There are a lot of female home owners out there who, in an attempt to impress men, appear self sufficient, and so on, utter the statement ?I'm renovating my house/apartment!? But really what they mean is, ?I'm paying someone else to perform renovations on my home?. Hiring a general contractor is, ahem, not the same as actually doing the work yourself. However, these challenged women are not entirely to blame. In our society, a lot of girls just don't get the same exposure to renovation-related activities that boys do. In the spirit of getting your hands dirty, I present this guide for girls.



First of all, renovations are not easy, and they are not the sort of thing that can be entirely explained on paper, so the sad truth is you will need an actual experienced person to help you at least a little bit. But this is not to say the bulk of the work can not be done on your own. This person is there solely to provide occasional instruction, NOT to do the work for you. Finding someone willing to give up hours of their free time to provide help, answer questions, field frustrated phone calls and lift heavy stuff is not easy. A guilty ex-boyfriend works nicely. If you do not have anyone who can help you, you will have to postpone renovations and wait for the next article in this series, entitled ?How To Find Someone Who Can Help You Somewhat In Renovating Your Condo?.

Bathroom

The most notoriously disgusting room in the house. You are almost certain to get a good return on any money you invest in renovating your bathroom, providing you do a good, tasteful job.

Things you can do: Purchase new tile, sink, toilet, bathtub, faucets, light fixtures, mirror, storage. Tear down any existing tile. This can be done with a crowbar. Apply new tile. It really isn't hard. Paint any exposed walls and the door. Hang mirror. Install light fixtures. Assemble storage. A note on tile: I recommend getting tiles that are as large as possible. There are lots of neat small tiles out there, but the smaller the tile, the more grout, and grout is the weak link in any bathroom. It gets moldy and yellow and cracks. Which reminds me, try choosing a grout that is dark in color, not white. This will help to hide any mildew that might occur. For the floor, I suggest getting dark tiles because again, they will hide dirt.

Things the experienced helper must do: Remove bathtub, toilet, sink, faucets, storage. Install new bathtub, toilet, sink, storage.

Tip: Have the experienced helper assist you in planning your tiling project. Since he has experience, he can help you figure out which corner you should start in and give you other helpful tips.

Kitchen

The second most notoriously disgusting room in the house. Again, money invested in renovating your kitchen is generally well spent.

Things you can do: Purchase cabinets, hardware, appliances, counter, sink, faucet, flooring. Assemble cabinets. Attach hardware to cabinets. Install floor.

Things the experienced helper must do: Remove old cabinets, remove sink, install new cabinets, install new sink, install appliances.

Tips: Buy your cabinets from Ikea. You can't beat the combination of quality/price. Allot approximately 2 years to assemble the cabinets. Many of the large chain stores such as Lowes and Home Depot will haul away your old appliances for free when they deliver your new ones. Check on eBay for cheap 10% off coupons for these stores ? they can save you a lot of money if you are buying multiple items at once. Tile works great for a kitchen floor and you already know how to install it, since you worked on the bathroom portion of the project.

Other

Painting the walls and replacing cheap doors and fixtures, baseboards, trim, light fixtures, electric outlets, switches, and cover panels are some of the easiest things you can do yet make a big contribution to the renovation process.

Things you can do: Remove old baseboards and trim with a crowbar. Remove old light fixtures, electric outlets, switches, and cover panels. Install new baseboard and trim. Install new electric outlets, switches, and cover panels. Caulk new baseboard and trim so there are no gaps between the board and the walls. Paint. Install new fixtures in doors.

Things the experienced helper must do: Install new doors. Lend you the machine you use to cut the baseboards and trim.

Tips: Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT hard to do things like changing an old electrical socket for a new one. Just make sure you turn off the electricity before you touch anything, and copy what's already there. So in other words, notice where the wires USED to be, and duplicate it as you install your new hardware. Look online or in magazines to get ideas about paint colors and combinations. Solid wooden doors are not super expensive, and they are a lot classier than crappy old cheap ones.

A Note on Floors

Installing a new hardwood floor is not that complicated, but it is difficult. However, it can be done.

Things you can do: Purchase new floor, rip up old floor using crowbar, install new floor.

Things the experienced helper must do: Lend you the machine you use to cut your floor boards and the nail gun you use to nail down the floor. If it's a floating floor, a nail gun is not necessary. If you are installing over a concrete sub floor you will need to use glue, not nails.

Tip: Have the experienced helper assist you in planning the project. He can give you tips on what part of the room to start in and he can show you how to install the first few boards. Having your existing floor refinished is another option if a new floor sounds too drastic, and if you have carpet, well, replace it.

In conclusion

As you can see, there are many, many things an average girl can do by herself when renovating her home. Hopefully, this guide gave you an idea of what projects are reasonable to take on, and which ones will probably require an experienced helper. If you happen to be an ABOVE average girl ? if you have say, plumbing skills ? you can expect to accomplish even more of the projects on your own.