Best Kids' Room Before and Afters 2010

You've amazed us once again. When we asked you to submit your remodel projects for our third annual Reader Remodel Contest, more than 1,300 of you responded with renovations that showed just how talented and hardworking you all are. Here's a look at 11 of your top picks for kids' bedroom revamps chosen by TOH editors and your fellow readers.



After you've seen these out-of-this-world projects, you can see all the entries at .

Who: Paige L.
Where: Hilton, NY

When we moved into our "new" 1860s home, we knew we needed a clean room for our one-month-old to sleep in. However, blank walls and a dark floor made our daughter's new room seem "blah."

Who: Paige L.
Where: Hilton, NY

We painted the walls a welcoming, bright yellow color and added colorful polka dots to an accent wall. We used 3-D letters to spell out "Rayme," our daughter's name, on the wall, matching them to the room's white furniture and window trim.

Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: $500 to $1000

Who: Megan A.
Where: Glen Ridge, NJ

My husband worked nights and weekends for five weeks to complete this unbelievable nursery for our unborn child. Here he's posing with the beginnings of his custom wainscoting, which all started as one giant piece of wood!

Who: Megan A.
Where: Glen Ridge, NJ

My husband finished the chocolate brown and white nursery in September 2009, just in the nick of time. Our baby was born in October.

Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: $500 to $1000

Who: Jason G.
Where: Leona, KS

"Blah" green textured walls and ugly carpeting were unfit to welcome our two new twin babies.

Who: Jason G.
Where: Leona, KS

We gutted the room to the studs, sheetrocketed, rewired, and refinished the floors for our baby boy and girl. We salvaged the original trim, giving it a fresh coat of white to match our cribs and pop against the gender neutral taupe walls. Our finishing touch—a fancy chandelier!

Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: $500 to $1000

Who: Alan H.
Where: Lilburn, GA

My daughter Rachel's room was typical—yellow walls, a pastel comforter, and too much stuff to store in the closet.

Who: Alan H.
Where: Lilburn, GA

The full gut remodel included punching in a vaulted maple ceiling, adding a sleeping loft, creating a reading nook out of an unused wall space, installing cubbies for stuffed animals, and laying down solid oak floors. All of the furniture was custom made for Rachel, with one piece specific to the room: a ladder with a chest of drawers that puts space-saving storage under the loft space.

Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost:$500 to $1000

Who: Nick N.
Where: Virginia Beach, VA

Previously a small bedroom with T-111 barn material used as wall paneling, this room was an unfinished eyesore that hadn't been painted.

Who: Nick N.
Where: Virginia Beach, VA

Somehow managing to remove the heavy wall paneling without rearranging my spine, we put up all new drywall, replaced the moldy subfloor, and then added a new engineered hardwood floor over top. Finally, my wife and mother-in-law painted a beautiful beach scene in the new nursery, which you see pictured here.

Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: $500 to $1000

Who: Daniela M.
Where: Foster City, CA

Our son loved the idea of living on a pirate ship, so we had to get rid of the blank white walls.

Who: Daniela M.
Where: Foster City, CA

I remodeled the room by building a ship-like construction where the bed is the ship's hull; behind it is the steering, and in front is the sail. To the portside is another pirate ship, and the wall is the ocean with fish and sharks.

Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: $100 to $500

Who: Christa K.
Where: Suttons Bay , MI

In the process of converting this room into a playroom for our kids, we tore up the carpet and two layers of old linoleum and found the original ash boards, pictured here, to be in fairly good shape.

Who: Christa K.
Where: Suttons Bay , MI

We used old paint to create a striped pattern on the floor and covered it with a hard ceramic finish. Even in the dead of winter, the colors make this room feel like summer! Each kid has a desk for homework, and we have a place to keep our baby's supplies.

Who did the work: I did all the work myself.
Cost: Under $100

Who: Alexandra R.
Where: Dedham, MA

This bedroom, along with most of the house, was covered in ancient wallpaper. The ceiling was cracked and was covered with fresh wallboard—there was also a mantle there, which we removed and used elsewhere in the home.

Who: Alexandra R.
Where: Dedham, MA

With new oak floors and a fresh coat of pink paint, the room now suits my daughter and her doll collection.

Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: $500 to $1000

Who: Kristin M.
Where: St. Louis, MO

Undeterred by the deteriorated brick walls, the rotted pine flooring, and the pigeon remains, we saw the possibility for a treetop bedroom in this attic.

Who: Kristin M.
Where: St. Louis, MO

We salvaged a single wall made of tongue and groove pine and installed custom windows and wardrobes that we designed and had fabricated at a local millwork shop. Brazilian cherry hardwood floors, a custom mural, and a salvaged mantle with hand-painted tiles add warmth and charm to the room. The best part? Those old pine boards were installed on the front mansard wall, which has become an ever-changing activity and display wall for our daughter's creativity.

Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: $5,000 to $10,000

Who: Brian S.
Where: Chelmsford, MA

When I removed the paneling, woodwork, sticky tiles, and vintage wallpaper from this room, my 7-months-pregnant wife didn't think it would ever be done in time for our baby.

Who: Brian S
Where: Chelmsford, MA

After skimcoat plastering the walls, refinishing the floor, adding original baseboard detail, and installing new crown molding, our daughter has the cutest little room!

Who did the work: I did all the work myself
Cost: $500 to $1,000

Who: Carrie and Josh A.
Where: San Antonio, TX

Blank white walls and a dark floor didn't seem like our daughter's style, so my husband Josh worked furiously to finish the floors and dormer of this bedroom before he was deployed to Iraq.

Who: Carrie and Josh A.
Where: San Antonio, TX

Lavender walls, white trim, and a pastel green carpet and chair are girly without being over-the-top—perfect for our daughter.

Who did the work: I did some of the work myself
Cost: $5,000 to $10,000