Living Room Redo- Board and Batten DIY

So for my birthday this year I requested a little spruce up of the living room/kitchen where I spend most of my time and where there are some things we have been wanting to change and add since we have been living here.  We did board and batten in the living room then decided to use the leftover pieces and get some more to do the bathrooms while we were at it.  It made such a huge difference and after doing that I changed out a few accessories and felt like I had a whole new house!  I also touched up the white paint in my whole house (baseboards, cabinets, dresser, etc) so that made a huge difference too.  I was able to complete the whole house revamp for under $700- here is the breakdown:

First of all, the board and batten we did really cheap and really simple.  We basically bought the 2 sizes of plain baseboard (thick one and thin ones)  and used the thick on the top and thin running down the wall.  We simply measured, cut, nailed into studs with finishing nails, then patched the nail holes and caulked all the edges for a finished look.  I used a bright white paint and primer combo paint and ended up using a whole can for the living room and bathrooms.  All the walls took about 3 coats of paint (baseboard only took 1-2)  For the baseboard and paint I think we spent around $300

The entryway got a major transformation with a new light fixture ($50 at Wayfair during a sale) and the Ikea shoe organizer (used for $30 but you can buy one here)

For the hallway runner I got this pretty jute rug.  I LOVE it so much and would definitely buy it again- I will probably buy a few if we move into a home that needs more area rugs.  This one cost me about $50 on Rugs USA.  The pad is good for an entryway to keep the rug from moving around and I got that here as a blog review.  I really like it.  Definitely does its job.

This is viscose rug I chose and it came in under $150 on RUGS USA.  I would NOT buy this one again if I had the choice- it is BEAUTIFUL but water changes the texture and yellows it a little bit.  Viscose is not good when you have kids! For the pad I decided on a memory foam one since the rug was thinner. It makes a huge difference to have a thick pad underneath it. 

I added a little greenery- some from outside and some from Ikea - $5

I moved around a few things too- putting my copper shoe holder by the back door, which came in SO handy while we had tons of snow and the kids were constantly in and out playing in it.  I also moved around pictures and put some new ones of the kids in these frames (the enlargements I was able to get for under $5 each with coupons and deals online.)

One thing I didn't get around to that I plan on doing soon is touching up my kitchen table- you can see some spots that need new paint badly!  I use an outdoor paint on my table and it seems to keep pretty well- until your daughter spills nail polish on it of course :(

One new thing I was really excited about was getting a under-counter CD player/radio in my kitchen.  My mom gave me her old one and it matches my kitchen perfectly! :) I also have to say that I got a new vacuum for Christmas that has been a game changer- I don't sweep anymore (I hate sweeping with a passion) and I feel like my hard floors are so much easier to keep clean.  I will share in an upcoming post on Spring Cleaning.

Don't mind the smudges on the handles above...I was in a huge hurry to take these pictures before my kids destroyed my clean room haha!  Soon after I took these I gave the kids some windex and paper towels and let them go to town in the kitchen and my bathrooms!

Something else I added that has made a WORLD of difference is this Martha Stewart bench by the garage door.  We keep kids shoes and bags in here and I LOVE it.  Not to mention it fit the space perfectly- literally to the inch!  Plus the pad is removable so you can wash it, along with the fabric cover.  You can get this bench here- It cost me a whole $50 on sale :)  The boxes you can get here- those were $15 total also on sale.

So that was the living room and kitchen, and here are the bathrooms that also got the board and batten:

For the kids bathroom I switched out my dollar store soap dispenser for this one from Ikea- $5 on sale.  I love these- I did the same in the Master Bath.  I also switched out the clock and added these 2 pictures that I have moved around in my house because I love them so much.  The frames are from Trey's Grandpa that passed away and we loved so much so I think of him when I see them.  I hung them a little higher on the wall and it makes this bathroom seem SO much bigger!  The board and batten does that too.  The plant and vase is also from Ikea (as I mentioned above-$5) they have so many great options!

That is it for my living room redo!  If you count all the accessories I still came in under $700 and have a whole new house!  I still plan on doing the subway tile in the kitchen soon, just not sure how soon.  Hope you can get some ideas for your own homes if you are in need of a spruce up! :)

For more ideas of how to revamp your space for free or cheap, check out this post:

http://thehillsarelivin.blogspot.com/2015/11/5-inexpensive-ways-to-redecorate.html

If you want to see what the house looked like before these small changes check out these posts:

http://thehillsarelivin.blogspot.com/2013/01/living-room-kitchen-before-after.html

http://thehillsarelivin.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-diy-breakfast-nook.html

http://thehillsarelivin.blogspot.com/2013/09/master-bath-before-and-after.html