Guest Blogger: Simple Tips for Remodeling your Boys’ Bedroom

 Guest Blogger #782, Entry #1849, November 20, 2012

As somebody that works in the construction field, I have lots of opportunities to see the process of building a home or office from start to finish, but I don’t often get to pick the final design ideas for the completed room.  That’s not necessarily my job, but I like to think that I have some decent ideas and my wife and I have put some into place.  But as our son grew and his child’s bedroom became outdated for a pre-teen, we knew it was time to change.  He wouldn’t want me to design his room from top to bottom, including color and layout schemes.

Simple tips for remodeling your boys’ bedroom

Image via: artisticdesignsforliving.com

So we made a plan to reorganize, paint and add new window coverings to his room.  We had some choices to make and this is where the fun started.  We let him help make all of the decisions.  Now, I couldn’t tell you what colors to pick and what to do in your specific room, but what I can say is that when we tackled this job as a team, it was some great time spent together and when he was able to make some of the important decisions, it sure motivated him to help with the project more than if I had just taken it on myself and he sat on the sidelines watching.

Paint scheme-

My son and I went to the paint store and looked at all of the different samples and colors and even some design books.  We found some colors that we both liked and eventually settled on a two color scheme, where we would paint opposite walls the same color.

Creative idea for your boy’s bedroom

Image via: oharainteriors.com

Layout of the room-

I got a piece of graph paper and drew the dimensions of the room on the paper.  I then cut out pieces of paper that represented the approximate dimensions of the pieces of furniture.  We were able to layout the room without ever having to move a piece of real furniture.  It was a little work upfront, but it saved my back from any extra heavy lifting.  It was also a good lesson dealing with measurement and fractions for my son.

Guest blogger remodels his son’s bedroom

Window coverings-

Okay, I let my wife do this one because she had some ideas.  My son helped with the installation and it was a good introduction to the proper use of a power drill and other assorted tools.  It’s never too early for tool safety.

We also hung a new shelf over his desk for extra storage and installed new outlets and light fixtures, all of which my son was eager to help with because he was working on his room.  In fact, if I had to estimate, I would say he did at least half of the painting on himself and was an extreme help with everything else.  Again, I wouldn’t dream of telling somebody how to decorate the room that they were working on, I’m not an expert in that area, but what I can say with confidence is that if you let the child help, make decisions, then they will take a much more active role in the tasks ahead and take ownership of the space in way that they hadn’t in the past.  I will also say that because he saw and experienced firsthand how much work went into the project, he is much better at keeping the space clean and organized.

Jay Preston is Blogger for ToolHQ, Australia’s premiere source for discount tools.

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