it's just to let u know u can manage on shoestring... u just need to put more time n effort into it. like if u flip the classifieds daily, u will see alot of 'budget' prices... if u co-ordinate the things, u should be fine.
if i was in your position, this is what i would do (of cos i do not know the full condition of the house u bought)
1) toilet - epoxy painting, do up in grey or black... choose just ONE colour for both wall n flooring. slightly more for 'sparkles'. looks expensive but cost abt 1k each. If current table-top is there, epoxy paint it also. if no table top, u might need to build one or see if Ikea has something cheap. buy those sink/toilet bowl package - cost abt $700-800. Note - for epoxy painting, crucial to give ample time for the paint to cure... no rushing of the work. there are other forms of treatment too, nowadays u can paint your toilet to look like those Stoney/Gravel-look... zen-ish. to have an idea, Goto Home-fix or Self-fix and look for this spray paint that gives a 'stone' look... AGAIN i repeat - u Cannot rush this becos after it is thick, so u need time to dry. also if u decide on tiles - Do Not tile the walls, it's fcuking expensive and u can't do half-way else look oldish.
2) kitchen flooring + washer/dryer area - i WOULD consider the same as above. but the job has to be very very good. to me, it's a cheap alternative to tiles which i dun like, i like cement/industrial/stone look... it's personal. and being bachelor, the usage and walking in these areas are minimal... the epoxy painting and stuff also has a 'softer' feel to it. Cabinets - if old types with good solid wood, consider just changing laminates and having a decent cleaning... most ID will convince u to change. it's up to u.
3) Living/Rooms - laminates, cost me like 1.4k for my 4rm whole house excl kitchen of cos.. i believe slightly more expensive now but under 2k can do. i would go Grey/Ashen Wood colour... problem with tiles is that u may see 2.8k, but when u choose and change tiles, u may end up at 4k becos of better tiles/preferred design/not enough tiles to cover the whole area.
4) TV cabinets - no built-in pls! overpriced. buy something u can move around... u are a bachelor, u might wanna have that ability to move around things to accomodate new things. ALSO - if u have 2 walls suitable for the tv thingie... then make sure both walls are well equipped to take on a full set of tv/dvd player/scv etc.
5) If living room/MBR are 'sharing' the same wall, consider a swivel feature so that u can use just ONE tv to flip to your MBR, or flip to your Living room... u can be surprised how much u can save on equipment just by doing that. that hole in the wall cost u at most $800. if u do a swivel, make sure SPeakers and all equipment are on that swivel so that u dun need any re-connections. u are a bachelor, go for innovation/minimalist.
6) Furnishings. rem this WELL... u dun need chair to be chairs, u dun need tables to be tables. u could turn furniture upside-down, sideways to be serve another function.
a. for chairs - u can use Car-Rims, put an Audi cap, put a Cork board on the side sitting on the floor... get a used Round table, saw off the legs to comfortable height, and u've got something for under 1k but looks Cool. round it off with ONE of those japanese comfort chairs (which says that it's for the master of the house - u!). the height is good for reading, eating, surfing your laptop. throw a book on greek mythology on it and it looks cool.
b. side-tables dun need to be side-tables... use OLD leather suitcases to store old things u dun need but wanna keep, stack them up on both or 1 side of your bed and u've got a totally usable side table... (3 stacks to a decent height. if u dun have a bed then 1 is enough. i used to sleep on a matrress that is placed on a Carpet).
c. buy a used sewing machine and use it as a decor table if u want.
d. buy 2-3 low shoe cabinets (prob cost less than $100 each) from those neighbourhood furniture shops, lay them in a straight manner, and use them as your tv cabinet. or as a table for placing your decor.
e. (saw this on mags) buy those industrial lockers we have in school or construction workplaces, spray it some bright colour, and use it as a standalone piece for storage. makes for good retro look.
f. comb thru your parents' storeroom for things u can use becos it's old n looks like an item that can stand alone.
7) FORGET false ceilings. cement-skreet your ceiling, build just 1 straight block of false ceiling instead where all your lights come from. u dun need to cover the WHOLE ceiling just for some lights, when a diagonal running block, or a straight thru block can do the trick.
there's alot of things u can do. and alot of it is Fun. some pple wanna decorate straight away, but building a home is abt slowly finding the right things, coming across the right things, rather than forcing things Into the house to complete it.
need more tips can check with me...
