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Senin, 04 April 2016

My Front Porch Makeover for Under 100 with Curtains!

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We moved into our house a little over three years ago, and here is what the front porch looked like until just recently:
 
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Since we rarely use our front door, updating it was not high on my list of priorities.  I would think of it only when had new visitors knock on our front door, and regretfully wish it looked nicer. 
 
I finally forced myself to focus on updating the porch, and little by little, I was able to make it over for less than $100. 
 
1.  Front Porch Skirt $25.00
 
The porch looked more like a deck to me, and you could see all the way underneath it from the road.  We bought some deck boards, cut them, and screwed them in around our porch to give it a more homey look. 
 
 
 
2.  Paint & Stain ($40.00)
 
The least fun part of this whole project was prepping the porch for new paint and stain.  I recruited our two oldest daughters to help me scrape as much of the old paint off of the porch railings and floor.  I bought a very dark resurfacing stain called Behr DeckOver for the porch skirt and floor, and a white exterior paint for the railings. 
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I also painted our front door in a red oil-based paint.  Let me tell you, that was a MESS.   But it turned out better than I expected.  This picture doesnt do the color or sheen justice.  Id do it again if I had to, but beware, oil paints are messy!

 
 
3.  Curtains and Rods ($30) 
 
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My favorite part of this whole project was adding curtains to our porch.  Because I was on a budget for this project, I knew I would have to make my own curtains.  I even found an idea on Pinterest how to make my own curtain rods with eye hooks and electrical conduit.
  
I got really lucky and found four white panel curtains at a local resale shop.  Then, I found four sheer panels to sew to the bottom of the solid panels to get the length I was looking for.  All of the curtains and materials to make the rods cost right around $30.
 
 
Im really happy with how the porch turned out, and Im not ashamed anymore when visitors use our front door!
 
If youd like, please take a minute to watch my video below to see just how it all came together.
 
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This post was shared at:  Homestead Barn Hop, Simple Lives Thursday, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday, Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop, HomeAcre Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop




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Rabu, 16 Maret 2016

How to Make Inexpensive Curtain Rods for Your Front Porch

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Part of my Front Porch Makeover project was adding outdoor curtains.  I love how cozy and inviting they make the porch feel!  I just cant bring myself to take them down for the winter just yet. 


To keep the project as inexpensive as possible, I made my own curtain rods.  I found the design idea online and recruited the help of the SSL Family Dad to help me decide which material to use for the rods.  The concept is super simple, but there are a few tricks to making and installing the rods and hardware. 


Here is the inspiration photo that pretty much explains it all.




The curtain rods are 1/2" electrical conduit that we picked up from Home Depot.  The hardware is eye hooks that are just big enough for the conduit rods to pass through. 
 

 

 

 



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I couldnt be happier with how they turned out, and with the price tag:
 
Electrical conduit and eye hooks:  $12
 
 



Here is my video that explains the process in further detail. 




 
 
 
This post was shared at:  HomeAcre Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Wonderful Wednesdays Blog Hop, Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop
 
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Sabtu, 12 Maret 2016

How To Replace Front Struts

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https://youtu.be/gadHYTpa4Bs

Bumpy ride? Noisy front end? It might be time to replace your front struts and get your Traverse, Acadia, Enclave, or Outlook back to smooth sailing. In this tutorial I go through the average Joe version of replacing the front strut assembly on my 2009 Chevy Traverse. The process is quite simple but does require a few new parts and a good portion of a Saturday afternoon. Doing this job myself saved me almost $600!

1 - Loosen the front lug nuts on both wheels before you jack up the vehicle (you should do both struts at the same time).Then jack up the vehicle and place it on jack stands then remove the tires completely.

2 - Remove the guard under the hood that covers the windshield wiper motors. Use a flathead screwdriver to pop up the center portion of the clips and remove the grounding post near the battery. Remove the windshield wiper arms with a 15mm socket after popping up the plastic cap covering the nuts. Once the clips, grounding post, and wiper arms are removed you can then remove the entire plastic cover.

3 - Removing the plastic cover exposes the tops of each strut. There are three 15mm nits here, remove 2 of them and loosen the third but leave it on the threads to hold the strut in place.

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4 - The struts are attached to the vehicle suspension with a stabilizer link. This needs to be removed from the strut with an 18mm wrench on the outer nut and an 8mm socket on the inner. Remove the ABS wiring from the strut by popping out the clips. Since the stabilizer is connected to the linkage with a flexible covered knuckle you have to hold the inner shaft with the socket as you remove the nut with the wrench. Mine were rusted on so bad that I ended up breaking one while removing it. I found a replacement here for cheap - http://amzn.to/1kOc2uI

5 - Remove the 2 bolts that hold the bottom of the strut to the wheel assembly. Brace the caliber and wheel bearing with wire or blocks before you remove these bolts. Once they are broken loose, thread the nut to the end of the bolt and give it a few good whacks with a hammer to pop the bolts out the opposite side.

6 - While holding the shock from the bottom reach up above and remove the last 15mm nut which will allow the strut to drop through and be pulled out.

http://amzn.to/20NvQzp
7 - I chose to purchase just the shock and reuse the coil for this job but you can do it either way. The shock I used is here - http://amzn.to/1SKkFSR. You can also buy the entire strut assembly but it is quite a bit more costly. To reuse the coil you need a coil compression tool found here - http://amzn.to/1Nsgt5E.

8 -Place the coil compression tool on each side of the coil and tighten alternating a little bit on each side until the coil is loose. Next remove the center nut on the end of the strut by holding the coil with vice grips and use some penetrating oil to loosen the nut if rusted. Save the rubber pieces on the bottom and top. I also replaced the rubber covers with new ones found here - http://amzn.to/20NvQzp

http://amzn.to/1SKkFSR9 - Remove the old strut/shock and replace with the new one and reassemble the opposite way it was taken apart. Once the center nut it tightened on the top you can slowly release the tension on the coil compression tool alternating each side as you loosen.

10 - Feed the new strut back up through the holes above the wheel and into place. Then replace the nuts on the top and tighten them mildly. Next replace the two large bolts on the wheel trying as best as possible to tighten them in the same orientation as before they were removed. Look for the wear marks and line it back up along the same marks.

11 - Replace the ABS wiring clips and reattach the stabilizer bar to the strut. Fully tighten the top 15 mm nuts, replace the tire and tighten lug nuts, replace the wiper arms, replace the plastic shroud, and lower the vehicle to the ground. Fully tighten the lug nuts on both tires.
I would recommend double checking all of your connections and bolts and then taking the vehicle for a test drive. Check for alignment and listen for any noises or vibrations that seems abnormal. The vehicle should be riding much more smoothly and handle tighter and stiffer than before.

Full video here


Everything you need for this job
Coil compressor tool - http://amzn.to/1Nsgt5E
AC Delco stock struts - http://amzn.to/1SKkFSR
Replacement boot kit - http://amzn.to/20NvQzp
The stabilizer bar link that I broke during this repair - http://amzn.to/1kOc2uI
All of these products and more recommended items from the SSL Family are available at the Simple Suburban Living General Store - http://astore.amazon.com/simpsubulivi-20
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