Our List

So now that we've gotten the house to be a lot more liveable and less "ew" (as in, I don't even want to sit on the carpet because it's disgusting, but now I can roll around on it like a dog), I think it's time that we share our plans for this house. Some of them are minor, and some of them are pretty big (and maybe not even feasible). I think it will be interesting to track our progress and see how things evolve.

(I started this list a few weeks ago and we've already managed to cross a few things off!)

Downstairs:

• Touch up / clean ceiling and trim (we are messy messy painters!)
• Take off extra slats from blinds
• Build a new desk for the den
• Add extra trim around the door to deal with the awkward paint issue (Pictured below)
• Paint sidelights and front door
• Install different tile right inside the front door
• Recover our lovely yellow chairs (these things are SO comfortable, but they are sad looking) (Pictured below)
• Get a rug for the den
• Hang up more pictures / decorate in general
• Fix up the half bathroom (new sink, new toilet, paint, and new fixtures, and fixing the weird holes in the ceiling)
• Replace the kitchen sink and faucet
• Add some sort of window treatment to the window above the sink (getting blinded in the early morning hours when I'm just trying to get my coffee is not ideal)
• Replace the 2 fans in the family room with more low profile ones
• Get a new ducted range hood
• Find something to store our sheet music in
• Add a rod and shelves in the laundry room
• Eventually redo the kitchen counters

Upstairs:

• Repaint the railing and spindles; get a new railing for the upper part of the stairs
• Paint paint paint! The stairwell, hallway, 3 bedrooms and the bonus room (walls and ceilings)
• Fix cracks and some drywall issues in the bonus room
• Install new blinds
• Redo the hallway bathroom (floor, vanity, toilet, paint)
• Redo the master bathroom (total redo and redesign)
• Get our closet organized with shelves, drawers, etc.
• Eventually add a sectional and big new TV to the bonus room
• New light fixtures in the hallway / stairwell
• Install light fixtures in all 4 bedrooms' ceilings (this one should be interesting - we'll have to explore the attic!)
• Fix the sliding closet doors
• Decide what we're going to do about the closet in the bonus room (right now it's too long and narrow to be usable 5 years down the road)

Garage:

• Fix the atrocity that is the outside of the garage. We look like hillbillies.
• General clean-up and organization on the inside
• Epoxy-coat the floor
• Add storage, peg board, etc.
• Get a chest freezer
• Remove the utility sink that is weirdly hooked up to the water heater

Outside:

• Expand the fence
• Tear down, move, and rebuild the existing shed. It's in an awkward place and it's huge. Also, it's looking kind of shabby. We'll give it some love.
• Add in flower beds
• Tear out existing "landscaping" that is in the middle of the backyard.
• Tear down covered patio and get rid of concrete. We're planning on putting a new patio in with a pergola. This one will be longer and narrower so it doesn't cut into the yard so much.
• Replace the back door
• We need to tear out the existing hot tub pad
• Landscape everything
• Switch out mailbox and post for something non-rusty
• Tear out the lovely bunch of sticks that make up the tree right next to the driveway. I hate this thing! (Pictured below)
• Replace crab apple tree with something else (maybe a magnolia?)
• Plant a veggie garden
• Repaint / reside the house (brown's not really our color)
• Add a porch onto the front of the house (crossing our fingers that this is actually possible!)
• Install landscaping / house lighting

Comfy But Sad Chairs

Not Exactly Sure Where to End the Paint...

That's Some Great "Landscaping" Right There

I'm hoping that we'll be able to work on a lot of the inside stuff this winter. And next summer we're really hoping that we can start our garden with at least some herbs. This will definitely keep us occupied, but the good part is that nothing is urgent and we have some small things to do so we can build up our budget to do the bigger things!