Smart Home Solutions for 2012
Did you resolve to update your home's decor and function in 2012? We've got a great design idea for every month of the year. Check out these home solutions from The Editors of This Old House and plan your own year's worth of upgrades.
January: Update Your Decor on the Cheap
Have a pile of inspirational magazine pages you've been waiting to make a reality? January and February are the best times to nab furniture at serious discounts-up to 60 percent off in some cases-as stores hold clearance sales to make room for new spring inventory.
Also add personality to your fireplace in January:Tin-Tile Fireplace Surround
Related:Editors' Picks the Top 12 Budget Reader Remodels
February: Turn a Closet into Office
When you're tight on space, a home office may seem like a luxury, but carving one out from a seldom-used closet is easier than you think. Just take out the existing rod and follow our 6 tips.
March: Get Your Garden Going
Once the threat of frost has passed, nudge your garden back to life. Prune damaged spots from trees and shrubs, and fertilize roots. When the soil softens enough to crumble in your hand, sow seedlings. Not sure you've seen the last of the cold? Try hardy pansies (shown), which thrive in sunny plots, or primroses, which do well in shade, to add early color to your yard.
Also in March:
Give Windows a Good Washing
Screened-In Cabinet
April: Wallpaper Cubbies
Transform a lackluster storage unit into a piece that's blooming with pattern and color by lining some of the interior spaces with wallpaper. All you need are three or four papers that share a color scheme; we chose botanical prints for a springtime feel. Cut the paper to fit the interior of each recess, including all four sides. Then, using wallpaper paste or a decoupage glue such as Mod Podge, adhere the paper to the inside of the cubby. Work your way out to the sides, smoothing out air bubbles with a flat edge. Let dry, and use the cheerful nooks to highlight tableware, photos, and other finds.
Also in April:Spice Up a Staircase
May: Salvaged Mirror
To give your bath remodel one-of-a-kind character, incorporate a vintage accent. Here, a dresser mirror was reborn as a built-in over a double vanity. Because there was an odd bit of wall between windows, the homeowner fastened the piece to a sheet of painted plywood, then screwed the wood to the wall so that the mirror's bottom rested on the counter. (On a larger wall, you could simply secure the mirror with steel cleats; find them at rockler.com.) A clear coat protects the weathered paint finish. The all-white color scheme and the piece's curved and flared base help reinforce the built-in effect.
Also in May:Update Your Outdoor Tool Shed
June: Stack Up A Smart Storage Unit
Beef up your garage or shed's storage with this rustic shelving unit. Made from slatted fruit crates, it's a breeze to build: Just place the crates-check local orchards for extras or find vintage versions on eBay for as little as $8 each-on top of one another, one at a time. Drill pilot holes in the corner braces to prevent the wood from splitting, then fasten with 2-inch deck screws. For extra support, screw the unit into a wall from inside the crates. The resulting shelves are sturdy enough to store pots, plants, even galoshes, and can easily weather any mud or dirt that comes their way.
Also in June:Touch Up Exterior Paint
July: Turn a Picnic Table into a Potting Bench
Tired of her old redwood picnic set, TOH reader Tarja Varis stuck it in a corner of her yard and forgot about it-until she needed a place to exercise her green thumb. "Stacked on the table, the benches looked like shelves," she says. To turn the pieces into a bona fide potting bench, she raised the table to a good working height with 2×4s. Then she used old fence boards to add support to the back and sides, and secured the entire structure with deck screws. After priming the bench, Tarja coated it with deck paint in pale yellow and installed hooks for hand tools. Total cost: $30!
Also in July:Install Instant Style With an Easy Stair Runner
August: Hang a Rope-Hung Daybed
Summer may already be in full swing, but that doesn't mean it's too late to rig up some seating for your front porch. Built from 2×4s painted a bright hue and backed with 1×2s wired together to mimic dune fencing, the perch shown here swings from nautical rope for a beachy look. To hang your own daybed in a similar manner, you'll need four lengths of thick manila rope. Anchor eyebolts in all four corners of the bed's frame, and link stainless-steel shackles (from a marine-supply store) to them. Loop the rope through the shackles, splice it, then whip the entire splice with hemp twine. Insert 2-inch eye screws into the porch rafters, attach shackles, and do the same splicing and whipping at the other end of the rope to hang the bed from the ceiling.
Also in August:Update Your Landscape with a Patchwork Patio
September: Stay Organized in Your Home Office
Ah, back-to-school season. Even if your kids have long since graduated, there's no better time to tidy those piles of papers threatening to overtake your desk. The best way to create extra storage? Think vertically. Here, a peg rail corrals supplies and a hanging task lamp, while wall-mounted clipboards sit ready to organize incoming papers-one each for bills, unanswered mail, messages, and magazine tear sheets. Next to the desk, an idea-file board, created by affixing 1/2-inch-thick cork to the wall and covering it in felt, makes it easy to spot inspiration for a future remodel. Other materials, such as magazines, paint chips, and carpet samples, can be tucked into neat files and boxes, leaving the desktop clear for whatever home-related work comes its way.
Also in September:Build a Labor Day-Ready Patio Table Salvage Project
October: Create a Bone-Chilling Halloween Entry
What better way to welcome your neighborhood's resident witches, ghouls, and goblins to your home than by tricking out your front door. For this spooky setup, we turned bones (fake, of course) into a knocker, a replica skull into a light fixture, and a plain coir rectangle into a deadly clever doormat. To do it yourself, you'll need your own faux bones. But forget plastic; instead, look to anatomical-model companies for lifelike casts made from polyurethane or resin. Then just arm yourself with a drill/driver, some screws, and a can of black spray paint-and prepare to see some very surprised faces approach your walkway on Halloween.
Also in October:Plant Bulbs Now for Future Blooms
November: Prep a Guest Room
Treat out-of-towners to a hotel-worthy stay with these traveler-friendly tweaks:
1. Install wall hooks for towels, travel kits, and tote bags.
2. Clear 3 feet of rod space in the closet.
3. Free up 4 feet of flat surface on a window seat or low bookshelf for easy suitcase access.
4. Add night lights to hallways and the guest bath.
Related:Products to Outfit a Guest Bath for $50 or Less
December: Paint Ceiling Medallion Wreaths
Let even your holiday decor reflect your home's architectural style by decking the halls with something that may already deck its ceilings: decorative medallions. Traditionally used to highlight chandeliers or pendant lights, these artistic adornments come in a variety of designs featuring everything from simple colonial-style rings to ornate Victorian-inspired flourishes. Here, we coated three lightweight polyurethane medallions (from $17 each; outwatercatalogs.com) in rich shades of green. Hung from red satin ribbon in a tidy group, they telegraph the same festive look as their leafy cousins-but will look just as good as they do now for countless seasons to come.
Also in December: Be Bright When Hanging Lights
See the whole year's worth of smart home solutions!
More on thisoldhouse.com:
Trade Secrets for Easy, Low-Cost Upgrades
100 DIY Upgrades for Under $100
30 Down-and-Dirty Tricks for Big DIY Savings
47 Skills You Need to Survive Homeownership
