apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Maxwell is right - I had a roommate who didn't want to do anything to the apartment since "it wasn't his" - so I did all the painting, etc.

Once he finally left I repainted, installed new window coverings, purchased new furniture - and always seem to have a project in progress - but it's truly my home now.

agreed - even though I'm tucking every extra penny away for that one day where I have my own home, I always paint, find (or make) furniture to fit the space, and invest in items I can bring with.

as far as making alterations to the space, its just another fun challenge to have to think of things that are temporary (or can be hidden during your walk-through with the landlord).

We stayed in our last rental for almost SIX years. I'm so glad we painted over the mint green bedroom right away! It was worth it and our landlord rented the place to the next tenant without re-painting or charging us.

I agree as well, with the idea that you should make it home no matter how much or how little you can "do" to the place, and no matter how long you stay. Changing the walls from white to a color that moves you is the cheapest improvement - and most landlords will let you if you agree to paint it back to white when you move. Or, in my case, as in Cynthia's, sometimes a tenant or landlord likes what you've done so much that they leave it as you've altered it. That can be quite gratifying.

As an interior designer, I find the most difficult places to rent are apartments that have NO character whatsoever (think 1970's built, "builder" spec, with cheap vinyl in the kitchen and carpet everywhere else - bleh!). If you start with good bones, there's very little that needs to be done to make it 'home'. If you have good taste, and choose your items with thought and foresight, a good structure supports that taste, no matter the style or design era(s).

i have to clean my windows.
my landlords told me i'm not allowed to paint...but hopefully with the suggestions i find on AT, i can change their minds. so far, with the little changes i have been able to implement thanks to this site, they do like the way my place looks. the landlords say i made my apt look very pretty. thanks AT!!

Do landlords come into the apartments after it is rented?

With the economy as it is, renters will most likely remain that way for a while. Get the paint out, re-finish the floors, paint kitchen cabinets or have fronts professionally re-surfaced, new hardware, even new appliances if the budget allows, a new sink in the bathroom is not a huge investment and can change the entire look. You get the point. Live for the moment and make where you are as beautiful as you can, within your budget. When you move, you leave good kharma behind and take years of fine living with you.

i wish my condo building would clean our outside windows
:o(

I can't stand to see water marks!

A friend of mine just told me today that he went to see a subsidized apartment and normally, they aren't very nice at all. People treat these places like a pile of dung but he seemed to have been really excited to tell me what it looked like. He said, "ok.. you walk in.. and you immediately take 2 steps down into the living room". I said right at that moment.. 'TAKE IT!! RENT IT!! Give your deposit!'. Unique apartments in a subsidized apartment in Toronto are very hard to come by. I was honored that he asked me to be his designer for it!

Stayed tuned for before and after pics at http://partttimetherapy.blogspot.com/

I agree with this to a point... things like refinishing the floor and replacing a sink seems over the top for a rental. I imagine it depends on your income, but I'd rather sink that $1000 I'd spend on the floors into a savings account for a house. Investing in things I can take with me- rugs, furniture, art, that makes sense.

Do landlords come into the apartments after it is rented?

Yes!

Yey, AT is coming to TORONTO!!! Thanks, Maxwell and crew.

as a renter I probably wouldn't pay to have the floors refinished or to upgrade the appliances, but I did change the lighting fixtures a couple of years ago. the overhead lights were horrible in my apartment--old and brown and made the whole place look dark. I bought new basic fixtures and got a handyman friend to replace them. it didn't cost much, less than $150, and only took about an hour. and it made a drastic difference.

Ever since I moved in almost 3 years ago, almost every vacated apartment has gotten its floor refinished before the new tenant arrives. Not mine. I certainly have no means to do this myself, nor wish to be inconvenienced by the process at this point. I moved in on the 4th of the month, not the first, and am a little peeved that - they knew this, or the real estate agent knew - and my apartment has the worst looking floors I've seen. I cannot be bothered to, nor should I have to, do this on my dime, and leaving it up to the management of the property will really put me out, if previous maintenance tasks are any indication.