Inspired by this pin, I was on a mission this morning to sort the mess that was our under-sink cupboard.
We took a trip to IKEA and purchased a Bygel Rail and a small container which resulted in a really great solution.
We’ve been living in our first floor flat for over a year now and we still had the issue of two bikes at the top of the stairs in the hallway which have always required some negotiating to get around them.
I’ve been trying to find a solution for this and had settled upon trying to get a bike hoist like the following image but the space we have for it would be too tight a squeeze for two hoists side by side not to mention the fact that it’s not a flat roof that we’ll need to mount from.
This weekend I had the great idea of hanging one of the bikes from the banister which actually works really well. All the weight of the bike is sitting on the pedal which rests on the base of the stairway and I’m using a short bungee cord to hold the handlebar and other wheel in place. This arrangement means there is no unnecessary strain on the banister and there is no risk of the bike falling off. I also made sure to slide an old jiffy bag over the pedal to make sure the pedal pins don’t scratch up the wood.
The result is brilliant as we’ve cleared one of the bikes from the hallway and we’ll be able to use a hoist mechanism for the other one without it being as much of a squeeze.
So last month we moved into our new flat and we are getting a really great deal but we agreed that we would do all the improvements to the place. So here is a wee series on our home DIY and so this is why:
When we were deciding on decor for the flat we both had the idea of using vinyls on the walls and the living room was the first decision. We wanted to use something dramatic but emotive also and Banksy’s balloon girl was the obvious choice for me as it’s one of my favourite Banksy pieces. So I mocked it up in Photoshop and we both agreed it would look awesome and indeed it does!
So last month we moved into our new flat and we are getting a really great deal but we agreed that we would do all the improvements to the place. So here is a wee series on our home DIY and so this is why:
Fridge door tray stops. Like so many things in this flat that came with – the fridge is a little old and run down. We didn’t realize until we’d moved in that the fridge was actually missing the door trays which was not fun. So remembering the fact that I could challenge MacGyver or the-A-Team to an invent-off with my surly coat-hanger bending skills I decide to create a simple guard which so far has been quite effective – except the top one is a bit prone to popping off if you open the door to vigorously. They say you can fix anything with Gaffer Tape and WD40 but I’d like to add wire coat hangers to the list!
So last month we moved into our new flat and we are getting a really great deal but we agreed that we would do all the improvements to the place. So here is a wee series on our home DIY and so this is why:
Drop Leaf table – Our last kitchen was never a fun place to cook in and I was determined to make sure that I would have enough surface space to cook comfortably. The layout of our kitchen is much better simply because it’s much bigger but I was concerned that if we needed to prepare a large meal then there wasn’t quite enough space so we bought this IKEA drop leaf table. The fun bit was fitting it as it’s a hollow wall and so I had my first go at using some heavy duty hollow-wall screws. – Its been great to use and is holding up strong.
So last month we moved into our new flat and we are getting a really great deal but we agreed that we would do all the improvements to the place. So here is a wee series on our home DIY and so this is why:
This is really only an honorable mention as its not really a full project. It’s only a shelf but the fun thing was that i got to get the circular saw out and wreak more havoc on the previously mentioned desk. The result is an incredibly useful shelf in the kitchen cupboard.
So last month we moved into our new flat and we are getting a really great deal but we agreed that we would do all the improvements to the place. So here is a wee series on our home DIY and so this is why:
Another item we inherited was this spectacularly large office desk!
The last guy who rented the room upstairs – I say rented when actually he only paid for 2 out of the 7 months he lived here and when he snuck out he left our good friend Jo without his contribution to the utility bills! – What a lovely charming chap!!! – Anyway we tried to sell this monstrosity on eBay but it never even got a viewing so I decided to use it for myself. It had a date with my brother-in-law’s circular saw and then became a much smaller but more suitable desk for my office although I had to work on its orientation as the first office layout didn’t suit the sloping floor which gave me a dodgy back as i was sitting on a slope and bending my back to the right:
Now it’s great!
So last month we moved into our new flat and we are getting a really great deal but we agreed that we would do all the improvements to the place. So here is a wee series on our home DIY and so this is why:
Another thing we inherited with the flat was one of these old IKEA Futon things. Now even in good condition these things are the most uncomfortable things ever to the point that in the past I have chosen the floor over the futon option. Now this particular one was in bad shape. It was suffering a few broken slats and a missing screw or two. – So why would we wanna keep it? Well – it wasn’t for the original purpose. No I wanted to use it for shelving. With the help of my brother, we cut them down to size and stained them with the same stuff we used for the low sideboard then mounted them in the alcove above the TV ready for the Hifi and DVD’s bringing a nice symmetry to the room.
So last month we moved into our new flat and we are getting a really great deal but we agreed that we would do all the improvements to the place. So here is a wee series on our home DIY and so this is why:
So in this picture you can see the aged and battered pine sideboard. Okay so you might not really be able to see it but believe me – it’s there. Its the unit underneath all the other stuff doing its job as a sideboard well just looking pretty ugly (behind the chair). – Knowing that we were going to be bringing in our own set of shelves we decided we should paint the sideboard black or to be precise – we decided to stain it black.
So last month we moved into our new flat and we are getting a really great deal on the place but we agreed that we would do all the improvements to the place. So here is a wee series on our home DIY and so this is why:
So we inherited this cheap and tatty IKEA sofa with the flat. It was ready to go to the dump and Ruth wanted it gone but I was keen to see if we could up-cycle it. Two sofas are always better than one especially when we now have loads of space and if we could achieve that without having to buy another sofa then that was gonna be ace too! So on my first investigation of how we might make it a little better the whole back of the sofa fell off as the chipboard which kept it in place crumbled. At this point Ruth really wanted it gone but a little further investigation (made easier now it was in two halves) gave me the inspiration on how to rebuild it and make it better than it was. Then thanks to several 6inch bolts, many many MANY staples, a few throws and £15 lighter it was transformed in to this:
At least in the Robinson household I am.
This is the fruit of my labour today and Wifey is also super pleased.
I done good.