my tiny garden apartment

I’m a 23 year old art major graduate who finally moved out!…. into my families garden apartment. I know it may not be a luxurious total gut rehab with hardwood floors, and granite countertops, but it’s something I can call my own…plus it’s in my mere pittance of a budget. Well the layout wasn’t exactly great either. It has 2 tiny bedrooms, living room, bathroom, and a detached kitchen.

I’m not much of a cook (that’s why my boyfriend won’t ever move in with me…he might starve) so the kitchen wasn’t going to matter to me when I moved out. I should have bitten my tongue because this kitchen was a NIGHTMARE! What were supposed to be white walls were stained, the baseboards where old and worn out, the cabinet was falling apart and the sink was leaking which was causing tiles to pop up.

Everyone has a pretty tight budget so I didn’t ask my landlord (mom) to fix anything. It was up to me to transform this beast into a beauty.

For the next couple of weeks Lowes was my permanent address. I loved the prices of everything I needed, plus if you sign up for their “First time Movers” newsletter they give you a 20% off coupon.

After asking a handy friend of mine he said he would be able to install the cabinet & sink…PERFECT! But I needed to tile, paint, and redo the baseboards before he could do that.

A week later this

became this

I bought a small untreated cabinet, which I painted myself using “Poly Shades” for $11.00.

This should be done outside because the smell is extremely strong, plus it will dry faster. I did it in my garage and I did 2 coats in 2 days. When that was done drying I moved it into the basement, well my boyfriend and brother did. I also brought in the countertop I bought for $40!

When my friend came back to install my cabinet he ran hit a bump. Remember the sink leaking? There was a reason for that, which he fixed by putting in a new J tube, but now the cabinet couldn’t be flushed up against the wall. Apparently you can cut the kitchen cabinets because the wood is veneer and would crack easily. He suggested we move the cabinet a few inches to the left, this way my countertop wouldn’t have to be cut. He then made a secret compartment to hide those pipes. Now it just looks like the rest of my countertop.

This is what it looks like today….It may not be a gourmet kitchen, but I’m proud of what I did :)