Been busy with life, but I’m happy to add another completed home renovation our portfolio! (Check them out here and here!) So take a look at our latest sale, a home remodel in Greenacres, Bakersfield, CA!
Continue reading SOLD! Home Remodel in Greenacres, Bakersfield
Thank you for your patience! We finally have our latest real estate project, a total home remodel in the Oleander neighborhood of Bakersfield, CA, up for sale!
Continue reading New Remodel in Oleander, Bakersfield
PRAKTICALA is excited to announce its latest venture, a Bakersfield real estate investment property!
We picked up this property in downtown Bakersfield, CA, late last year. It had great bones and a fantastic floor plan, but was in serious need of updating and repairs. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to combine my passion for DIY projects and my jack-of-all-trades disposition.
Fast forward a few months, and the project is up and ready for sale!
The transformation is incredible. Check out more photos below!
Continue reading New Venture: Bakersfield Real Estate Investment
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Here are just a few of PRAKTICALA’s favorite deals for Black Friday 2017 (check back regularly for updates).
War for the Planet of the Apes (Blu-ray) – $8 at Amazon
X-men: Days of Future Past 3D (Blu-ray) – $7 at Amazon
Alien: Covenant (Blu-ray) – $9 at Amazon
Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection (Blu-ray) – $30 at Amazon
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4) – $15 at Target
Beckett Simonon – many shoes $149 by clicking here and using promo code VIP149 (see our recent review for their Durant brogues here)
Lodge 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet – $10 from Amazon (I now cook almost exclusively with this)
Simplisafe – $200 off the Beacon home security package, or 15% off any other new system package
Stay tuned for more Black Friday 2017 deals throughout the weekend!
Happy Thanksgiving from PRAKTICALA to all our readers! We hope you enjoy the holiday with friends, family, and good times.
If you’re like us and are pinching pennies this season, here are some of our favorite Black Friday deals for 2016 that won’t cost you an arm and a turkey leg! No need to set your money on fire like in the reused illustration above! Check back throughout the weekend for updates!
Continue reading PRAKTICALA’s Favorite Black Friday Deals for 2016!
If you’re going to spend every night on a bed for the rest of your life, it should be something you can take pride in – something you built with your own two hands.
Store-bought furniture is either expensive, low quality, or both. Only hardwood furniture can be expected to last more than a year or two, especially if it sees as much daily use as a bed. But a decent hardwood bed can easily cost over a thousand bucks!
So I built my own DIY hardwood bed frame for a fraction of the cost. After we published our Tuft & Needle mattress review, we received numerous requests for the frame design.
At the time, I hadn’t thought of documenting the process, and I built it sort of on the fly, so it took me a while to compile all the necessary steps into a comprehensive tutorial. But here it is at last!
Continue reading Build Your Own DIY Hardwood Bed Frame
I recently was able to try out the new Amerisleep Liberty mattress for the bed I built last year.
Yoselin from 6 Mono Media and I spent a few nights on the memory foam mattress. Keep reading to find out what we think – plus click here to see Amerisleep’s latest promotion!
EDIT: Updated with video review below!
Continue reading Amerisleep Liberty Mattress Review
OMG. Amazon has a lightning deal right now on the Black & Decker 20-Volt MAX Lithium-Ion Drill Kit.
I bought a very similar Black & Decker 20-volt cordless drill from the local hardware store just a month or two ago for the same price, except it was for the drill ONLY. This kit comes with a zillion drill bits and accessories. NOT FAIR.
It is an awesome drill, I’ve used it for a ton of projects around the house already, including the oak bed frame I built recently. There are endless uses for it and it has plenty of power. I only wish I had waited for a smoking deal like this one. ARGH!
Only a few hours left to grab it at this price. Get it on Amazon here, then laugh at me for getting ripped off.
EDIT: If you want the drill ONLY, Amazon has a $10 off promo on it right now (click here). Add it to your cart and you’ll see the discount at checkout. This is way cheaper than what I bought it for. Darn.
Following up on my earlier post: After a lot of deliberation and discussion with Yoselin from 6 Mono Media, I settled on purchasing the Tuft and Needle mattress, and dropped it into the brand new, solid oak bed frame that I designed and built!
So how is it? Keep reading!
Continue reading Review: Tuft and Needle Mattress and DIY Oak Bed Frame
EDIT: Settled on the Tuft and Needle. See my review here, or watch my video review below.
In preparation for my upcoming marriage to Yoselin from 6 Mono Media, one of the projects I am working on is the construction of a new bed. That’s right, I am designing and building my own bed. (Instructions and/or progress on the project will be posted on this site soon.)
Most exciting for me is the fact that I’ll be able to toss the old innerspring mattress that I’ve been using since childhood. I want our future mattress to be awesome, so I’ve been doing a lot of research on the subject, especially foam mattresses, since I am tired of the creakiness and unevenness of springs.
I’ve come across a few different online mattress startups that have captured my interest: Tuft and Needle, Casper, and Leesa. All three feature American-made foam mattresses, generous risk-free trial periods, and what appear to be high-end materials and construction.
There is plenty of info about the different layers of proprietary foam that each mattress uses. You can check out the links to get more details, but the main takeaway I get from the research I’ve done is: Tuft and Needle is the firmest (which I like) and least expensive (which I also like); Leesa is the best “all-around” mattress, and also the most expensive; and Casper is the softest (not sure I like that) and priced somewhere between the other two.
You might have noticed from this site that I am all about value and saving money, but at the same time I am willing to invest in certain products that are worthwhile. People spend a third of their lives in bed, and the previous night’s sleep can greatly affect the rest of your day! All three options seem good, but if I’m going to be stuck with a mattress for 10 or more years, I want it to be INCREDIBLE!
I’ll most likely make my decision in a few weeks, when I finish building the bed frame, and I’ll be sure to post a review and photos here! In the meantime, if you have experience yourself with any of these products, leave a comment below!
EDIT: Settled on the Tuft and Needle. See my review here.
UDPATE: Also have a new review for the Liberty Bed mattress from Amerisleep – check it out here!
Also – if you want to build your own hardwood bed like I did, check out our step-by-step tutorial here!
