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Looking to renovate your house but feel you don’t have a lot of time or money? Take inspiration from viewer Sam Raimondi!
The side-hustling woodworker and self-proclaimed “weekend warrior” (@diyhuntress) DIY’d her 1950s Cape Cod-style house in Long Island on a budget while working full-time as a psychologist. Turns out, Saturday and Sunday is just enough time for you to create the home of your dreams.
Check out Sam’s beautiful house!
Entryway
Rachael Ray Show
Rachael Ray Show
Sam says she completely remodeled her entryway into what it is today.
“This space used to look so different. When you walked through the front door, there actually used to be another door that led right on upstairs to our two bedrooms upstairs. There also was some laminate flooring that was covering the original hardware flooring that I was able to remove,” she says.
Among its many features, Sam particularly loves the entryway’s bright modern accents.
“So I really wanted to add this funky, geometric accent wall using some pine boards and some nails. This was a really fun project that only took me about one weekend to do, and it made a huge impact in the space.” (Be sure to check out Sam demonstrating this technique while making a board and batten wall!)
Additionally, Sam says she changed the front door to one that allowed in natural light.
“This space just feels so warm and welcoming when you enter our home, and that's exactly what we were going for.”
Living Room
Rachael Ray Show
Sam also completely re-did her living room.
“There actually used to be a wall in-between the living room, the dining room and the kitchen. With the help of our contractor, we removed that load-bearing wall, opened up the space completely and brightened it up so much,” she says.
Fireplace/Entertainment Center
Rachael Ray Show
Sam says building her beautiful custom fireplace is her favorite DIY project to date.
“I built this with 2 by 4 lumber from my local home improvement store, created a giant frame from floor to ceiling [and] made sure that it fit this beautiful electric fireplace insert. This piece just warms up the space, literally and figuratively.”
Dining Area
Rachael Ray Show
Rachael Ray Show
Next to the living room is the dining area which features personalized furniture that Sam built with her friends.
“I built this custom table with the help of a friend using this gorgeous, gorgeous slab of wood. We also custom welded some legs so that we can fit it into this space,” she says.
“I had another friend come and visit and help me build a matching bench for the table in one day of work, which made a huge difference. Now we are able to fit about six to eight people around this table.”
Bathroom
Rachael Ray Show
Before renovating her gorgeous, modernized bathroom, Sam and her dad completely demo’ed the space (down to the studs!) in just 1 weekend.
“After adding drywall and fresh paint, I was able to come on in and install this tile floor all by myself,” she says. (Speaking of which, here’s how to make your own cement floor tiles.)
“I also created this custom shelving using some 2 by 6 lumber and some shelving brackets. I added some fresh, modern matte black fixtures.”
Main Bedroom
Rachael Ray Show
In addition to working on her kitchen, Sam is also in the process of remodeling her main bedroom. However, she has completed a dark blue accent wall which gives the space a warm, rich texture.
“Recently, I was able to paint this really delicious, yummy, dark blue color, and I was able to add this plywood accent wall in a long weekend. This was a really fun project that I was able to complete by cutting some quarter-inch sheets in plywood down to size and nailing them to my wall,” Sam says.
Overall, Sam says she has had “so much fun learning and trying and creating things as a side-hustling DIY’er.”
Inspired? Check out Sam’s easy + inexpensive DIY projects that you could do in 1, 2 + 3 days: a cement planter, scrap wood wall art + board and batten accent wall.