Doing Some Upgrades
@BelleStarr (61047)
United States
March 15, 2017 8:46am CST
Our home here in Florida is in pretty good shape overall but there are a few things that have been bugging e since we bought it almost 4 years ago. This week, we took care of a few of the issues.
I had the disposal removed from our kitchen sink, I don't use it and didn't want it. I am so happy it is gone. I also wanted a new sink and faucets in our master bath and a new shower head. We had the plumber come in and take care if it for us.
I also replaced the handles on the vanity. Next year I will paint the vanity and replace the hinges. It has taken a while but I am making this home my own.
I already have a list of things I will do next year. Last year I made over the dining room. Little by little, it is feeling more like home.
23 people like this
24 responses
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
15 Mar 17
@BelleStarr Such things do prey on your mind once you have noticed.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
15 Mar 17
It is and the sink had been bugging me since we bought the house. We tried to repair it but it looked worse as far as I was concerned. lol
3 people like this
@Happy2BeMe (99399)
• Canada
15 Mar 17
That is great. Slowly it is all coming together!
2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
15 Mar 17
Yes I am starting to feel very much at home here. lol I was so excited to get the new sink and faucet lol Doesn't take too much to excite me.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
15 Mar 17
You said you are in Florida but your profile say Portland, Connecticut. Do you have two homes? I bet you will love it when you get all you want to do done, huh?
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
16 Mar 17
@BelleStarr .....That's wonderful. It would be nice to have several homes to travel around to during the year. Keeping up on them must be fun.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
@celticeagle Honestly it is a lot of work, imagine three electric bills, three insurance payments, three sets of taxes but we do enjoy all of them. They are not fancy, just homey.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
Yes, actually we have three, a lake home in Pennsylvania, our home we have had for the last 44 years in Portland and our winter home in Florida. My husband has Parkinson's and he is very sensitive to the cold so we bring him to the warm lol And yes, I have been very patient and not spent too much money and just do a few things at a time. Next winter I have a few other things lined up.
1 person likes this
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
16 Mar 17
I'm recently doing some much need improvements on my house too.. It's a pain I have hired someone and will be happy when they are done. it is all on the outside and they haven't been able to finish since winter hit. ( I am in CT too) patiently waiting on good weather to complete repairs to my chimney, front porch and finish painting. They were able to complete a back deck before the cold set in and most of the painting.. trim is still needed and touch ups.. but I'm afraid even after they are done there is still so much to update inside I will never be finished.
1 person likes this
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
17 Mar 17
@BelleStarr That's awesome. I need to replace my walls... I am in an old home over 100 years old and the plaster walls are crumbling.. I need to teach myself to drywall... and I need to do something with my floors. I have cheap old tiles that are in dire need of being replaced too.. I just am not sure what to put down.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
17 Mar 17
@minx267 Be careful with the tiles, depending on how old they are there can be asbestos and that needs to be remediated it disturbed. Better to go right over the and not mess with them. Sorry don't mean to sound bossy lol
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
It is never finished when you own a home lol I need a new deck and I want to upgrade my kitchen and bathrooms and floors at our Portland home. I will do some of them this year but I am not exactly sure which. My sons can build me a new deck and one of my sons is great at installing wood floors and has been dying to have at mine for a few years. lol
1 person likes this
@rebelann (111164)
• El Paso, Texas
15 Mar 17
Well, maybe one day your kids will want to live there @BelleStarr
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
@rebelann I am hoping that all of them will eventually be able to use it during the winter.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
15 Mar 17
No never, our children and grandkids and friends are all back up north in Connecticut. but we do love this home/
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
16 Mar 17
I don't have a disposal and I'm glad...every time I used one I broke it. We just replaced the bathroom counter/sinks/faucets and it looks like a brand new room.. It's fun making changes. We have the sinks for sale on FB and I just got an inquiry this morning about them....it would be nice to recoup a few bucks.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
I would have loved to replace the counter top but that would have lead to other issues. At some point in the future I will gut the master bath but for now, this made me very happy. Our sink was starting to rust so it was no possible to sell it. Honestly, I never sell anything anyway, I would have donated it to Habitat for Humanity if it was in good shape but I hope you get yours sold asap.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
@AbbyGreenhill I don't blame you I am just too lazy to sell things, I use them as a tax write-off and let it go at that lol And about the disposal, I put in egg shells last year, nuff said!! That killed it.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
16 Mar 17
@BelleStarr We donated more than our share to Habitat over the years - a brand new stove one year...so I like to get a few bucks for us now.
2 people like this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
16 Mar 17
A home is a place where there is no end to what its demands could be. But the happiness is when we give in.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
Yes it certainly is and I smile every time I look at my new sink!!
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
Yes, I didn't want to do anything while we were still renting it out to others, now we are the only ones who stay here.
1 person likes this
@epiffanie (11326)
• Australia
16 Mar 17
We love renovating .. it's best feeling when it's all done ..
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
So far I have done mostly cosmetic things so no tearing out or down has been involved.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
15 Mar 17
Yes we are getting there. A couple more years and it will feel like mine
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
16 Mar 17
I'm glad you've managed to get these jobs done, some times the 'little 'rhings...make a big difference
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
17 Mar 17
This really did to me, I am delighted with the results.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
19 Mar 17
Yes and it makes me smile every time I look at the new sink, lol I am pretty easy to please
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
Exactly and what you can live with and what you can't lol
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
lol That will be a long way down the road since this house was completely furnished when we bought it and most of the furniture is too good to just change, I am too frugal lol So I add new pictures, bedspreads etc to make it mine.
1 person likes this
@CRK109 (14558)
• United States
16 Mar 17
@BelleStarr It still sounds wonderful to me. Britt and I had done similar things when we'd taken over Mom's house. Most of the furniture had been hers, but we managed to put enough of our own touches into the house so that it began to feel like ours.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
16 Mar 17
The man that did this for us was so reasonable I am tempted to have him do the other bathroom too!!
@Tampa_girl7 (48929)
• United States
15 Mar 17
I really enjoy doing all the little things that make my home my own.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
19 Mar 17
Yes me too, it feels more like home every time we come down here.
@MarshaMusselman (38652)
• Midland, Michigan
16 Mar 17
It's nice to be able to get at those types of things. We just put a disposal in as ours quit working last fall. We replaced our stove several years ago. One thing that is still waiting on me is the painting of my dinette/kitchen area. I began it almost ten years ago and never finished because that's when my husbands went into the hospital for the first time and i had to take over the running of the business completely. The ceiling is half white and half aqua, the walls are white in my area but it needs another coat to completely cover up the aqua. Maybe when I retire I'll have the energy to finish all of that.
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
15 Mar 17
I just did a few things too but nothing like a sink. I put on a new toilet seat and hung new mini blinds. Upgrades? YES they were old and worn out.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
15 Mar 17
The sink only cost $32!!! Amazing isn't it. The faucet was almost twice as expensive lol
