I love a good to-do list. I function on a daily basis because of them. I am so unorganized and I kind of fly by the seat of my pants most of the time so having some sort of list helps keep me going in the right direction. Plus it is pretty satisfying to be able to cross things off. At this time of year with everyone making resolutions and goals, I like to make home goals. I hate january in general. In Utah it feels like we are on month 67 of snow and cold. So looking back and seeing how much I was able to get done plus anticipating the fun things I will do in this new year, it kind of what gets me through it.
Here are my goals from 2019. Lets see how I did!
#1 The basement. More specifically, structural beam added, concrete cut for windows, windows added, floor leveled, & walls added to unfinished basement for the Master Bedroom
I was going to save this one for last, but seeing as it is the elephant in the room so to speak, and I get asked all the time about it, I will just get this one out of the way. The short answer is a big fat NOPE. But, there was progress made. Bear with me as I explain. I will try to make it as short as possible.
The windows needed to be the first thing done. They were ordered, paid for and delivered. The concrete cutter showed up to cut the holes and said he didnt feel comfortable cutting them until a structural engineer could have a look. He was worried there wouldnt be enough concrete left at the top to support the weight of the house. After much back and forth between the contractor, myself, and the engineer, I finally had plans for a custom steel frame of sorts which will like really a beefy lentil, for those familiar with terms (that makes me think of soup). My contractor didnt have a steel fabricator on his team so I started looking for someone to give me a bid. And that is where I am currently at. All that has taken MONTHS and months. I have come to terms with always being the bottom of the priority list because my project is so small and I live out in the middle of nowhere. It is fine. We will get there eventually. Sigh The important thing is to do it right and I appreciate the contractor and his team wanting to be careful instead of just pushing through so they can get paid.
I did get all the can lights, electrical outlets, and switches added though! Or rather my electrician did. #lettherebelight
I decided to wait until after the holidays to start bugging the steel fabricators about my quote. Meanwhile the budget for this basement project keeps growing and my bank account is shrinking
#2 Re-landscape the front of the house.
YES! It feels good to say that after having started off with a big fat fail. I transplanted the flowers from the front of the house to the backyard and gave some away. (You can read about why I wanted/needed to re-landscape in the original post) The new landscaping looks great and will only get better as the plants get more mature. I cant wait for spring to see it again!
#3 Finish the stairway makeover.
YES! Although I have not shared it on the blog yet. Im not sure why I have been dragging my feet on photographing it. It is a stairway so it is always clean so I dont have that excuse. It will be one of the first projects I share with you this year though!
#4 Living room refresh
YES! I finished it this Fall and shared a Fall Home Tour but have not specifically shared a full reveal. I ordered new lights (after I broke one of the old ones), bought a new bench, redid the gallery wall, changed the art above the white cabinet and other little changes. It made it feel fresh for not very much money :)
#5 Dining room refresh
Id call this one a 75%er. I finally found something to go above the vent, changed out what went on the shelves, built a door for the broom closet, and have plans to fix the tabletop (It got left outside when we got new flooring and got damaged). I might add a rug. I think it would look good, I just dont know if I want to have to vacuum it. Id love thoughts on if a rug under a table is worth it. Let me know what you think!
Because of the holidays, it has not been photographed yet. Coming soon!
#6 Office refresh
YES!I painted the cabinets green earlier this year and painted some of the boxes and bins green as well and restyled the shelves (there are a lot in there!) I shared it styled as our temporary bedroom but would love to move the bed out and photograph it with the new flooring as just my office. I got a new rug that I love too! That is actually what I am currently working on this week. Coming soon!
Downstairs Shower.
Partly Since the day we moved in I have loathed the down shower. It was a rounded acrylic shower surround that was stained orange when we moved in and I could never fully get it clean. The base has concrete splatter on the outside and it makes it look dingy all the time. The surround constantly comes apart from the base. I think I have caulked it 837 times. We finally quit using it when we finished the up bath. The plan is to tile it. We have demoed it (no black mold YAY!!!) and have the supplies to tile. We just demoed it over Christmas break so we squeaked it in at the last minute.
YES! This has been on our to-do list since we moved in. FINALLY we got new flooring in the whole upstairs and I am obsessed with the water resistant laminate we chose. It really looks like real wood and feels so good when you walk on it. I love the color and how it looks with everything in our home. We also got new baseboards and they were the perfect finishing touch. Well worth the wait!
More projects for other people.
YES! They all happened to be for my sister, but I did get to do some makeovers and projects and I loved it. She had been in her new home for a couple of years and had lived with it for a bit so she knew for sure what she wanted done. I refinished her dining table, painted her kitchen cabinets, made over her fireplace, and decorated her daughters two bedrooms. One of my first big projects of 2020 will be her sons room.
I did get a lot over other projects done that were not on my lists too. The raised garden being my favorite. I cant wait to see what projects crop up this year!
So what is in store for 2020? Here are my goals for this year!
#1. Gardening Shed
This might a lofty goal since most of our savings will get dumped into the basement and the shed I want is large, but I am going to add it to the list anyway. With as many gardening tools and supplies as I have, I would love to have a shed close to the garden so I dont have to trek to the garage every time. It would also free up so much room in my garage so I can actually set it up like a wood shop.
#2. Add Storage to Our Attic
I would love to add a pull down ladder to the attic opening, plywood as a subfloor, and some shelves. When we finish the basement, we will need a place for all the miscellaneous things to go that are currently being stored there. Our attic is HUGE so even if we just finished off half of it, we would increase our storage by so much.
#3. Turn the Garage Attic into a Playhouse/Fort
While not a top priority or a need, we have told the kids we would build them a playhouse for years. It has never happened and I have always felt guilty. Our garage attic currently is acting as storage for camping gear and old furniture. If we get a shed and add storage to our (house) attic, we could clear out the garage attic, add some paint, and voila! A place for the kids to hang a no girls allowed sign :)
#4. Finish the Garage Curb Appeal Project
I repaired and painted the garage door and Shane painted the eaves but I still have one more project to complete before the garage is finally done on the outside.
#5. The Basement.
Ugh. Third times a charm, right?
#6. Finish Down Bathroom
Even though we have supplies, we havent started because we are still hammering out details like where the niche should go and the color of grout and if we should extend the tile to cover the whole wall. Small design details but things that need to be decided on before we dive head first. The shower is not a huge project and pending any big surprises, should be done soon. The ceiling was damaged when we had the water damage from the sink upstairs so we are going to move a pipe before adding new drywall. Hopefully in the next couple of months the whole down bath will be beautiful and finished.
#7. Refresh up Bath
While I have loved the shibori wallpaper, I knew when I put it up that is was somewhat temporary since it was such a trendy pattern. A few years later and I am itching to change it up. I may even paint the vanity wall! Im still in the planning phase where I change my mind every two seconds.
#8. More Room Makeovers for Others
I really do love going into someones home and making over one of their spaces. The perfect scenario is that they let me do whatever I want (he he), but even if they have specific ideas already, it is still fun to transform the room and make them happy. If you are local, hit me up!