While we prep our home to put up for sale by owner {we’re hoping to have it listed within the next 2 weeks}, we’re also starting to look around at homes on the market to buy.  In fact, we’ve walked through a half dozen already.  I thought it’d be fun to share some of the ones that stick out…good and bad…even if we don’t end up purchasing them.  I guess I should start off by sharing what we’re looking for in our next house first.

• Price:  We’re looking to downgrade our mortgage by more than $100,000 {yikes!} so we can realistically pay it off in the next 4-5 years.  We do have money saved up for a down payment plus we have significant equity in our current home {equity = appraised value – owed amount} both of which we would slap down on our next home’s mortgage.  We’ve already put a cap on how much we’re willing to spend to keep us from getting distracted by shinier homes that cost more.  It’s really a waste of time to look at homes that aren’t going to get us to that 5-year debt free freedom that we’re eyeing in the distance. We’re intrigued by foreclosures and estate sales that would give us an opportunity to get a great deal.  But we’re also looking at affordable private sales.

• Size:  We understand that to cut our mortgage by $100,000 we’re going to have to cut down on other things too…square footage is one of those things.  We don’t have a minimum square footage in mind but instead are looking to find enough room for basic daily activities {eating, bathing, sleeping, cooking, relaxing, playing, laundering}.  Obviously, we’re not going to be able to keep all of our current furniture so we’re not looking for a home to hold it all.  Trying to keep open minds!  Ideally, we’d like 3 bedrooms but we’re open to 2 bedrooms {with our boys sharing a room} if the rest of the home is doable.  We’d require at least one full bathroom but, ideally, we’d like 1.5-2 baths.

• Location:  We’d like to find something closer to Handy Hubby’s work.  Currently, he has a 40-minute commute one way and that’s with traffic and weather cooperating.  A minor glitch easily lengthens his commute to 1-2 hours one way, meaning he has to get up extra early or get home extra late.  Personally, I’d like to see more of him so the idea of making his drive to work shorter is very appealing.  I only work 2 days a week in the town we live in now.  It’s likely that my commute will be longer but I don’t work as much and *hopefully* it wouldn’t be a forever thing. {I’d like to offer design services full-time once our mortgage is paid off.}  Also, since we have 2 kiddos, we’d like to find a community with excellent public schools.

• Workspace:  Because of all the house tweaking we do {and will be likely to do more of in our next home}, we’d like a space for projects.  A garage, unfinished basement, or outbuilding {or the space/ability to add one of those things} that’s sufficient to hold Handy Hubby’s tools is a must.  Fixing up our house is our passion so we’d definitely like the capability to do it on site long-term with most of the tools and equipment that we already own.

• Condition:  We’re not opposed to fixer uppers or older homes as long as the cost of repairs and upgrades doesn’t put us past our spending cap.  Ideally, we’d like something that we could live in while we work on it or something that could be fixed to ‘livable’ relatively quickly and easily while we’re still in our current home.

• Neighborhood:  We’ve already discovered that many homes in our price range aren’t in the nicest of neighborhoods.  We don’t want or need an upscale community but we would like to live in a neighborhood that is presentable…meaning people take care of their homes and don’t pile trash, toys and other random items in their yard or on their porch.  Not only does it just feel nicer to come home to, but it can affect the value of all the homes in the neighborhood.

• Style:  We’re open to anything.  Bungalows, ranches, cape cods, one-story, two-story, bi-levels, tri-levels…we’re game.  I’m finding myself drawn to short squatty houses at the moment but Handy Hubby has always liked the idea of having bedrooms located on a second floor.  It’ll just depend on all the other variables.

• Lot size:  In our dreams, we’d like to live on more land.  But with downsizing, we realize that’s probably not going to happen.  If anything, we’ll also be downsizing our yard.  As long as there is room for our boys to run around outside or a nearby park to play at, we’re okay with not having a huge yard.  It helps that my Dad lives out in the country on 10+ acres, so we can always visit him for some good scenery and outdoor exploration.  Who knows?  Maybe we’ll end up in a shack on some acreage!

• Natural light: We’re like plants.  We thrive in natural light.  Put us near a window and we’re happy.  We’d like a home that offers natural light in the form of windows, skylights and/or patio doors. Which is why most condos/townhomes/row homes aren’t making our list.  This is a minor stipulation but something that could make all the difference…especially in a smaller home.

The biggest problem I’m having with most of the homes out there is my ‘dreamer vision.’  I can look at real estate pictures online or tour a home and my mind just starts racing with possible floor plans, finishing touches, room designs, improvements and furniture layouts.  I {fortunately or unfortunately} have an uncanny ability to see beyond wood paneling, damaged walls, stained carpet, dark cabinets, cumbersome traffic patterns, outdated fixtures and busy wallpaper to a home’s full potential.  I want to save just about every single one of them.  So much so that it makes me sad to say ‘no’ to it.

HOWEVER, there has been one home {that we viewed last weekend in person} that I couldn’t even begin to help.  I’m sorry, little house. First, let me say when I ran across it online I was super excited to see it because it was a foreclosure that obviously needed some work but had large rooms and 2 fireplaces.  It was ugly, but I’m kind of drawn to that…better before-and-afters, you know?  So, we went to see it and as soon as our realtor unlocked the door we were hit with an awful – I MEAN HOLD-YOUR-BREATH, GET-A-FACE-MASK AWFUL –  smell of mold and mildew.  {A virtual scratch-and-sniff app would work well here.} I don’t know if it was the toxic air or what but I couldn’t even picture furniture in that place.  I was picturing people being kidnapped and brought there against their will.  There was mold growing on the fireplace and floors.  We were stepping over mold!  I was nauseous.  Did I mention it smelled horrific?  Besides the smell, there were all kinds of problems.  The roof obviously leaked, the furnace had been torn to pieces {but not removed?} and in the garage electric had been run by {what it looked like} someone punching their fist into the drywall several times in a row and running the wire along the outside of the drywall.  In the midst of trying not to vomit, I did capture 2 low quality photos of this place.  Just to prove I’d been there.

Yes, that is faux black fur and a brass kick plate on an interior door.  And you might notice the room beyond with the fireplace…

It was an obvious, poorly constructed addition to the original structure.  And those vines and ivy on the ceiling, beams and doorway?  They’re fake.  Yep, someone purposefully tacked those up there {that had to have taken a while!} as decor.  The Silence of the Lambs vibe combined with the nauseating odor left us with no appetite…and it was lunch time.  I’m having a hard time swallowing just remembering it now. We got in our car thinking the same thing, “Um, no.”  Just to get the smell out, we would’ve had to rip the entire house down to the studs and start from scratch.  The fugly house I’d found online was everything I had expected and more…in a bad way.

On a lighter note, we’ve found a few homes that seem more doable and are going looking again this weekend.  Primarily, they’re foreclosures so we’re taking our heavy winter coats and flashlights since utilities are shut off.  We’re not in a hurry but we enjoy walking through homes and figuring out if they might/might not work for us.  We’re also prepared to make an offer if ‘the one’ turns up. We’ve discovered that while the real estate market in general is still down, foreclosures with potential don’t last long…at least in the areas we’re considering.  In the few weeks we’ve been looking, many have gone pending or sold already!  The inventory changes daily.  Making a ‘wanna see’ list has become my second job.  But it’s fun to us and we keep reminding ourselves why we’re doing it.

images:  1) Pundit Kitchen via I Can Has Cheezburger  2 & 3) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I really need to get a FAQ page together and have it as a tab on my home page.  It seems you all have a lot of the same questions.  Until that FAQ page shows up {please, Fairy Blog Mother?}, I’ll try to answer the most popular ones in the form of a post.  In just the last few weeks, I’ve had more than one question about the measurements of our kitchen cabinet hardware.  They are the stainless steel IKEA LANSA handles and I blogged about adding them to the cabinets here. They’re available in packs of two and cost ranges from $6.99 to $9.99 per pack.  They’re suitable for cabinet doors or drawers 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick.  They come in several lengths for various types of use. The sizes listed on IKEA’s website and packaging are the distances from screw hole to screw hole.  The length of the actual handle {longer than the hole spacing measurement} is listed under ‘product dimensions’ on the IKEA website.  We only used 2 sizes in our kitchen:  10 1/16″ and 6 1/4″…which seems to now be listed as 6 5/16″.

On our taller 42″ upper cabinets we installed the 10 1/16″ handles…

Above the microwave and refrigerator we used the 6 1/4″…

On the wider lower drawers we added the 10 1/16″…

On the narrower drawers to either side of the stove we added the 6 1/4″… {Note: the bottom door is really a pull-out trash/recycling center so we placed the hardware horizontally for ease of function.}

Finally, on the kitchen island we mixed things up.  The wide drawers have the 10 1/16″ handles while the cabinet doors have the 6 1/4″ handles.

I think the thing to keep in mind while picking cabinet hardware is the width/height of each door and drawer.  Personally, I like the hardware to mimic the size of the cabinet or drawer.  A big ol’ door would look awfully naked with a teeny handle.  Likewise, a smallish drawer would look pretty silly with a crazy big pull.  Keep things to scale.  You may even want to buy several sizes and hold them up to the doors/drawers before making a commitment.  Just return the ones you don’t use. I’d also suggest buying a few extras {we have 2 backup handles of each size we used} in case something happens to the handles and they need replaced.  If it’s been several years since you installed your hardware, there’s a good chance it’ll be discontinued.

Adding hardware to plain stock cabinets and even older outdated cabinets is a cheap upgrade.  We love ours.  Try it yourself!

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I just love sharing great products!

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Can I tell you how shocked, humbled, appreciative and inspired I am by all of your comments on the downsizing post?!  Really, they’re amazing.  And just what I need.  Would you believe me if I told you that I had fear of rejection after putting all that out there?  Well, I did.  I half-expected to get comments about how I wasn’t doing the right thing and that I should consider an attitude change as opposed to a career change. But that didn’t happen.  You all are so kind and encouraging.  I can’t thank you enough.  Ever.  If I could make all of you chocolate no-bake cookies and deliver them to you straight from the pot, I would.  I am so grateful for your support {I know, I’m sounding like a blubbering beauty queen cliché right about now} and it’s just further confirmation to me that I can do this.  THANK YOU.  From the bottom of my design-lovin’ heart.

As you might’ve guessed, things are pretty hectic around here.  Handy Hubby and I are in the process of listing our home.  We are going to try and sell by owner.  We listed and sold our first home {a starter home we had in Illinois…the home we lived in before buying this home to be closer to family} by owner, so we have some experience going that route.  Although, that was 3 years ago when the market was just starting to roll downhill.  We aren’t oblivious to the fact that real estate isn’t exactly flying off the shelves right now.  But two homes have sold relatively quickly on our street within the last 6 months, so we’re hopeful.  It will be a lot work – mostly leg and paper – but we’re prepared to do it.  We know our home will sell just not sure for how much or when.  It should be interesting.

Today I started whittling things down in the pantry.  Prepping and staging your home for a sale is much different than decorating.  Potential buyers are looking to buy the house and all it has to offer…not the stuff in it.  {Not to say we aren’t opposed to bargaining off decor if that’s what would get us a sale.}  It’s necessary to edit decor to show off the best things about the house.  The large, walk-in kitchen pantry has been one of my favorite things about this house.  I can stash all kinds of stuff in there, close the door and no one’s the wiser.  In fact, other than spices and cooking oils, we don’t have any food items in our kitchen cabinets.  And since I knew I needed to start somewhere, I felt like conquering a small room first would get my purging and packing wheels rolling.  Here’s what the pantry looked like before…

And here’s what it looks like now…

…after a little decluttering and reorganizing.  I ended up with 3 piles of stuff that didn’t make the final cut.  Recycle: broken down packaging, expired coupons and old recipes.  Donate: odds & ends we don’t use.  Gift: items I’m hoping a neighbor can use.  Wine, anyone?

My goal was to get most everything up off the floor and onto the shelves.  Cereal, vinegar and toilet paper overstock were the only things that wouldn’t fit onto the shelves.  Then I faced {if you’ve ever worked in retail you know what facing is} all the food items and tucked everything nicely into its respective basket or bin.  Some of you have asked about how I have the pantry organized, so I guess now is as good a time as any!  I try to keep all the heavy and canned goods on the bottom shelf.  That way if I or my kids drop them, they don’t have that much momentum crashing into toes. Plus, they’re some of the healthier things in the pantry that I like my kids to see as a choice. {Desserts, treats and baking supplies are kept higher up…out of kid sight…to keep them from being snuck into.  I’m mean, aren’t I?}

The other food items are categorized into baskets and bins.  There are breakfast, snack, bread, pasta, rice, gluten-free {Handy Hubby has been gluten-free for nearly a year!}, baking and treat baskets right now.  I like using loose bins to organize that way I can tweak things week-to-week as our inventory changes.  I just got groceries yesterday, so this is as full as it gets unless we’re hosting a big get-together.

The perpendicular wall of shelving holds items in the household category….kid art supplies, batteries, flashlights and a few cleaners.  Hopefully, keeping a few bins empty will let potential buyers see how much space there really is in the pantry.

On the third pantry wall {behind the open door} there is a dry erase calendar to track family events and work schedules, a hanging stepladder which conceals some large drawing paper pads and a rack system for storing the broom, vacuum extension hose and a small electric sweeper.

I’ve been spoiled by this large pantry.  There’s no doubt that downsizing our home will probably result in downsizing our pantry too…if we’re lucky enough to get a pantry!  That’s okay.  I’m up for a kitchen organization challenge.  I like sorting things almost as much as I enjoy interior design.  I plan on editing the contents of our kitchen cabinets before we move anyway.  Maybe tomorrow?

Oh!  And I’d like to mention I did all of this while talking to several banks about getting pre-approved for a home loan.  Let’s just say I could hear the bankers’ eyebrows raising over the phone when I told them our plan to downsize from a home that we ‘can afford’ to a home less than half the worth of our current home.

images:  1) Make Your Own Invitations all the rest) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Do you remember my 2011 improvement list?  If not, let me jog your memory.

I’ve already made some headway on numbers 2, 4 & 5.  #2 – I’m currently enrolled in and studying the Sheffield School of Interior Design Course.  #4 – I’ve made an effort to only post about what I’m thinking, feeling, doing and loving at the moment.  If I’m not feeling or doing much, I’m giving myself permission to skip a day of blogging here and there.  On the other hand, I’m really trying to work on posts that have some meat to them and are applicable to those of you at home in need of inspiration, instructions, advice or just a good ol’ laugh.  #5 – I’ve always been pretty good at keeping stuff from taking over our house.  But we did declutter our outta-sight-outta-mind-basement recently.  I’d also like to reduce my stress level and debt…which brings me to the entire reason for this post.

We’re looking into downsizing!

As in downsizing our home and mortgage.  Quite a bit.  And, yes, that will require selling our current home.  Boo, I know.  But let me explain.

I started this blog a little over a year ago primarily to purge all of the design and home decor ideas that were whirling around in my head.  Along the way, I re-realized my love of writing.  It’s totally therapy for me.  What better way to combine two of my faves, right?  Interior design + writing = decor blog.  A little further along the way, I started getting some recognition that I had originally never sought.  It gave me a boost of confidence in my amateur design skills and eventually {after I tried for a long time to dismiss it} opened my eyes to the fact that I was {am} very dissatisfied in my current career field.  I’m a part-time pharmacist by day and wannabe designer at night, during kids’ naps and on the weekends.  I’ve considered the possibility that I’m having an early midlife crisis.  In fact, I’ve chalked up many a thought about a career in design to my female hormones.  But, really, the thought has turned into a yearning.  I feel it.  This is what I want to do.  And I’m very afraid just saying it.  Why?  Because I have a perfectly stable, part-time, bringing-home-the-bacon kind of job right now.  But my heart isn’t in it.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m so thankful that nearly a decade in retail pharmacy has provided well for my family and allowed me to stay home 4-5 days of the week with my two young sons.  I work hard when I’m at work just because that’s the work ethic my dad instilled in me.  But, again, my heart isn’t in it.  If it weren’t for my co-workers who crack me up and keep me going day in and day out, I’d surely detest it.  And if it weren’t for our debt {school loans and mortgage}, I would probably have quit by now.  Ew.  QUIT.  That’s such a loser word.  At least, that’s what I’ve been taught.

In the middle of a nervous {nearly} breakdown several weeks ago {that’s not looking so good for #3, is it?}, I confessed to Handy Hubby that I couldn’t keep doing this.  I think I scared him.  I scared me that’s for sure.  I went into the pharmacy field because that’s what I was supposed to do.  It was a reputable career.  I was a smart girl.  I’d make good money.  I’d live happily ever after.  Wrong.

“Never get so busy making a living

that you forget to make a life.”

-Anonymous

Boy, did I ever get busy.  So, after an honest heart-to-heart with my amazingly understanding Handy Hubby, we started crunching numbers.  Because that’s what engineers and pharmacists do.  We discovered that if we sell our current home, put the equity into a significantly smaller home loan but continue to make the same amount of payment that we are currently paying, we could very realistically pay off a smaller home in 4-5 years.  Of course, I would continue to work as a pharmacist during that time.  But that sounds a lot better to me than 15 years!  Which is how long I’d have to work to pay off our current home.  So, that’s the plan.  We’re putting our home {yes, the house that we’ve lovingly tweaked into our home} on the market.  It’s all very bittersweet.  We absolutely adore our neighbors.  And by neighbors I mean everyone on our street.  We love our neighborhood.

Since we plan on selling our home, that means we have to buy another one.  A cheap one.  We’re open to just about anything. {After all, my hubby is handy.} Foreclosures, estate sales, fixer-uppers, older homes, smaller homes.  We’ll make it work to live the life we want to live.  A little phrase that popped into my head out of nowhere one day continues to inspire me…We’re not looking for the house of our dreams rather the house that will allow us to live our dreams. Dreams being  1) a career in interior design for me  2) a home that we can own outright before we’re 40 years old  3) the ability to save for our sons’ college education and our retirement.  Can you believe the sacrifice Handy Hubby will be making for all this?  He’s wonderful.  He just wants me to be happy.  I will say though that there are probably a few husbands out there who would love for their overspending spouses to say one day…”I want to buy a cheaper house so we can pay it off in a few years and I can maybe quit this job that sucks the life out of me and do something I really want to do.”  I mean, it’s sure better than saying I want more house, right?  But, no, really Handy Hubby is awesome.  I’m not gonna lie.  We did butt heads.  He has a fear.  He’s afraid that I’ll quit my day job before we pay off this elusive smaller house.  But I’m here to proclaim in front of everyone, “Handy Hubby, I will NOT quit my day job until our mortgage is paid off.”  I’m not saying I won’t want to.  But I’m not that big of a financial risk taker.

I would like to go on the defensive here for just a second.  I’d like for you to know that moving my family to a new house and possibly new city isn’t for blog hype.  We’re doing it because it’s what we think is best for our family and the goals we want to achieve.  You’ve probably noticed that several big time bloggers {Young House Love, Bower Power, Design Mom} have pulled the ol’ house switcheroo recently.  It must be in the water.  I’m definitely not doing it to compete with or copy them.  Not that lil’ ol’ me could compete with them anyway.  Heck, they all moved/are moving to larger and/or more expensive homes.  We’re doing the complete opposite.

So what does all of this mean for House*Tweaking?  Well, even though we may be moving, House*Tweaking isn’t going anywhere.  I’ll continue to write about projects we’re taking on {staging and prepping here we come!} and keep you posted on any cheap house hunting news. Once we’re in our new {well, probably old} budget home, there’s sure to be some tweaking going on.  Probably more so since the homes at our price point are anything but flawless.  I’ll have to get extra creative!  I’ll throw in decor ideas and inspiration along the way…to keep you {and me} from getting bored.

So, what do you think of this news?  I’m incredibly frightened and excited at the same time.

image:  Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I’m feeling the need for some Etsy pillow love.  How ’bout you?  I’ve had a sick kid home for most of the week, so we’ve been doing our fare share of pillow cuddling over here.  Today I thought I’d share the Etsy shop that supplied the mosaic pillow cover found on our guest bed.

This heavy duty, high quality linen cover hails from Be Still.  The Australian designer, Sarah Robinson, is the mastermind behind the fun pillow covers available in the Be Still shop.  From geometric to floral to textured, there’s something for everyone.

Don’t they look lovely against such a light and airy backdrop?  Prices range from $20 on sale all the way up to $40-$75 for higher end designs.  I love that the fabrics and their patterns are unique. Not something you’d find in local American craft stores.  Be Still also offers cloth napkins that would totally rock my table linen world.

I should really consider adding some printed cloth napkins to my entirely solid collection.  Heck, I could probably DIY some.

So there’s yet another Etsy shop that I’ve purchased from and continue to sap over.  The prices aren’t the cheapest but neither is the quality.  You could always hint to your significant other, family or friends that you’d adore a Be Still gift certificate.  Yeah, they’re available.

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I just love sharing great Etsy shops.

images:  1) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking  2&3) collages by Dana Miller using Sarah Robinson’s images

Have you had enough of the DIY sliding barn door yet?  Okay, I promise this is the last post devoted to it.  I just wanted to share a few finishing touches we’ve added – some handles.  Handy Hubby added this steel pull to the bedroom side of the sliding door.  I think it’s actually meant to be a drawer pull but we liked the modern, simple lines of it and the flat black finish goes well with the track.  And the less than $10 price tag wasn’t too bad either.

The bathroom side of the barn door posed a slight problem.  Since the door was mounted onto the outside {bedroom side} of the bathroom doorway, there wasn’t enough room for a standard handle that would stick out from the door…it would have banged into the door frame and kept the door from opening/closing properly…not to mention ding up the frame I just painted.  We needed something that wouldn’t protrude from the door.  Handy Hubby found this recessed door handle for less than $5.  He simply routed out a ‘well’ to place and screw the flush pull into.  It works perfectly!

Notice how the recessed handle doesn’t sit right at the edge of the door.  There are 2 reasons for this:  1) the screws for the pull handle on the other side of the door are there and 2) we wouldn’t be able to reach the recessed handle from the bathroom side of the door when it was completely shut. {There is a small overlap so that the door covers the door frame moulding on the bedroom side of the doorway.}

So, finally, our barn door is fully functional and D-O-N-E.  Going to the bathroom has never been more fun.

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I just love sharing stuff we find and DIY!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I received an email from Candice in North Carolina who had recently pruned some trees in her backyard and was wanting DIY ideas for the branches she’d trimmed off.  I love incorporating natural elements into home decor.  Who doesn’t love free material found right outside their door?  I think any of these branch projects would be fun to try in the home.

Jewelry Tree

Screw the end of a smaller branch into a square, stained piece of wood and adorn it with necklaces, earrings and bracelets.  It makes for a pretty display and a quick jewelry go-to in the morning.

Paper Cherry Blossoms

Fold tissue paper into petite blossoms and tape onto bare branches.  Place floral branches in a vase and display on an entryway table, dining table or buffet.  {Here’s a great tutorial.}  I did something similar here.

Wall Art

Paint branches to color of choice and then hot glue ends onto the backs of 2 painted & parallel 1″x2″ boards.  Arrange branches loosely for a sculptural effect and hang on the wall.

Whimsical Chandelier

Spray paint an existing chandelier white along with a mass of thin, flexible branches.  Cover the chandelier in branches using clear or white zip ties and string to secure them.  {Steer clear of light bulbs.}  Follow the lines of the original chandelier to keep the form looking chandy-ish.

Stick Starburst

Cut straight branches into smaller sections and hot glue around a mirror.  Find a good tutorial here.

Rustic Frame

Attach branches to an existing mirror or picture frame with hot glue.

Bold Accent

Spray paint a single, large branch with an interesting form a bright, bold color like red.  Simply prop or lean it in a vignette for a quick and temporary splash of color.

Affordable Pendant

Hang industrial lights from a single branch for a simple dining pendant light.  Read more about this project here.

Of course, you could always plop branches into a vase and be done with it but I thought these DIY ideas were worth mentioning.  I hope that they inspire Candice to ‘branch out’ and find a creative way to use the branches from her yard.  Do you have any branch decor ideas to share too?

images:  1) Rian Rae 2) Kristin Sutcliffe for Bloesem Kids 3) Wood Railing 4) Collier West 5) Citified Country Girl 6) CBK via Amazon 7) Evan Thomas for Apartment Therapy 8 ) Anna-Malin Lindgren for decor8

Last week I showed you how Handy Hubby made the barn door in our master suite.  Today I’d like to share with you how he actually hung it.  After ‘shopping’ several websites and getting quotes for a sliding track, we purchased the hardware from Crown Industrial located in San Francisco, CA. Specifically, we purchased the #43H standard flat track hanger in a painted flat black finish for doors weighing up to 400 pounds.  As I said before, the cost of the door itself was minimal {the cost of one gallon of paint}.  We decided to splurge on a quality track/hanger system. We didn’t want anything flimsy, wobbly or possibly hazardous given it would be supporting a ~125 pound door. The cost of the sliding/hanging hardware came in just under $400…including taxes and shipping. You could substantially cut that cost if you were able to pick up the product yourself {hint, hint all you California boys and girls} because shipping is expensive given the weight of the product and how far we live from CA.  The parts included were the flat track, all the custom cut spacers, 2 rollers/brackets, 2 track stops, 2 anti-jump blocks, bottom guide & rail, and carriage bolts for the door.

There are a bunch of different track and hanger styles but the flat track was definitely the cheapest option.  For those wanting an even cheaper option, you could look into galvanized box-section barn door track and hardware from Lowe’s, Home Depot or Tractor Supply for about a third of the cost.  The trade off is a dull gray/galvanized finish, bulkiness, and noisier operation once the door is hung.

There are several measurements and pieces of info that Crown Industrial asked Handy Hubby before he placed the order.  If you’re thinking of DIYing a sliding door, DO NOT SKIMP ON THIS STEP!  Measure 5 times, question yourself and then measure 5 more times. Here are some hand drawings that Handy Hubby sent the company to ensure proper fit and function.

Drawings aren’t necessary.  You can simply answer the questions that Crown Industrial asks.  But Handy Hubby is an engineer, so by nature he usually goes above and beyond the call of duty when organizing a project.  The hardware company also created their own images based on the info that he gave them.  Handy Hubby was asked to review and approve them before the order was placed.  Key point here? Marry an engineer.  {Or ask Handy Hubby a bunch of questions in the comments section below.}

As for installing everything, Handy Hubby used a blocking method to secure the system to the wall above the bathroom doorway.  He cut a 1″x4″ poplar board to size {ours was 8′}, stained and polyurethaned it, measured & leveled for placement and then screwed it into several studs above the doorway.  The sliding track was mounted onto the board.  {You can tie directly into the studs without blocking BUT you must know where your studs are and have Crown Industrial drill holes into the track at those specific points.  Handy Hubby opted for blocking which he found to be easier and more practical.} Here you can see where the poplar board was screwed into 6 studs {under the track}.  The slider/hanger kit did not provide the hardware for blocking.

Next, Handy Hubby attached the hangers to the top of the barn door using the supplied carriage bolts.  {Carriage bolts are just large bolts that grip into the wood to keep the bolt from turning when the nut is tightened.}

Notice the location of the screws in the top of the door.  Remember me mentioning to make sure you know where your hanger hardware will need to be attached before you screw the top of the door together?  Now you see why.

Not only is the door secured at the top but there is also a track down on the floor.  This keeps the door from swinging out/in.  Handy Hubby screwed the floor track right into the floor {through the carpet}.  Then he routed a channel out on the back {bathroom side} of the barn door at the bottom and screwed in a thin guide for the floor track to slip into.  Sorry, I don’t have an image of this available but here’s a drawing from the company showing how the concealed floor T guide works. This shows the guide being centered along the bottom of the door.  Handy Hubby channeled our door along one side {the bathroom side} at the bottom.

I’m happy to say that our barn door slides open and closed very smoothly…no jumping off the track, shaking or getting hung up.  It’s very solid and sturdy.  As far as noise goes, it isn’t completely silent.  It doesn’t squeak, creak or groan.  It’s more of a ‘roaring’ sound, if that makes any sense.  But it’s not loud.  {Unless my 2-year-old is closing it and tries to push it further than the track allows!  Luckily, there are safety stoppers included for those instances to keep the door from flying off the track.} All-in-all, we are very satisfied with the quality of the sliding track and hangers. Again, we paid for that quality but it seemed worth it since the door itself was so inexpensive to DIY.

Do you have any questions about the barn door, track/hanger system or installation process?  I’m sure I’ve missed something here since I wasn’t really in on this project.  {I did watch the kids though while Handy Hubby worked away.}  Feel free to post your questions in the comments section below.  Handy Hubby has agreed to answer anything that pops up.  You may have to give him some time though since he works all day…and helps take care of the kiddos and cooks and puts up with me and my antics.  He is good.

Later this week, I’ll show you the door handles that Handy Hubby added to the barn door recently. They look great!

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I just love sharing some good DIY.

images:  1&2) Steve Miller  3-6) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking  7) Crown Industrial

Today my older son, Layne, turns 6.  He is a sweet, intelligent, creative and highly inquisitive boy. Just today he asked me what a judge does.  I told him that judges help settle disagreements between people.  He replied, “So, they’re kind of like Moms?”

At times, he can be downright quiet and I can see the wheels turning inside his head.  If you ask him what he wants to do when he’s older, he’ll tell you he wants to work with his Dada and live with his Mama.  Melt.  My.  Heart.  I’m sure that answer will change a little further down the road.  In light of celebrating such a special boy, I hope you don’t mind if I delay the DIY Sliding Barn Door Part II post until later. {Monday at the latest.}  Please forgive me.  Volunteering at a kindergarten Valentine’s party, eating cupcakes, opening a few gifts and watching a movie just sound like fun today!  And the sun is shining.  For the second day in a row.

Happy Birthday Layne!

image:  Dana Miller

Wow!  The sliding barn door in our bedroom has caused quite a raucous.  104 comments??!! Yowsas.

Wanna know how we, I mean, Handy Hubby did it?  Good.  Because I’m going to tell you. However, there are so many steps involved that I’m breaking this DIY project up into 2 posts:  1) constructing the door  2) hanging the door.  That way you don’t get overwhelmed…or bored.  I’m warning you, there’s a lot of math, measuring and side notes involved.  Ready?  Let’s do this.

We hauled the original fence boards back from Pennsylvania where they once lived at Handy Hubby’s family farm.  Then we set to work figuring out how large we wanted the door to be.  We knew we wanted it to cover the entire master bathroom door frame {including the trim} if possible when in the closed position.  I say ‘if possible’ because when determining how wide you’d like the barn door to be, you must take into account the amount of wall space adjacent to the doorway where the door will rest when in the open position.  Otherwise, the door will not slide open completely.  Luckily, the space of wall to the right of our bathroom doorway was large enough to accommodate the width of door we wanted.  We measured the desired door width and then divided it by 5¾” {the width of each fence board} to get the number of fence boards we’d need for the door. We needed 7 fence boards to get a door width of ~41″.  Once the door width was established, we chose the length/height.  The ceiling in our bedroom is vaulted, so we wanted to hang the door well above the door frame because we knew the room could handle it.  We decided on 88″ for the door length/height. Handy Hubby cut the 7 boards to 88″ long with a miter saw.  {This was way back in the fall before snowpocalypse.  That should be a good indication of how long it takes us to get anything done over here.} On a side note…we inspected each board to determine which end to cut off.  In many instances, there was a ‘bad’ end that we wanted to get rid of.

To hold the door together and give it more of barn feel, Handy Hubby cut 2 wider support boards to attach to the top and bottom of the door.  We also wanted 1 regular fence board placed horizontally about two-thirds of the way down the door for added stability and door handle installation.

Once all the boards were cut to size, they got a good sand job {I said sand job} from a palm sander.  Handy Hubby blew the sawdust off with the leaf blower {hey, use what you got!}, wiped ‘em down with a damp rag, let them dry completely and rubbed them well with tack cloth.  Next came the priming and painting.  Handy Hubby brushed on 2 coats of oil-based primer {left over from our kitchen cabinet makeover} and rolled on {with a foam roller} 3 coats of semi-gloss latex paint.  The paint color we chose was Sherwin Williams Auric.

With the necessary boards all cut to size and painted, Handy Hubby proceeded to assemble the door.  He laid the boards out on our bedroom floor to square it all up, measuring corner to corner and tweaking until everything matched up.  The distance of each diagonal {the measurement from opposite top and bottom corners} should be equal.  Sorry, I don’t have a true work-in-progress image of this step but this might help…

Handy Hubby pre-drilled holes for the wood screws into the horizontal boards, making sure not to drill all the way through the vertical boards below.  We didn’t want any screws popping through to the other side of the door since they would be seen from the bathroom.  **Handy Hubby Hint: Wrap a piece of painter’s tape around the drill bit at the depth you want your holes.  Drill in just to the tape line for a perfect hole every time!**

He alternated the placement of the holes so that the screw heads would have a kind of zig zag pattern.  Another side note…we had already selected our hanging hardware at this point, and Handy Hubby made sure NOT to drill the top horizontal board in places where the hardware would need to go later. More on that in Part II of this DIY post, but the thing to remember here is that you need to know what hanging hardware you’re using before you assemble the door.  Then came my moment of fame.  I stood on the boards to keep them from moving while Handy Hubby screwed everything together…the upper, middle and lower horizontal boards into the vertical boards. Essentially, each vertical board ended up with 6 screws in it – 2 from each horizontal support board.  We liked the look of the shiny, raw screw heads showing, so we chose not to touch them up.

Once the door was assembled, it was HEAVY!  Assembling the door in the bedroom kept us from having to lug the finished product around the house and up a flight of stairs.  It also made quite a sawdust mess in the bedroom, but that was an easy trade-off to aching backs and dinged up walls.

I’m not going to lie.  That door was propped up against our bedroom wall for weeks while we prepped the doorway and waited on the hardware to arrive.  I had visions of it toppling down on us in the middle of the night.  But it didn’t.  Thank goodness.  It definitely would’ve left a mark.  Before it was hung, I was already in love with all the scarred imperfections.  The nicks, scratches, crannies and cracks gave it a story. I even told Handy Hubby not to worry about fixing any damage that he’d done to the paint job while assembling the door.  He was happy to oblige.

So, that’s how Handy Hubby assembled the barn door with a teensy bit of help from me.  Take note that the only money we spent for this part of the project was on the gallon of paint.  And if you’ve made it through this entire post without yawning yet, you deserve a pat on the back.  And probably a link to where our sliding barn door hardware came from.  More on that tomorrow!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking