Buy → Renovate → Resell

Real projects from the Uhmuse community. Every one shows what it cost, what it sold for, how long it took and exactly how it was done.

Projects
4
Total profit
$410
Avg. days
6
Before
Before
After
After
Furniture

A €40 oak table that sold for €420

by Maya Restores · Lisbon

Somebody had painted this 1970s oak table a glossy dark brown, which is exactly why nobody bid on it. Under two layers of varnish was quarter-sawn oak in near-perfect shape. Four evenings of sanding, one bottle of Danish oil, and a weekend of curing later it photographed like a showroom piece. The buyer drove three hours to collect it.

Invested
$45
Profit
$135
Time
9d
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Before
Before
After
After
Office Furniture

Sagging office chair, back to €480

by Lena Kovac · Copenhagen

High-end task chairs get dumped for one reason: the gas cylinder gives up and the mesh sags. Both are €60 of parts and about ninety minutes of work. I bought this one from an office clearance, swapped the cylinder and seat mesh, deep-cleaned the arms, and relisted it with the original spec sheet.

Invested
$60
Profit
$100
Time
4d
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Before
Before
After
After
Kitchen

Rusty cast iron to heirloom cookware

by Sofia Marques · Porto

Surface rust scares people off cast iron, which is exactly why it's the best margin in the kitchen category. Twelve euros of steel wool and flaxseed oil, three seasoning rounds in the oven, and a set that looked like scrap came out slick and black.

Invested
$12
Profit
$100
Time
3d
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Before
Before
After
After
Cycles

Commuter bike rebuilt as a single-speed

by Jonas Weber · Berlin

The gears on this one were shot and replacing the drivetrain cost more than the bike. Converting to single-speed removed the problem entirely, dropped 1.4kg, and made it far more sellable to city riders. Tan bar tape did more for the photos than anything mechanical.

Invested
$85
Profit
$75
Time
6d
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