just in case anyone is actually reading or cares here are before and after pictures of my living room. bought this house one year ago and trying to remodel without a home loan and doing all the labor ourselves. me and the wife have been working on one project after another to bring the house up to the level of a home. it was bought for a steal and by doing the projects ourselves it is coming along slowly but nicely and on the cheap, by cheap i am not talking about the craftsmanship but the price tag of the projects. so far in the first year we have redone the laundry room (cut out floors and replaced warped joists replaced all from floor to ceiling for $500), replaced roof shingles (hired a contractor for roof i hate roofing), replaced all windows (total cost $1400), and a lot of work on the property(it is not there yet but one day it will look great). my next project is to extend the Kitchen hardwoods (i installed) into the hallway and on into the bedrooms. soon crown molding will be installed in the living room along with bamboo hardwoods with a greenish tint. if you are hiring a contractor to do any job do alot of research get as many free estimates as possible and take the time to see a few of the contractors actual finished projects before hiring anyone.