What can I do to improve my lakehouse as a party payback for my parents?

[Tom McCurdy]

WhaT to Do ?? Party payback

I am returning from my freshman year of school and am living at my families lakehouse by myself. My rest of my family moved to CT as my dad has job changed, but they kept our lakehouse in MI.

Anyway, I had a very large party (probably over 100 people) at my lakehouse and my parents found out via my neighbors. (Even though this party had a lot of people it was very organized for the situation) we had a few people doing security watching parking and running the door. You had to get a wristband to get in. However parties were not on the approved list of things that I could at the lake, especially of this magnitude, and anyway they got very very angry, as one might exspect. I got a fair amount of punishment, but I still feel very bad, and I was wondering if anyone would have any ideas of what I could do as projects to help improve the house a bit for when they come back for a few weeks over the summer. The house is right on a lake and I was going to clean up the sand on the beach area, but I was hoping to have a couple of other ideas. The house is decorated very poorly, my mom is a good decorator but she hasn't had time to redecorate it after from the people we bought it from. It is currently decorated in like an old country theme with lots of little woodin figures all around the house. It looks like a grandma and grandpa's cottage, and I was hoping to improve something. The lowest basement level is a fairly small unfinished room, probably 16 by 18. The only thing I have done so far, was I built a bar for my party which isn't that bad looking considering the rest of the house, but I am need of other ideas. The lawn is fairly plain, although there are flowers and stuff around the front of the house.

The only thing is that I have very limited budget, I make 8.50 an hour and work full time with overtime sometimes. I also have to pay for some bills which comes to like 200 a month and food is like 80 a week.

 

[wolram]

Just get the mop and bucket out and clean every thing, sponge down the walls with hot soapy water, take the carpets outside and pressure wash them, buy a can of wd40 and polish the furniture (it leaves a lovely smell)
and makes wood shine, if any thing needs painting use white wash with a
dye that brings out the coulor you want, all sorted for a pocket full of change

 

[Danger]

Good thoughts, Woolie. I wouldn't go doing any irreversible improvements without getting permission, or at least a very good indication that they'd be welcome. Anything that you do might in fact conflict with plans that your parents already have for the place. You can't go wrong with simply tidying up what's already there. That could include a bit of landscaping; keep the lawn neat, tend to whatever gardens/flowerbeds might already be there, etc..

 

[Moonbear]

Yeah, I would never attempt to do any redecorating, especially if your mom is really good at it...you might not do it the way she wants it. I agree with wollie, just clean everything very thoroughly, and repair any damage that the party might have caused. Outside, you can do things like pull weeds to keep any landscaping looking nice. Make it so that when they visit, they don't need to do any regular chores, and can focus on things like decorating if they want, or just relaxing and enjoying vacation time.

 

[SimplySolitary_]

Got to agree with everyone here.

Wash everything. Like, twice. Make sure the dishes are done, the corners of the floor in the bathroom is clean, the lawn is mowed AND rake it if your mower doesn't have a bag (Those can get heavy after a while...) to pick up the cut grass. Steam clean the carpets, organize the kitchen area, pull the weeds, clean the showers and tubs, wash the dirty clothes, use that air spray GENTLY everywhere in the house (Don't make it stink, make it fresh...), do things that your mother would normally do.

Hope you're not in too much trouble. Good luck.

 

[rcgldr]

my parents found out via my neighbors

One, you're supposed to invite the neighbors to prevent this. Two, are you sure your parents didn't hear the confetti fall over the cell phone?

 

[J77]

Make sure the fridge is stocked with some cold beer for your old man, and a nice wine - Chablis, Sancerre... - for you rmum

Sorted.

 

[wolram]

For cleaning carbonized ovens, mix 1 cup gunk, i cup paraffin, i cup vingar
and 2 cups baking soda, heat oven, then turn it off, spread mixtuer all over,
leave for as long ass poss, wipe off and rinse with soapy water, buff up,
your oven will be like new.

 

[FredGarvin]

Clean, clean and clean like was already mentioned. I would also add that, if you can swing a few bucks, get some plants. Hanging baskets are really easy and they don't cost too much. Or perhaps a small planting somewhere near the front of the house...

 

[ToxicBug]

I don't get it, they're punishing you for going to a party? Why?

 

[Danger]

I think that you missed the point there, Toxic. He hosted the party at his parents' lakehouse, without permission.

 

[ToxicBug]

Oh, sorry, I didn't read the thread thoroughly enough hahaha. Well then, you deserve to be severely punished. Maybe you should go live somewhere else for a month.

 

[Moonbear]

Oh, sorry, I didn't read the thread thoroughly enough hahaha. Well then, you deserve to be severely punished. Maybe you should go live somewhere else for a month.

Hee hee. Yeah, nothing like a small, quiet gathering of 100 of your closest friends while your parents are away to get them angry...parents are just so irrational about those sorts of things. :rofl:

Actually, I'm surprised cleaning the house from top to bottom and being their slave for the summer isn't already on the required punishment list. You'd have been in enough trouble if it was 20 or 30 friends and acquaintances, but when you get to the point where you need wristbands and security and parking patrols, I'm actually surprised the neighbors just told your parents and didn't call the cops! It could have been much, much worse.

While you're cleaning, don't forget the toilets, and all that baked-on gunk that gets under the stove burners. (Ooh, I'd be good at being a mom, wouldn't I? He's not even my own kid and I have him scrubbing the house top to bottom. :rofl:)

 

[Echo 6 Sierra]

If people were smoking in the house I'd air it out before trying to cover it up with scents especially if nobody in your family smokes. That's the first thing that will get noticed. Even if you douche the house with lysol, kaboom, and febreeze Mom will know, trust me. Mother Nature is the best deodorizer. Turn over EVERY cushion and make sure all the zippers go in the back AFTER you wash them, look behind every door for butts & gunk and hair that's not Mom's, make sure all the plates are stacked in the cabinet and flatware is neat. If there's a disposal in the sink fill it with ice then make some dish water with soap, or use vinegar, and then hit puree while the water's still running. Definately get a plastic bag and scour the yard for butts, bottle caps, and the like.

Or, if you're lazy, just cook something with onions and garlic an hour before they show up to over-funk the house.

 

[Tom McCurdy]

some responses

hahaha

Or, if you're lazy, just cook something with onions and garlic an hour before they show up to over-funk the house.

Yeah cleaning the house from top to bottom is definitally on the list.

Make sure the fridge is stocked with some cold beer for your old man, and a nice wine - Chablis, Sancerre... - for you rmum

For some reason I think this may only make things worst... I'm 19

Hope you're not in too much trouble. Good luck.

Hahahaha

For cleaning carbonized ovens, mix 1 cup gunk, i cup paraffin, i cup vingar
and 2 cups baking soda, heat oven, then turn it off, spread mixtuer all over,
leave for as long ass poss, wipe off and rinse with soapy water, buff up,
your oven will be like new.

Isn't gunk an engine cleaner?

Also on the note of cleaning what is the proper mixture for a gas powered weed wacker?

Well thanks for your guys help so far...

I am still looking for a small project that I could do as a sorry...

 

[Danger]

Isn't gunk an engine cleaner?

It is here. Who knows about UK?

Also on the note of cleaning what is the proper mixture for a gas powered weed wacker?

It varies with the motor. Mine is a 30cc Ryobi, and it uses a 30:1 premix. The owner's manual will tell you for sure, and there might be a sticker near or on the gas tank. (And if you're not sure, use more oil than you think that you need. It's a lot better to smoke a bit and run crappily than to go too lean and cook the piston.)

 

[turbo]

This is a whole lot more fun than cleaning (you should still do the cleaning!) and it can make the property look great, especially if it's an older place:

Is there an old quarry anywhere around where you can pick up a load or two of slate, shale, or other flat rocks? If so, you could make a nice walkway. In back of the house we bought recently, there was a pile of slate that a previous owner had collected but never used. I was going to build a wooden landing at the lower end of the stairs from our back deck and build a set of stairs down over the rather steep 3' embankment to the back lawn. When my wife was away visiting family one day, I got a better idea, and dug up the landing area and fitted irregular pieces of slate together (like a jigsaw puzzle) to make a nice landing, then extended that with a narrower stone walkway about 3' from the foundation all the way to the end of the house. I bedded all the stones in sand and filled the gaps between them with a mix of topsoil and composted manure, and seeded that with grass seed and covered it with straw mulch to keep the seeds moist. The grass will grow up between the stones and the roots will eventually support and anchor them even more securely than they are now. Then I dug out the area between the walkway and the foundation and filled that with topsoil and manure so my wife could have an herb garden down there. And instead of building wooden stairs, I cut back the bank at three elevations, and excavated into the bank at each level so I could insert another piece of slate at each for a step. Each step is about 1/2 buried into the bank, and they are very stable. My wife was thrilled. Yesterday, I pulled off the straw mulch because the grass is growing nicely between the stones. It looks really nice, and we've got chives, watercress, basil, parsley, cilantro, and all kinds of other great stuff growing there.

If you can get some flat stone for free, or for a reasonable fee, all it will cost you is some labor and perhaps a modest amount of topsoil, grass seed, etc. If there already is a nice established lawn where you might want a stone path, lay out the stones together on the lawn to make an attractive layout (a walkway that curves can often be nicer-looking than a straight one if you've got space), and one by one you can cut the sod around them with a spade. Remove the sod (you can shake most of the dirt back into the hole to bed the stones) the stones will fit right in. If you lay the stones flush with the ground and level, you'll be able to mow right over them with your mower and keep the grass trimmed. By later this summer, the walk will look like it has always been there. Apart from gathering materials, and depending on the size of the walk, you might be able to do a project like this in a day. Do a good job, and you might be back on the good side of the parental units...

 

[turbo]

It is here. Who knows about UK?

And here, paraffin is a generic term for petroleum-based waxes - in the UK, isn't it what we call Kerosene?

It varies with the motor. Mine is a 30cc Ryobi, and it uses a 30:1 premix. The owner's manual will tell you for sure, and there might be a sticker near or on the gas tank. (And if you're not sure, use more oil than you think that you need. It's a lot better to smoke a bit and run crappily than to go too lean and cook the piston.)

Yeah, I've got a 2-stroke chain saw, trimmer, and leaf blower, and they all have slightly different requirements. If you can't find the manual, and the mix-ratio is not molded into the trimmer housing or printed on a sticker, it's best to get on Google with the brand and model number to get the right mix.

 

[Moonbear]

And here, paraffin is a generic term for petroleum-based waxes - in the UK, isn't it what we call Kerosene?

Um...I wouldn't put either in the oven. But at least kerosene makes more sense for cleaning than wax did! If the oven has a self-clean cycle, just use that and then wipe out the ashes left. If not, better to just go with a commercial cleaner than some flammable, greasy concoction that might catch fire or ruin the finish on the stove.

 

[Danger]

I've got a 2-stroke chain saw, trimmer, and leaf blower, and they all have slightly different requirements.

That's the main reason that I went with Ryobi. The shaft splits half-way down, so you just buy trimmer, edger, whatever heads and snap them onto the same engine.

 

[wolram]

Um...I wouldn't put either in the oven. But at least kerosene makes more sense for cleaning than wax did! If the oven has a self-clean cycle, just use that and then wipe out the ashes left. If not, better to just go with a commercial cleaner than some flammable, greasy concoction that might catch fire or ruin the finish on the stove.

It worked on my oven, it was left by the last owner and was filthy, my concoction worked great, it is best to leave the doors and windows open though, and to clean down with soapy water.

 

[Mk]

Dude! That must have been an awesome party!

 

[Mk]

Burn the lawn around the edges. I always like how things look when they're burned around the edges. :!)

 

[Tom McCurdy]

how to use carpet shampoo

trying to get rid of some of the beverage smells so I borrowed my friends carpet cleaner --- Dirt Devil Easy Steamer Deluxe deep cleaner and I was wondering if anyone knew how to use one of these things. Also I am almost out of the solution, so I was wondering what I could use as an alternative to it.

 

[scott1]

One, you're supposed to invite the neighbors to prevent this. Two, are you sure your parents didn't hear the confetti fall over the cell phone?

That's what I always do!

 

[Moonbear]

trying to get rid of some of the beverage smells so I borrowed my friends carpet cleaner --- Dirt Devil Easy Steamer Deluxe deep cleaner and I was wondering if anyone knew how to use one of these things. Also I am almost out of the solution, so I was wondering what I could use as an alternative to it.

Call your friend and ask. Most of those things are pretty straightforward...mix the cleaner and water, plug it in, and go (patiently though). You should be able to buy the cleaning solution at any grocery or hardware type store. Maybe get an extra bottle while you're at it to give to your friend when you return the cleaner to "compensate" for letting you use it.

 

[Danger]

Or take Trib's approach and just burn the carpet.

 

[loseyourname]

When your parents are old, take them in instead of sending them to a nursing home.