Send us your home improvement or makeover project



And you stand a chance to win the ultimate DIY product hamper courtesy of  Bosch and Prominent Paints to the value of R5000 will ensure that you are ready to tackle any project in your home!

To enter
All you have to do is send us a before and after image/s of your project (you can send as many images as you wish). Entries can be emailed to home-dzine@iburst.co.za. Be sure to provide your full name, daytime contact details, cellphone number and physical address. Entries should include a detailed summary of the project and/or improvement, as well as a breakdown of the cost.

The competition closes on 30 November 2010 and the winner will be notified by email. Now that's a Chrismas present to be excited about!

 

Theo Swart - Pinelands

My daughters each wanted a bedroom dresser with the following requirements: “Plenty of drawers, a tilting centre mirror and swivelling side mirrors.” The dimensions also had to be specific to the space where they wanted it positioned in the room so this had to be a diy project. I had done some bics before but only with chipboard so this was my first project with solid wood. Most the hardware was bought at BWH and to save on the project I did most of the wood cutting myself.

 



There were a few firsts for me on this project and as always new learnings. Where repetitive measurement for joining, drilling and cutting was required I made templates. This saved time and cut down on potential errors. (considering I had 32 holes to drill for the legs and 72 holes to cut for the biscuits).



 

I started with the carcasses for the drawers and it was the first time I used a biscuit joint maker (wow, what a handy tool). The fitting of the drawer runners and assembling of the drawers came next.

 

 

 

 

I have always struggled to line up my drawer fronts and had tried to avoid making drawers in the past. I had no other option with this project so I came up with the idea to drill a 10mm hole in the backing wood and use a 20mm washer with the screw. That way I could easily move the drawer fronts and align them accurately. The handles and legs were fitted next and the 3 units with drawers were complete.

 

 

The making of the stools and cushion was an adventure and this was the first time I used a staple gun (always wanted one of these but never had an excuse to buy one!) The stools are on castors which are fitted in such a manner to give the effect of a floating stool. The cushion lid lifts up which gives extra packing space in the stool. It was also my first attempt at “upholstering” when I covered the sponges for the stools. (and I realised I have plenty of room for improvement!)

 



Fitting the top was the easiest part of the project and this just left the mirrors. I made the frames and then had the mirrors cut to fit. I used a level when attaching the mirror post and mirrors to the desk to ensure everything is square which allows the mirrors to tilt and swing effectively. I also learnt that there are special hinges available for the tilting mirror and special interlocking hinges with serrated teeth for the swiveling side mirrors.

I painted the parts before assembling and fitting handles and the mirrors. I initially thought the finish would require a special painting technique but the knowledgeable folk at BWH recommended a product that simply paints on.

Cost of the project:
Wood R 890
Chips / biscuits R 23
Drawer runners R 180
Edging R 20
Handles R 112
Mirrors R 180
Hinges / brackets / screws etc. R 110
Sponge and fabric R 52
Paint R 48
Total cost: R 1 615
(The cost for the Staple Gun is not included as this is a tool that I will use for future projects.)

Pria Paruman - Johannesburg

 

My sister is a missionary working for Campus Crusade. As you can imagine, being a missionary does not allow for fancy places and furniture. I chose to surprise my sister with a flat makeover. She rented a 2 room flat from fellow missionaries, which was very basic and being away all the time, she had no space for her things.

I decided to make her a concertina room screen/partition, which could hold pictures of her family and close friends. For this project...

1. I bought chipbiard from Builders Warehouse - R600.
2. The wood paint and paintbrushes - R200.
3. Screws and hinges worked out to - R50.
4. Glass for the frames - R30.
5. Wood filler - R50.



Here's how:
· I used a tape measure to work out where the frames should go on the screen.
· I used a router to cut out a slot where the glass could sit
· After all the frames where cut, I painted the boards.
· Placed in the glass and glued in place.
· Then fitted the hinges on.

The rooms had to be painted and arranged to be neater for her, which cost an additional R300.

 

 

Storm Roestorff - Mindalore

 

We re-did our fireplace. The wall was covered with wood panels and stone.

The left side protruded from the rest of the fireplace, so we bricked up the centre to make the other side level.

We also plastered the wall and painted the it with Plascon Suded in Buckskin.

 

The fireplace is now a feature wall on our living room.

 

Total Cost +/- R1500

 

 

 

ABOVE: I chose a light and airy green for the front facade (Plascon Cape Moss), and a more subdued brownish grey for the back yard (Plascon Soldier).

Claire Warneke - Port Elizabeth

In January 2010, my husband, Andrew and I bought our first house. We had sold our small flat, and we used our profits (about R40 000) to make-over our little house. As new homeowners, we were surprised to see how much stuff like this costs! Plus, we invested quite heavily into some burglar proofing and fencing, as my husband is a musician and is often out late or away from town. The house was in a terrible state of disrepair - but we bought it for a bargain in an up-and-coming area in Port Elizabeth called Richmond Hill.

My dad's advice has always been: "Rather the 'wrong' house in the right area, than the 'right' house in the wrong area." Basically, we decided the area had a whole lot of potential and so we were prepared to spend a little bit on upgrading our home. The house had been rented for a number of years, and we only saw it twice before putting in our offer. When we first got the keys after transfer, we went through the house in a mild state of horror. There was a lot more that needed to be done than we thought! Haha. But I'm really passionate about design and decor, and I was sure that we could pull something together on a small budget. There were a number of "Needs to be done" that would take preference over "Would like to be done!"

 



Firstly, the carpeting. Our puppy thought that the carpets smelled 'delicious' - running from room to room, sniffing out each square inch. That was the sign that the carpets definitely needed replacing! We also ripped up the carpeting in the passage and lounge areas. We were hoping for some stunning, long-forgotten wooden floors underneath the 3 layers of dust-laden carpeting. We were horrified to find terrible borer-beetle damage, with some holes going straight through the floor. Exterminators were immediately called in and the entire house was flooded with poison. Three treatments were applied to ensure the beetles were completely destroyed. Fortunately the floors were still structurally sound, so we decided to lay good quality laminates on top of them to stick with the original character of the house. We actually got great advice on the different kinds of laminates from Builders Warehouse, which helped us choose which flooring would work best in the heavy-traffic passage.

 


The next challenge was paint. We decided to do the whole inside of the house white so that we could add colourful accents at a later stage. We chose a good quality, low gloss, and also painted some of the knotty pine ceilings. This helped to give a more open, airy feel, as the knotty pine was quite dark and dingy.

We couldn't afford to replace the kitchen cabinets, and they were in pretty decent condition, so we also painted them white and got new hardware for them. The difference was incredible! My mom even decided to buy the same handles for her kitchen. The high quality laminate flooring is extremely easy to clean (just a damp cloth and some dish washing liquid), and although I was slightly worried about having it in the kitchen, I'm extremely happy with it now.

 


The garden is now a work in progress. I'm hoping to have an 80% edible garden, and already have some basil, rosemary, potatoes, tomatoes, sage and butternut thriving in the newly composted flower bed. (according to our botanist friend who offered advice, the Builders Warehouse compost and grass toppings are the best, so we invested in a number of bags!) We also laid down some grass for our puppy to enjoy.



The teeny tiny bathroom is our next challenge. I would love to put down a concrete floor over the tiles - one with a stain and pattern in it. We are also saving up for this. But in the mean-time, we had the tiles re-grouted so that they looked nice and clean, and we put up some decent cabinetry and shelving. We also put up a shower nozzle so that the bath can double as a shower. There's not much else we could do in this small space, although I would love to increase the size of the window!

As you can see, this is something that I'm really passionate about, and I absolutely love coming home to my own creative expression everyday. The great thing is that there is still so much to do and so much to look forward to! Thanks so much for your newsletter, it's inspiring to read about make-overs and products that are actually available in SA.

 

Janice - You have done such a fantastic job so far and I am sure that your ongoing projects will be just as good. What started off as a "wrong house in the right neighbourhood" has turned into a home that will offer tremendous investment potential.

 

Mark Hughes - Modderfontein

Fantastic website! Every time one of your newsletters arrive in my mailbox I know I can kiss the next 30 minutes goodbye as I read through all the new articles :-)

Now onto my entry for the competition. I'm not sure if it qualifies, as its not a makeover in the true sense (more an addition than a renovation), but I'll let you be the judge.

We have a small flower bed with a fountain in it at the top of the driveway, right under an old apricot tree. My wife and I both love the sound of the flowing water but had to appreciate it from a distance as we couldn't afford to spend any money on a bench to put near the flowerbed. Then, one day, inspiration struck me - we had a pile of leftover paving bricks from when we paved the driveway a few years back, and I had saved a few planks from a wooden "pub bench" that had rotted away over time that we inherited from a family member. The result is a simple, yet perfectly functional bench that we now sit on, sipping on our sundowners, whilst we enjoy the sound of the babbling fountain. Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention!

Total cost: some sore muscles from lugging the pavers and a couple of splinters.

Janice: Great idea and a good way to show that DIY doesn't always have to cost money. With a bit of imagination you can create something unique from scrap and leftovers!

Willie Freund - Florida

I moved into a small apartment that I bought just over a year ago.  This apartment has a north facing balcony, but since I did not have any seating or even a table out there, I did not have much use for the balcony either.  With summer almost here again I started looking for something suitable to use out on the balcony but could not find anything that was of a suitable size or price (let’s just say that the plastic tables and chairs you get from the local supermarket did not exactly do it for me...).  After weeks of not finding anything suitable, I decided that the only remaining option would be to build a table and two benches myself.  I found the idea for this table in a book that I came across at the local bookstore and immediately my mind started making plans.  I eventually found suitable wood in the form of Saligna decking and all the other supplies needed at the local Builders Warehouse and the furniture started coming into life slowly but surely.  I started with putting together the legs and then built up the pieces from there upwards.  It certainly was a daunting process at first as I have never done something like this before, but three weekends later the final product was built, sanded and treated – and of course ready to host the first proper party out on the balcony!

Breakdown of the costs:
Wood R1900.00
Wood Screws R150.00
Wood Glue R40.00
Wood Treatment and Paint Brush R80.00  (half is still left though)
TOTAL R2170.00

Without having done the DIY Divas workshops that I have done so far, I certainly would not have had the skills and know-how to operate the power tools needed or the confidence to try and do a project like this.  I have found similar patio table sets being sold for prices two or even three times the cost of building it myself – and to let you in on a secret, this was way much more fun than buying something from a warehouse somewhere! In fact, this was so much fun that I am already making plans for a nice planter box and trellis to go with the new look of my balcony...

Melanie-Fern Hye - Kensington B

As you can see there has always been a rather awkward alcove in the corner of the bedroom. I think in the "old days" it was meant to be a dressing table, as there was a mirror at the back but it was so small I never used it for much else other than a dumping ground for cosmetics! I wanted to put new shelves in to make the space more useful, which also means I can move the current bookcase out the room to make it feel a bit bigger. 

I completed the project before I discovered the DIY Diva workshops, so I was rather pleased to find out that I had pretty much prepared everything correctly after I attended the wood finishing class! The trickiest part of the whole project was squeezing myself into the alcove to make sure I drilled the holes in straight for the screws, especially for the bottom shelf near the floor! 

I bought all the goods at Timbercity in Randburg. 

Breakdown of costs as follows:
Laminated Pine - R279
Pine cut for brackets - R26
Cutting charge - R50
1L Woodoc 25* Satin Floor Sealer - R112 (I bought the satin sealer to give it a bit of shine with not too much gloss. And I still have half the tub left over.)
20ml Woodoc Imbuia stain concentrate - R15
Screws & Tacks - R30
Total cost - R512

LEFT: Attach side supports to walls - use a tape measure to determine height and a spirit level. Drill holes into the wall and insert fischer wall plugs. Note: The hole needs to be slightly longer than the length of the wall plug. Pop the shelf onto the brackets and finish off the front with a piece of pine cut to length and thickness. Melanie has given her shelves a fairly chunky look.

Janice... Not sure why you used Woodoc 25 - you could have used an interior wood sealer such as Woodoc 5 or Woodoc 10. :?)

Sharon O'Regan - East Rand

Lounge makeover
The original knotty pine ceiling made the room very dark and old fashioned. I decided that it was time to paint the ceiling. I applied a primer and then two coats of ceiling paint. To get inbetween the grooves of the knotty pine I had to use a very small paintbrush, which proved to be quite a job! It was not necessary to use sandpaper as it was quite rough. I think if I had to do this job again I would buy the Bosch PFS spray system.

The existing kirsch curtain rails were removed and replaced, and I found this to be a fairly straightforward project, especially after attending a DIY Divas workshop on drilling into walls, etc.

The newly decorated lounge looks much brighter and more modern.

Bedroom makeover
In the bedroom the walls were painted to add character and colour, as it previously looked very bland. The original 70's wooden cupboard doors were painted in a cream colour to match the new bedroom decor.

LEFT: On the stairs leading to the bedrooms the original steel pole railings looked out of place in the newly decorated house and I decided to replace all these with wood to blend nicely. I found this fairly easy to do once you know how. Just have an extra pair of hands available to hold the pole for you!

 

 

Kitchen makeover
After the new kitchen had been installed, I took the decision to do the tiling myself as the contractor wanted to charge me a ridiculous price. The tiling was a pretty easy do-it-yourself proejct as I decided to go for small tiles and they were easy to cut - they have mesh at the back keeping them together. However, I did make the mistake of mixing too much grout at one time, as it dried quickly.

My new chalkboard is handy for reminders.


To enter
All you have to do is send us a before and after image/s of your project (you can send as many images as you wish). Entries can be emailed to home-dzine@iburst.co.za. Be sure to provide your full name, daytime contact details, cellphone number and physical address. Entries should include a detailed summary of the project and/or improvement, as well as a breakdown of the cost.


The competition closes on 30 November 2010 and the winner will be notified by email. Now that's a Chrismas present to be excited about!


Prizes cannot be amended, transferred, extended or exchanged for cash. The sponsors are responsible for fulfilment of the prizes and Home-Dzine is not responsible for problems or delays in delivery of prizes. By submitting images you agree to the use of those images on the Home-Dzine website or magazine.