The Conversion Begins

The garage conversion has officially begun!

We went to Lowes this morning and purchased all the materials we'll need for the conversion, down to the carpeting, paint, and even the window shade. Cost has been a big factor in this whole conversion process (I'm all about saving money!), so we've tried to plan minimalistically (is that even a word?).

The estimasted cost for our materials, as figured by our friend, John, who's helping us with the conversion, came to a whopping $1,500—and that wasn't even including any carpeting or sales tax!

But I am very pleased to say that we made it out of Lowes with absolutely everything we need for the project—including all the carpeting—and it cost less than $1,300!

Here are some of the things we did to save some green:

1. We applied for a Lowes credit account and got a 10% discount off the total purchase (which we'll pay off as soon as the bill comes in). Savings: $123
2. We used a $10 off "Project Starter" card we had received in the mail last week. Savings: $10
3. We price-matched the window we purchased. Savings: $14
4. We're getting a $25 rebate for the 5 gallons of paint we purchased. Savings: $25
5. We found a carpet remnant at Lowes that fit perfectly (12×21) and was a neutral shade that will go nicely with the paint we chose. The remnant was priced $50 off of the regular price, so we paid only $115 for the carpet. Savings: $50
6. A friend just redid the flooring in his living room, and he was planning to throw out his carpet pad, which was still in great shape and less than 2 years old. So we asked if we could have it, and he said, "Sure!" That gave us three-fourths of the pad we needed for the room—for free! Since we needed to purchase only an additional 50 square feet of pad, we were able to buy a pre-packaged roll, which costs less than buying it by the linear foot. Savings: $100+

Total savings: $322

Boy, does that feel good!

Take a look below at what John and Jeff have accomplished as of this posting. I'll continue to post updates of the progress as it occurs.