The Thrifty Home

Since it will be the subject of many posts, I thought some background on my house would be appropriate:

My house is located in the New Jersey suburbs, near the ocean and about an hour from New York City. In general, those two attributes make this a pretty expensive area in which to live. I live in a large town that has a mixture of all types of housing, though the majority are single family houses.

My house is a three bedroom, one bath ranch. I believe it was built around 1947, and an addition was put on sometime after that. When I bought it in late 2006, it was the ugliest house on the street. Unfortuantely, it still is the ugliest house on the street, as I am concentrating on bringing the interior and backyard up to my standards first, as those are the areas I gain the most pleasure and use from. Once those are further along, I will turn my attention to the aesthetics.

Some of the things I did pretty much immediately upon moving in: painted nearly every room, changed outlets and switches, put a coating on the wood floors, and minor landscaping. I'll write more about the more significant changes I have made, which include kitchen and bathroom overhauls, backyard rebirth, and infrastructure.

I of course see my house as an investment, and thus all the purchases related to it are scrutinized. I'll document my research and analysis efforts, and I hope to read your advice and comments.