SHE BOUGHT THE FARM!

Over the holiday I got a lovely email from a woman in Oklahoma, Andie, who'd just inherited an old farm from her great-grandmother an hour south of Tulsa. Sick and tired of living the country life for the better part of hers, Andie decided weeks before inheriting the property she'd move to Southern California, and as far away from the chirp of chickens as she could get. After following our ongoing renovation story of moving into a dilapidated, run-down, hundred year old house, Andie could relate when she walked into her new farmhouse for the first time. After selling most of her jewelry to pay for the move to the Golden State, Andie didn't have a lot to spend on preparing this old house for the market, so she turned to me for advice and inexpensive tips. One of her main concerns was the dated, dirty kitchen in dire need of a face lift. So, I sent Andie a few of my favorite tips for bringing a turn of the century farmhouse into this century.

DOODLE DO-IT YOURSELF!

Andie complained about the high overhead cabinets and filthy walls above the counters so I suggested she head to Lowe's or the Home Depot and purchase a sheet of Galvanized metal (used for roofing) for use as a metal backsplash. The galvanized-steel roofing material is fire-safe (for those areas behind the stove) and gives a commercial look while maintaining the integrity of the farm (metal roof sheets also come in flat form for $32 per 38x144" piece). I also suggested she place a beautiful hutch from the living room in the kitchen for plate storage, bring in the potting table from the garden and paint it as an island, replace overhead lighting with schoolhouse lighting (restoration hardware has great lighting starting at $159) and, if so inclined, wallpaper the ceilings (Andie said the farmhouse has incredibly high, 18' ceilings so I thought this was a nice way to warm up the space and bring a unique touch to perspective buyers). So, she took my tips and ran with them right to the local hardware store, emailed me again yesterday to say she'd attacked the first project, loved it so much (and the small community) that she's decided to stay. Andie, send me the pictures when you're finished. I'm dying to see them!

TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Creating Galvanized steel backsplash: 2 days

COST: Andie's 10'x20' space required three sheets of galvi from Lowe's at $32/each

STRESS LEVEL: Young McDonald had a hip, cool farm: LOW