraid of water damage. I also wanted a toilet that flushed well, and the vanity was ugly, so why not replace it, and redo the floor too, while I was at it, right?

Melinda's: Remodel my daughter's bathroom, taking out wallpaper, the fit-for-2 tub and replacing it with a tub shower, as well as removing the 27" square shower (perfect size for pixies) and using that space for a 2nd bedroom closet. Also to be done were re-purposing the old vanity and "Mirror, mirror on the wall" medicine cabinet.

The War Stories...

Aileen:My budget was tight, and I knew I couldn't afford to pay for help. I recruited my older daughter and my younger daughter's husband to help with the heavier demolition and to get the new tub in place, as I knew what I could carry on my own. What I didn't anticipate is the state of mobile home plumbing. If I were to do it again I'd hire a plumber.




Melinda: Call us wimpy, but we called a plumber to take out the tub, shower, and lay new flooring. Mr. Curtis knows his limits and they edge right up to water pipes. Unfortunately, we didn't supervise this process and arrived to find several pipes from the shower - including hot/cold water shut-off valves - sticking out of the floor and wall. After multiple discussions late Friday night (which included brainstorming work-arounds like built-in shelving and awkward closet placement), we got brave and called the plumber who agreed to return to make things right gratis (yes, for free!).  Lesson learned: be clear with the help about the dimensions and placement of closets.

Aileen: I was a good Mom and bought leather gloves, safety glasses and face masks beforehand. That doesn't mean I remember to use them. In an ironic twist, while doing the demo, my daughter and I did a "demo" of why gloves are important. We both managed to catch part of our hands between the hammer and pry bar. Mine was with no gloves, hers was with gloves on. This, children, is why we wear safety apparatus when working with tools.

Melinda: We hadn't realized that wallpaper in mobile homes is part of the wallboard. When we started to paint, every fixture hole and staple holding the wall in place showed. I was devastated. Mr. Curtis was in his element, having grown up doing wall finishes. At 9 p.m. he produced a spray rig, hopper and drywall mud. The bathroom was textured by morning and ready to paint the next night. Meanwhile, I was busy painting the vanity and mirror a chocolaty brown. Between coats, my daughter's 18-pound cat rubbed against all surfaces, which required repainting. Lesson learned: know the materials you're working with and shut out the cat!

The Finished Product...

Aileen's:

Melinda's:

So what do you think? Are you up for a DIY project? If so, what would you tackle?

~*~

When she isn¹t imitating a home renovation expert, Aileen Fish is busy at work on the next book in her Small Town Sweethearts series.

When not wielding a paintbrush, Melinda Curtis is busy at work on her sweet Harmony Valley romance series.