Not-So-Free

When I began this project almost two years ago, I dreamed of doing this entire project for free.  I know - a crazy dream!  Can you really take a framed, stubbed half bath and expand it to a full bathroom and finish the entire thing for free?  Maybe!

Okay, maybe not, but we are trying!  I figured there were a few things I would never find for free on Craigslist.  Nobody is really going to give away copper tubing and fittings, right?  After all, thieves will pull the wires from houses under construction, strip the insulation and sell the copper!

At this point in the project, I just need to get it done.  I can't wait around for free stuff to show up on CraigsList.  So I am pretty much buying what I need at each step.  Later today I will buy 14 2X4s and 6 bags of QuikCrete for the floor.  It is okay, though!  It is time to get the project done!  I will keep looking for deals for what I need, but I will also buy what I need at the time.

So here is a financial update on this project, having just completed one stage.

Building Permit:  $231.00

Cutting the floor to plumb the shower drain:  $7.20  Thanks to my friend Brett, all I had to buy was some plastic drop cloths to cover the vents, washing machine, furnace, etc.

Shower drain supplies:  $97.88 (I bought some 2" ABS pipe at the Habitat ReStore to vent the drain, and since I am not using it, I am hoping to re-sell it on CraigsList.  Hopefully that will bring this price down.)

Water lines supplies:  ?  (I just bought some copper tubing and fittings today for about $80, and I hope to return some of it, so we will see...)

So as of now this project has cost me $275, including the permit, but not including the water line supplies.

Maybe I should have called this the one thousand dollar bathroom project! 

I Bought Some Lighting!

If you read the title, you may be wondering if I am giving up on the free part of this free bathroom project.  Not really, but just kind-of, sort-of.  You may remember that I sold a few items that I originally obatined for free and then decided not to use.  For instance, that white 6 panel door- sold it off for $10.  So before purchasing these lights, I was up $47.  Now I am down to $32.  For all you math geniuses, I spent $15.

But I got 3 lights!  And that is probably all I will need in this small bathroom.

Here is the story.  I have been searching hard for lighting!  Vanity lighting, recessed lighting, track lighting, natural lighting, or you name it.  For a while I thought I would have to settle for flashlights!  When it comes to lighting, there is not much of Craigslist.  And what there is leaves much to be desired.  Not that I am complaining about free, mind you.  But remember rule #2- this bathroom has to be visually appealing.  No avocado green toilets, no glitter-infused clamshell sinks, and no yellow brass chandeliers!

After having no luck finding lighting, I saw a listing for some items removed from someone else's bathroom renovation.  Those items included 2 recessed "can" lights and a vanity light that sits above the mirror.  I offered him $5 each- or $15 for all of it. Now they are mine!  Here is one place the spray paint comes in.  When done correctly, spray paint can add a quick, evenly-covered coat of bright paint over rusty tin, such as the baffle of a recessed light.  Good as new!

Lighting is really important in bathrooms.  Many bathrooms feature small square footage and small windows.  The result- a dark, claustrophobic bathroom.  In my project, the bathroom will have no outside windows and will only have seven foot ceilings (neither by my choice).  I need to do everythign I can to make the bathroom feel spacious!  That means I will need lots of light and lots of bright, fresh colors on the walls, floors and ceiling!  For this reason I will most likely wire all three lights to the one wall switch so that when you walk in and turn on the lights you are flooded with lots of light!

Paint: To Antique the Vanity?

I was at home.  The location listing on Craigslist showed Belton- our sister city (and arch-rival!).  I knew I might need some more paint to complete this bathroom project.  The picture also showed a can of white spray paint- and I have a very specific need for some of that!  So I loaded the kids in the van, drove a whopping 3 miles and received a load of used paint from a guy who was cleaning out his garage.

Of course, it was a hot day, and as he kept himself busy cleaning out his garage, his young kids were playing in the sprinkler in the yard.  That inspired my two kids, and before I could get the paint out of the back of the van, our sprinkler was dispensing water to the giggly delight of Olivia and Easton.

Seriously, though, I found in the pile of paint a nice surprise: a couple of cans of antique paint.  You know, the kind you use to make new stuff look like old stuff.  Erica has been consdering painting my beautiful vanity black to add some pop to the bathroom.  At first I was cool to the idea, but the more I think about it, the better it sounds.  How about a black vanity, antiqued and distressed?

Below is a sample picture of a new, made-for-retail vanity, with a distressed-black color.  The color scheme would then be:  black vanity, white sink, toilet shower base and wall tiles, and earth-tone tile on the floor.  Any thoughts?

Source:  www.homeportfolio.com

The Long Awaited Bathroom Update: A Shower Faucet

Has it really been two and a half months since I posted the last update?  Wow!  Sorry about that!  Honestly, the progress has been slow.  There are a few reasons, and about eight million excuses.  First of all, Craigslist made some changes and shut down a couple of my favorite search-assistance programs (more on that later).  Second, I am down to a small list of items that I need, so my searching is very specific these days.  Third, I have been crazy busy with church activities, family vacations, family fun, etc.  Finally, we have experienced the hottest Kansas City summer in sixty years.  So basically, if I wasn't running somewhere with my family, I was sitting on the couch in the air conditioning.

I have wondered if anyone other than a few local friends follow my progress.  I was pleased to hear from an old friend that he enjoys reading the updates in this crazy project.  So I will keep writing!

What treasure might a small box hold?

My first find of the summer was a big one!  Actually, the packaging was rather small.  An offer on Craigslist for a small box of plumbing parts containing the guts of a bathroom update.  The picture showed a shower faucet valve and knobs.  After several emails and attempts to connect, I finally piled the kids in the car, drove for what seemed like forever, and found the house with the small box of plumbing parts sitting on the front porch.

When I got home and opened the little potential-treasure box, voila a shower faucet, complete with the rough-in valve housing, valve stems, knobs, shower head, arm, and plenty of flanges.  From a quick online search, it seems that these kits start at $80 at the local big box home improvement store.

From top: Shower head and arm, valve housing, knobs, flanges

This was another one of those really specific items that I wondered how long I would have to wait to find!

I sold the 6 panel door

Sometimes this project seems very tedious.  But whenever I feel that way, I remember that a project like this will often feel tedious.  This is more than just a home remodeling project.  It is a challenge to see if I can really complete it at no cost.  But that comes at a price, too, although maybe not of  a monetary nature.  Sometimes I drive a few more miles that is realistic to get something not all that great, but needed for this project, nonetheless.

So here is an example of tediousness.  Remember that white 6 panel door that I drove way to far to get, only to be stood up?  Well, I eventually received it.  A few more doors later, and I now have at least two others that will match the rest of the doors in my house.  So I listed the six panel door on Craigslist.  But really,  not for much less than you could buy a new one.  And a month or so later.... a call from someone who wanted to buy it.

So, the door is out of my basement, and I have a little more cash to buy the few items I can't find for free.

We are getting there....slowly but surely.

Remember that weird sink? I sold it!

A few months ago, in a fit of worry, concerned that the Craigslist free page might never present a sink manufactured within the last four decades, I bought one at auction.  It was wide, with the sink on one end. I knew it was too wide for my bathroom project, but I thought I might cut it or otherwise make it work.  Then I picked it up and realized it was even bigger, and much heavier, than I had imagined!  Every time I saw it sitting on my garage floor I would mutter something in its direction.  No curse words.  Usually something like, "Why did I buy that stupid sink?"

I finally cleaned it up and listed it on the materials page on Craigslist.  I knew it was an odd item and might never sell.  But hey, one way to guarantee it won't sell is to never list it, right?

Then I received an email last week.  Someone was asking about it!  Basically they were asking if it could be used to replace a double sink.  I had never thought of it, but yes!  It would work great to remove the double sink featuring gold glitter from one's 1978 bathroom and put my sink in its place.  It would update the bathroom, as well as add some counter space!

I also listed in the ad that I would deliver the item, for free, to anywhere within 10 miles of my city.  I have found that putting "free delivery" in the listing line of a Craigslist ad is a great way to get your ad noticed.  Sinks are a great example.  There are probably 100 sinks listed every week.  Adding "free delivery" makes my listing stand out.







And lucky for me, it worked.  Someone called, bought the sink, and I delivered it to their grandmother's house about 1 mile away!  The sink is gone, and I have $20!

My First Freebie: A Throne!

I have not yet finalized a design for the bathroom, but I have started collecting some pieces!  The first piece, and how appropriate: a white toilet. Yes, I started with a toilet, but it was ivory.  And you don't mix white and ivory pieces in a small room!  Having a white toilet allows me to go work with whatever I can find of the harder to find items- a shower or toilet.

I grabbed this a couple of weeks ago, before I went public with this project.  I had been scouring my favorite place on Craigslist-the free page- looking for items.  There it was . . . the magic throne . . . Okay, that's a bit weird, but I responded and it was offered to me.  But it was on the north side of the metro, and I live on the south side.

I justified the 50 mile round trip because there was another listing nearby for several free household renovation items.  Unfortunately, that listing featured several items set out in front of the guy's garage: first come, first served!  The first lesson you learn from Craigslist is that if an item is sitting in front of someone's house, first-come-first-served, it will be gone within 1 hour if it is at all desirable.  In my case, I showed up 3 hours after the listing posted and it was all gone!  In the end, I drove 50 miles for a white toilet!

My first piece of advice for getting free stuff on Craigslist:  respond to ads quickly, tell them the earliest available time at which you could pick up their item, assure them that you will be there on time, and ask them to hold the item until you get there.  Then make sure you show up on time!  Most people who put free items on Craigslist learn quickly that humans are liars as they endure no-show after no-show.  Eventually they toss their items in the driveway, list their address, proclaim first-come-first-served, and conveniently leave out their phone number and email address.  

Luckily, my toilet donor left the porcelain throne on his front porch before leaving for work.  I showed up, as promised, and now I am good for toilets!

Welcome to My Free Bathroom

I want a bathroom . . . for free.  No, I am not a bank, so I am not depending on a bailout.  And since home sales are at record lows, and cash for clunkers didn't save us from a recession, I am not waiting on money for makeovers.  But I still want a new bathroom.

The finished portion of my basement features a living area and a playroom that also doubles as a guest  bedroom.  Unfortunately, the nearest bathroom is up one flight of stairs, and the main bathroom with a shower is up two flights of stairs.  I want to finish our basement bathroom and include a shower to make it easier on our guests.

Remodeling projects, however, cost money.  I do most of my work myself, but still I almost always underestimate the price of all the materials I will need, which is only discovered halfway through the project when there is dust all over the house, and pushing pause is not an option.

But while cost estimating isn't my strong suit, getting stuff for free is!  I am the king of the craigslist.org free page.  I have equipped my house and our church with free televisions, a Bose theater system, furniture, computer equipment, and more.  And if I can't get it for free, I almost never pay full retail! I just know how and where to get good deals!

I am now embarking on my biggest project.  I want to finish my basement for free!  That's right- no cost.  Nothing!  No dough!  It will take a while, but with great patience, a good plan, and all of my tricks I have discovered along the way, I believe I can get all the materials I will  need for this basement at a net cost of $0.00!

Will you join me in this project?  Along the way I will share with you not only my progress, but my tips and tricks to get stuff at low or no cost!