You know when you're feeling over the moon happy (maybe, just maybe you've had a cocktail or TWO) and you offer to do something for a friend then wake up the next morning regretting that you went out in the first place? Yeah, happens to the best of us! In this case someone (I won't mention names; ME) committed to helping a friend in need renovate most of her new home, including a kitchen renovation, three bathrooms, adding a bedroom, converting a covered porch into a dining room, reconfiguring a basement to include new windows, fireplace, bed and bath and gym...OH and painting the exterior, new roof, new garage doors, new outdoor kitchen, driveway, fence and landscaping. What was I thinking? And, yes, I've mentioned her before and will show before and after pictures soon. In the meantime I was exhausted this week working on several different projects and as I reluctantly peered at my "to do" list for the Connecticut job I saw, "kitchen demo and removal" for this weekend. I cried. Then I had a glass of wine and cried some more. And then I decided to enlist the help of my friend, Craig. Craigs LIST, that is! I posted a fairly straight forward ad with detailed pictures of the kitchen and simply said, "parting out kitchen. if you want it, COME GET IT. $300" And the calls (especially from contractors) came flooding in. Instead of bashing apart walls today and cursing like a drunken sailor, I sat back, made a lovely drink and watched other people do the work...OH, and did I mention we made money on this deal? Craigslist transactions can be a tad scary, so be careful what you post (I always say I'm a designer working in someones home with a crew so any potential odd ball knows I'm with a group AND I always talk to people before meeting and ask for email addresses and names...and I google them!) Next time you're staring at something ugly and want to bash it apart and toss it in the dumpster, just remember the old saying...one persons trash is another's treasure. Then POST it on Craigslist!
