Renovation Diary: Our Kitchen Was Featured on Sweeten!

Via Pixy Liao / Sweeten    

One nail-biting phase of this renovation happened in the planning phases, when I learned my go-to contractor who did my Brooklyn kitchen had moved out of the country and I was looking at starting from scratch, interviewing contractors and comparing bids (hoping to find a kindred soul). On my daily troll of home renovation blogs, I was following a site called Sweeten—a contractor matchmaking service—and I figured why not give it a try. I'm glad I did, because they matched me with the perfect contractor for this job. Fast forward about a year, and that very blog is now featuring my finished kitchen reveal!

Fixer Upper Friday: Spacious 2 BR in Jac Towers - $500k

Via Streeteasy

This week's Fixer Upper special is an expansive 2BR in Jac Towers, located just a stone's throw from the express train at 35-05 72nd Street, #4D in the Jackson Heights neighborhood of NYC. The exciting aspects about this handyman special are the size and light, given it's corner orientation, and asking price of $500k. Most importantly, the floorplan might allow a clever renovator to create a master ensuite, walk-in closet, and second bath. Such a renovation would immediately increase this home's value, as co-op apartments with two bedrooms and two baths in this neighborhood are going for upwards of $750k. So at the very least there is about $250k of instant equity on the line.

Renovation Diary: Yoga Mat Cabinet & Drawer Liners Hack

My first DIY project post kitchen renovation: Install cabinet liner in the cabinet boxes, drawers, shelves, and pantries. Liner padding is available from most cabinet manufacturers and comes in rolls of (usually) clear plastic that you cut to fit. I used it to line our flatware and utensil drawers and pantry shelves. But for pantry floors and, especially, deep drawers where we store heavy pots and pans, I prefer a thicker padding—yoga mats to the rescue.