(no subject)

[vicarz]

It's official - I'm moving myself. The logic is there for paying people to do the work, but the prices are just too high. I've been trying to force myself to put my feelings (cheap) aside and blow the money on this project, but the numbers aren't panning out. I just spent 2 - 3 weeks freaking out about whether to replace my dying laptop for 800-1500, and now I'm trying to fool myself into spending thousands to "save time." I have this money because I'm cheap, I'm cheap because I was poor, and I've stayed this way because it's logical and rewarded. I'm not going to blow money when I don't have to - it doesn't feel right to do so.

Now that I've decided to do it myself, it just feels right. Maybe it's college life to haul your ikea furniture with your friends' help, but a) I still have ikea furniture, and b) I still have that college mentality. I have acquired furniture in my house through dumpster diving in recent years! I took furniture to Good Will and had it REJECTED. So I'm really not the type to spend thousands to get my stuff carried around wrapped in bubble-tape. All my doubt and questioning has vanished with the decision not to use movers. Now I just have to figure out the painting etc. thing so I can pick a date to do the move.

On that note, I'll be begging borrowing and stealing people to help me move sometime in the next few weeks, after 2/12 but before 3/6. This would be a great time to dig up any drama you'd like with me, or loudly proclaim you're leaving town for X, or just bicker with me / be offended so you can duck out :)

SWEET - just assigned a case in San Francisco! Hopefully the hearing won't be scheduled for May-July (bar prep and exam)

Comments

:: grunt grunt grunt :: Me am good at moving stuff :: grunt grunt ::

[(Anonymous)]

E-mail me. I can move things. and I have Kelowna as a reference.

h1661n5 AT gmail DOT com

Movers

[coronalrain.livejournal.com]

Movers are a giant rip off. Sure you save yourself some time, but most the people I know who have ever used them have ended up with crap missing or broken and spending just as much time watching over the movers then if they had just done it themselves. Of course my friends who have had to move my hutch multiple times would probably disagree but hey that is why you bribe folks with pizza and beer.

Re: Movers

[http://users.livejournal.com/_blackjack_/]

On the other hand, I could not have dealt (mentally or physically) with moving all my stuff down here myself in the midst of getting ready for school. I considered it money well spent.

send coffee

[eriss.livejournal.com]

The movers I used for my move to VA only costed me alittle over $500. But I had everything packed and ready. They charged by the item instead of time and they were fast. Would use again. A+++

DIY painting

[pennan.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on choosing to paint it yourself. We here at DIY networks know you will be more than pleased with both saving money and knowing you did a job well done. Assistants are standing by to take your call now...

I have no idea how much you know (or want to know...) about painting, so here's some info and pretty articles. BTW, I totally disagree with the recommendation to "go with cheap paint". In cheap paints, they use less bonding agents and more fillers. Have you ever seen the chalky residue on walls where they use cheap paint, ie, apartments? I mean, you brush against the walls and you see a patch on your clothes of the dusty chalky stuff that is essentially the "fillers" coming out from the paint that made it look all thick when you put it on. I don't know that you need to go as nuts as to buy the super expensive stuff, but please don't get the cheap stuff!
If you're worried about choosing the wrong color, get some paint in some of the mini-cans (quart or even the cup sized ones) and paint a 3x3 swath on the wall.

Here are some good links from TOH on painting. Btw, I still hold that the cheapo edger is totally the best for that spot where the walls/ceiling meet, but do it the same time that you're doing the rolling paint. This way, the 3" edge is still wet, and you can get close to 1/2" from the ceiling with a roller, and it really blends the two different textures better. And if you use eggshell or anything shinier, and you're anal about your work, you'll notice the difference in textures. Are the walls flat or shiny? That makes a difference in the prep work.

Oh yeah, articles.
Secrets of a Perfect Paint Job - TOHPretty good
The Secrets of Pro Painters - More in depth than the first article. Possibly overboard for what you want to do, i.e., I don't think you probably need to prime, but it has some great tips especially on prep work, ie, washing walls and priming spackled spots before painting.

How To Choose the Right Colors for Your Rooms - a little overmuch, but it has a few good ideas on how to choose from the millions of available colors.

These have information for doing a "perfect" paint job, so I somewhat pick and choose what I did based on the condition of the walls. I had to chemically clean AND sand AND prime my kitchen because it had all been done in cheap crap shiny paint, but the main rooms were all flat paint so I could just wash and go with those.

Re: Movers

[shadow27.livejournal.com]

The movers we used were $100 an hour, with a five hour/$500 minimum. Quite easily the best money I've ever spent on anything ever.

If you pay them to pack your stuff, well then it will cost you quite a bit more. But oh man the time and energy I didn't have to spend moving chairs, tables, a refrigerator, there's nothing like it.

Re: DIY painting

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Eep! I'm DIY moving, I may yet pay for the painting. I think the move can be a few hours (though unpacking longer) but the painting is more time intensive and could do with some skill. I'm still thinking about it, so this and these links are helpful.

Very good points, that I didn't know, about cheap paint.

Re: Movers

[vicar.livejournal.com]

$100/hr? Who was that?

Re: DIY painting

[pennan.livejournal.com]

I just had another thought. Since you are so short on time, you could possibly paint the ceilings before you move your stuff in, and then do the walls later at your leisure. I find that painting the walls of a room with stuff in it is not much of a problem... ceilings on the other hand, are a nightmare with furniture. And in a 2br condo, I don't know that you'll have room to stash furniture out of the way.

FWIW, I like a boring, flat white ceiling. Makes it look like fluffy white cloud. Matches everything. Makes it look taller. Some people think it makes it look "cold", but when you paint the walls, the ceiling will take on a touch of whatever hue you paint the walls in anyhow.

Re: DIY painting

[vicar.livejournal.com]

See, that's the funny thing. The ceiling is white, only the walls are blue. I was seriously thinking of just painting the walls. It seems like it would be much easier to do it before moving in than after.

I've also considered just taking the abuse of blue walls for a limited time, say until August when I'm out of school.

[cristiex.livejournal.com]

other than situations like our townhouse, i'd never pay to have someone paint inside my house. its far too easy to do yourself. (i'm cheap too). I painted our entire master bedroom yesterday, by myself. /flex. If you do decide to paint yourself, definitely go with quality paint. More money up front means less time spent painting and less crappy looking walls.

good luck. if its not cold, i'll help!

Re: Movers

[shadow27.livejournal.com]

It might have been Blake & Sons. I'll double check with Lori tonight

http://www.blakemoving.com/

[pennan.livejournal.com]

Agreed!

I know the articles make it look really complex, but it's mostly smaller steps that you can do during the week after work for an hour or so. Spackle the holes monday, tuesday sand the spackle (if needed, or you may need to add more spackle), wednesday prime spackle holes, thursday wash walls, friday tape off. Saturday paint, and it'll go super-fast.

And.... I'd recommend waiting for at least spring/summer for a purely practical reason - so you can open the windows and let it air out. Take this from the idiot who painted her bedroom at 10pm on the coldest night of the year and had to sleep downstairs on the couch. ;-)

[cristiex.livejournal.com]

lol. our master bedroom gets so hot that we always have a window open. between that and the ceiling fan and the exhaust fan from the bathroom on, the room was virtually fume free by bedtime for us. Tho I was finished by 6pm and it had plenty of time to air out.

Re: :: grunt grunt grunt :: Me am good at moving stuff :: grunt grunt ::

[kelowna.livejournal.com]

Dude he is a STELLAR mover. For real.

--kelowna

Re: :: grunt grunt grunt :: Me am good at moving stuff :: grunt grunt ::

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Kel knows all the movers and shakers.

(thank you thank you, I'm here all week)

Re: Movers

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Never mind - but thank you. I've decided to go it alone. If an Ikea billy bookshelf breaks, babies don't cry.

[turbogrrl.livejournal.com]

aha, thanks for alerting me that the lack of an -ing (paint/painting) made my recommendation unclear. I definitely wasn't trying to recommend cheap paint, but was trying to say that if he was waffling between paying someone to paint and paying someone to move to save some money, that he should do the paint himself, because it costs too damn much to pay someone to do it better than one can acomplish on one's own.

Clearly I need to get more sleep before operating a keyboard!

[justaputz.livejournal.com]

I'm a possible helper depending on when you need bodies...I've helped on many a move over the years.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Taking pictures? ;P

[justaputz.livejournal.com]

And moving stuff....I've helped many a freak move over the years....