jonwow: Don't Dream It's Over

This is it, the home reno post we’ve all been waiting for. The house is 1,800 square foot and it’s maybe twenty-five years old, located in a quiet, very quiet, neighborhood in Rancho Bernardo. One of 2017's goals was to get this house done and with 90/10 effort by my mom and I, we did it! Okay, maybe 95/5.

It took from April 2017 until about September to go from empty house to new house. My mom was kind enough to take care of everything structurally and outside the house, leaving me to purchase all the items that went inside. Naturally I logged all of it—down to the toilet paper—so I could do a full accounting. I wanted to know how much it would cost to go from zero to full home. Prior to this, the only home related item I owned was a $20 white plastic toaster I used to carry around me with city by city.

Five months is a pretty fast renovation I guess, considering we ran into a bunch of problems, which is totally de rigeur. The original general contractor my mom used was sub-par, and he was soon replaced by a friend of her friend who literally worked six or seven days a week on the house. We completely re-did two bathrooms, put in engineered wood flooring, chopped the whole kitchen and put in a new island, painted everything of course, got custom window treatments and blinds, and then installed a new closet door in the guest bedroom. The only original pieces are probably the master closet door and the front door.

In-between we had to contend with foundation issues, a roof leak, and getting a new heating/cooling unit. There was also a thought to redo the plumbing but we passed on that. The original reno budget ballooned to easily 150% I’d say. And that’s without tearing down any walls—which I wanted to do originally—and touching of any interior structures.

Overall I kept to the philosophy that if something was coming in, it wasn’t going back out. I relied on Wirecutter for 90% of my findings, trusting their recommendations. Could I have spent less for more, probably. But I went with semi-quality and definitely splurged on some stupid stuff, as you’ll see. But since this is my forever home, I just went for it--minus some nicer furniture in the future maybe. Also I originally aimed for mid-century modern but that got blown off course and somehow I ended up with a house that looks like a giant child's playroom. Predictable, I guess...

Also, I must thank my friend J for her help in selecting so many things for the house, being a patient sounding board, and especially her expertise with kitchen things. Her quality taste and internet searching skills were also indispensable.

Karaoke Room (Master Bedroom): $3,100
Ah the master bedroom, which has been converted into a TV, karaoke, video game room. Also where I spend a lot of my nights because I like to sleep in front of the TV. An orange couch from Living Spaces was $1,450, a 55-inch 4K television was $700, a Vizio soundbar $270, new Apple TV $200, and a colorful area rug that was purchased from Overstock for $200. Oh right, and a $100 TV stand that I had to build myself with lots of nails. Who said I'm not handy!? This entertainment area will be the hub of the house, and please don't call it a "man cave," ugh! Also I just acquired a passable karaoke machine in Taiwan, so the sing is on!

Bathroom, Master: $700
The master bathroom, which was gutted and then completely renovated because the arrangement was awful. The biggest items of cost were the double wall mirrors, which were $150 each. Other monies were spent on things such as a Squatty Potty, drawer organizers, shower caddies, that kind of thing. And I've been waiting for a home to outfit my toilets with bidets. Luckily my camp friend's company, Tushy, makes them. If you ain't bidet-ing, you're gross. Also, I’m excited for the newly discovered diatomaceous earth bathmat which I’ve yet to use but saw in a store in Japan and was wowed by its absorbency.

Cafe (Family Room): $600
The kitchen is attached to the family room, but it’ll serve mostly as my eating room, co-working area, and board games spot. Basically my vision is it’ll be the perfect internet cafe. Toward that end I got six metal chairs at $50 each and three metal tables ($100, $100, $150), all from Flash furniture. You’ll see this exact type of chair in cafes everywhere. They are pretty uncomfortable for long sits but that’s okay because after dinner we’ll retire to the social room. Also, the configuration is designed to be modular and I went with mint and white. Oh yeah, as my friend W taught me with her apartment: everything must be modular! Coffee and boba service to come once I know how to make them properly. For now it's BYOEverthing.

A note on chair felt pads. I bought some cheapo ones that I regretted immediately because they came off so fast. I spent quite a bit of time cleaning the individual chair legs and wood floor with Goo Gone trying to get rid of the residue. The pads lasted literally about a week. Useless.

Gallery (Dining Room): $600
Currently I have a dining room that is awkwardly shaped, and I have no need for a proper dining room anyway so I just made it into a gallery. Meaning it will hang my clothes, some art, and my faux neon lightning bolt. This Chinese company also does custom neon work so I hope to get one of those soon. What will it say? hyperwest.net, duh!

The little area rug is $140 from IKEA and so far I have one painting up on the wall: Umberto Boccioni’s "Dynamism of a Soccer Player.” I saw this piece years ago at the Guggenheim when I first moved to New York after college and bought a poster of it immediately. This time around I got an 24x24 acrylic print of it from art.com for $150. In the future I hope to house my friend’s works. We'll likely start with a Jmz Wng "Chinese Takeout Containers."

Bedroom (Guest Bedroom): $1,500
I’m using the guest bedroom as my only bedroom, because really what do I need a giant master bedroom for? In this room there’s only a bed right now, a Lysa queen mattress I ordered online for $900. I almost almost got a PONS bed frame because I was sucked in by Millenial marketing, which would have been $1,000+. I was talked out of it by rational people and so instead I got a Zinus Quick Snap frame that was a mere $140, and assembled just as easily. So basically I saved $900 for not getting built-in USB ports.

Of course there was the requisite sheets, pillowcases, comforter, etc. that I had to buy. A note on pillows: while I've traditionally been able to sleep anywhere / on anything, these Xtreme Comforts Memory Foam ones recommended from Wirecutter are pretty incredible. I've gotten many compliments on them and George even loved it so much she got one! The Yangs know how to get quality sleep so a double Yang endorsement is nigh priceless. Or $50 each. I also got some backup pillows because every Yang bed has at least four pillows. True story.

My bedroom's piece de resistance: a hedgehog duvet cover with my friend Julia’s illustrations on it.

Bathroom, Guest: $500
Nothing fancy here, just a $110 dollar oval mirror and basics like a shower curtain, bath map, towels, etc. The bathroom has an all-white floor -- which means I'm constantly cleaning it -- and features a teal tile wall in the shower. It's so pretty! This room is likely the only 100% finished one in the house. What a relief! Also my mom made me keep the tub because future buyers might have kids or a dog. Haha, future buyers...! I'm never leaving this house.

Gatco 4649 Glam Frameless Oval Mirror, Satin Nickel, 26.5" H

Social Room (Living Room): $1,000
Aka Greta’s room, because I left it mostly empty for my nieces. It’s technically the living room but it’s totally empty save for a big blue fish rug. The plan is to eventually get a wall projector and stuff like that for when I have more people over but right now it’s empty. The fireplace is missing too. The living room originally had a step-down, but we put in wood planks under the flooring to raise it up and make the house entirely one level.

The most expensive stuff in this room is the two Muji Body Pillows that I got, each of which cost $200. Sure that’s a lot of money for bean bags but these are not mere bean bags. It’s pretty much the best things I’ve bought for the house, as I am in a prone position most of that time and these are perfect for sitting on or lying on or anything on. They are amazing. Oh right, the projector I want is this one, an ultra-short throw, but it is $1,200 so obviously just a luxury item. Sorry, no more than four people can come over to watch stuff.

In related news: Greta does not like this room because there’s nothing in there and she got bored real fast. This was even after I prepared some stylish (relatively) foam baby mats to lay down on the ground for her safety. She didn't care. I guess it's time to convert this from the baby room to the dance studio then!

Kitchen: $2,500
Ah the real doozy. Keep in mind I don’t cook… I had to outfit an entire kitchen with everything. We’re talking pots and pans ($125), cooking knives (chef $75, paring $15), bowls, glasses, etc. I now have a serviceable assortment of cooking implements, dishwware, and tupperware. It's sick how much stuff a startup kitchen needs.

My thought was I was gonna buy stuff that would last so invested in some lovely Villeroy and Boch New Wave flatware ($215), six Fitz and Floyd Nevaeh bone china sets ($35 each), and very durable water cups. If it wasn’t recommended on Wirecutter, I didn’t get it.

"The Fitz and Floyd Nevaeh Dinnerware Collection made of high-quality bone china with fifty-percent bone ash content, so it’s thinner, lighter, and appears more delicate than porcelain, yet it’s surprisingly durable and resistant to chipping. The material also gives it a bright whiteness and an elegant translucence not found in the thicker, duller porcelain typically found at this price.”
-Wirecutter: Best Dinnerware Set-

For regular meal times, I bought some Target cheapo dinner sets and IKEA flatware because not everyone deserves to use the good stuff. Right?! Also I ran into a 50% off closing sale at the Japanese kitchenware store in Mitsuwa and spent spent liberally on chopstick holders, soup spoons, ramen bowls, tea cups, sake holder, that kind of thing. Oh and I got some little trinkets in Tokyo too, which I’ve yet to unpack. Cute Japanese things are pretty cheap to be honest, maybe $200 total.

Let’s talk Muji. My most prized item, and the first thing I got for my kitchen was a $225 minimalist rice cooker designed by Naoto Fukasawa. If you didn’t know, Fukasawa is one of the world’s most influential designers and he’s got a set of kitchen stuff made by Muji. Did I get the matching toaster and water kettle too? Of course I did. (Shout out to R who brought me this prized Muji toaster all the way from the Bay, before I realized it was semi-readily available in LA.) If you don’t know why this is great, well, I don’t know what to tell you. Oh also, these are just for show. I have a real rice cooker and toaster oven for actual use. Minimal white kitchen plus white appliances? A dream come true! My mom was against a white kitchen but I plan to clean a lot, and cook very little, so it should be okay.

Additional shine for KMN Home DrawerDecor, which is made for the OCD in me. I love these sticky modular organizers and need to get more. My OCD is getting out of control at this house. It's bad... Also how cute is this VOVOV Elephant Kitchen Cutlery Drainer?!

Office: $135
There’s a semi-third bedroom in the house but we cut another door into a wall and it’s now just a pass-through room, aka my office. As I had a table and desk from home, I just brought those along. And then I went to IKEA to get another bed headboard and stuck four metal legs on it -- which is how I always make my office desks because I like them cheap and very big -- at the sterling cost of $25 total. In theory the office will need a better chair but why invest there when I barely even work?! Lots of League of Legend-ing in that chair though. The dream office would include an adjustable standing desk, but the setup I want is quite pricey. I'll have to settle for just some functional gear until I like, actually work. In the meantime, take a look at my friend's two girls doing homeschool in my cafe -- they're so cute!

Garage: $1,250
Things that go in a garage include washer ($470), dryer ($570), an utility washer tub ($100) and I guess that’s about it. Shelving will have to come later, as will a new garage door ($1,000) and floor epoxy because it’s so nice when your floor is shiny and not just concrete ($1,500). The garage is the last thing I’ll finish out, so for now it’s just money spent on the laundry stuff.

General: $5,000
And then there’s general costs, which ran a hefty sum because I had to get a Nest Smart Thermostat ($300) because they are a must-have, three Nest Protects for smoke/carbon monoxide protection ($330), a Schlage smart lock ($200) for my front door, two Logitech Circle interior security cameras ($150 each), plus I’m using Simplisafe security system ($300 for the package, then $15 a month). My goal with the house is to be able to operate everything remotely by phone -- aka from bed. Toward that end I'll need a few more items so the research continues.

Add in stuff like a vacuum cleaner ($160), three Seville UltraSlimline room fans ($60 each), an air mattress for guests ($120), plus fire extinguisher, an iron, a crap ton of charger cables, plus all the cleaning stuff one needs, and doormats, tool set, etc. and “general” is a huge category.

The most expensive general item? Fucking door locks. We kept all the original doors but replaced the door handles and stuff. It’s shocking how many door levers one needs, and we probably got like 20+ of them for a total of $700. Just on door knobs!

Lastly, allow me to introduce you to the BugZooka WB100, a pneumatic powered bug catching device that allows you to suck up bugs. Yes, all the bugs! Of course I had to hire bug sprayers to come to the house every three months ($100 a session) but there are still bugs that get in right? So this item is a gem at $25.

Overall: $20,000+
What’s still left to do? The garage shelving and floor, a comprehensive shelving system in the master closet, a fireplace, wall decorations for everything, and of course, nothing outdoors has been touched, aka landscaping. In sum the whole filling up a house thing cost me about twenty grand, give or take, and all the stuff I left for later so that I could travel is estimated at about $4k. I guess overall that sounds like a lot -- I've never spent this much ever ever ever! -- but then I think about how it's not even enough to get a small (new) car. If this is adulthood, I better get cranking... For our next house feature: bills, and how much it costs to support a home of your own month-by-month!

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Don't Dream It's Over

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