The Ultimate House List

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! Do you ever have one of those moments/days when you feel like you are beaming joy? Well that is how I feel today, for no particular reason except for the fact that I am so grateful to be living this life that was given to me. It just makes me happy! Thank you for being a part of it. One of the parts of my life that makes me happy every single day is our amazing house. I friggin’ love this house with a passion. I really do spread my arms out really wide some days and yell into an empty room, “I love you house!” True story. Kind of embarrassing. Oh well. The real reason for this post is not to explode sunshine, but to give you a run down of our ultimate house list.

When I started this blog Eric and I had already been living in our house for almost two years, so a lot of projects had already happened (and I am still cursing myself for not taking pictures of the house before I moved in). I thought the list would be helpful in understanding our ultimate goals for the house while also catching you up on what changed before you got full immersion via this blog. So let’s get to it, shall we?

Front Yard (70% finished)

To Do:

• Limb up the trees
• Restain the front porch
• Paint shutters black
• Paint front door red (perhaps add some fun decorative touches)
• Install soaker hoses
• Switch out lights by front door
• Make house numbers more visible

Done:

• Cleared out the runaway flower beds and put down rock (as seen here and here)
• Sealed the driveway

Back Yard (50%)

To Do:

• Organize the outdoor storage space
• Put in a garage
• Take down two trees
• Paint/seal bottom concrete slab
• Paint outside doors bright color

Done:

• Planted a garden for the past 3 years
• Put down rocks in some of the beds
• Miscellaneous planting around house

Back Porch/Screened in Porch (50%)

To Do:

• Create an outdoor seating area (cushions, rug, planters, tables)
• Spiffy up the screened in part (there is a table and chairs but not a lot of style) – add more textiles and lighting perhaps

Done:

• Furnished with furniture we already had plus a yard sale love seat
• Recovered the old table’s chairs (pre-blog)
• Stained the back deck (pre-blog)

Living Room (95%)

To Do:

• Change out textiles (curtains, pillows…maybe rug?)

Done:

• Bought a new couch, rug, IKEA TV stand, TV, antique entryway table, Tiffany lamps, coffee table and side table (pre-blog)
• Hung up artwork I had been saving for my first place (pre-blog)
• Eric’s mom made a curtain and pillow (pre-blog)
• Installed slate around the fireplace and by the front door (pre-blog)
• Changed up the lamps and tables
• Moved around the layout to accommodate more seating
• Painted the trim and walls
• Organized the entry way closet

Kitchen (90%)

To Do:

• Change out bar stool cushions
• Paint inside of cabinets?
• Create better storage system inside of cabinets
• Paint ceiling

Done:

• Hung up artwork I had been saving for my first place and a photo Eric’s friend took (pre-blog)
• Used Eric’s grandma’s table for kitchen sitting area (pre-blog)
• Got new curtains (twice, the second time they stuck) (pre-blog)
• Installed new countertops
• Installed new lighting
• Installed new back splash
• Painted all the hardware
• Got a new stove and sink/faucet
• Painted the trash compactor black
• Painted random yellow trim and cabinet white
• Painted the kitchen tan
• Made a miniature collection (pre-blog)

Mego Cave (65%)

To Do:

• Create artwork for above love seat
• Put up shelving above chair
• Create a better office/craft room organization in closet and china cabinet
• Set-up printer
• Create better filing system

Done:

• Made memo board for above desk
• Purchased new rug
• Purchased new light fixtures (dining room glass globes and crystal)
• Changed layout
• Bought door desk and then repainted  it
• Painted the trim and walls
• Got new rug for dining room area
• Modernized the table and the China cabinet
• Got new chair from side of the road
• Made Roman shades from mini-blinds
• Painted bookcase white and re-styled
• Art: Hung large scale map, custom framing using a floating frame, fabric artwork, mini-gallery wall with custom heart artwork
• Hung a shelf

Hallway (25%)

To Do:

• Create gallery wall on left
• Create artwork for right
• New light fixture

Done:

• Painted walls

Small Guest Bedroom (5%)

To Do:

• If we decide to have a child, this will be the nursery. While our thoughts are pending on this, it stays a random stuff/guest room, although we may all of sudden get a vision and go for it.
• Paint (perhaps stencil, ombre, or stripe one wall)

Done:

• Moved in beautiful furniture from Eric’s parents (pre-blog)
• Eric’s mom made us curtains (pre-blog)
• Got a new duvet cover from IKEA (pre-blog)
• Store a bunch of random stuff here

Large Guest Bedroom (85% OR 25%)

To Do:

• Artwork
• Sometimes I want to do a complete overhaul, beginning with a beautiful comforter that will inspire new curtains, new fabric for the headboard, new paint colors for the walls and TV stand/side tables (possibly). This room is beautiful to me but lacks that vibrancy that I love. Not sure yet…
• Paint inside of closet pretty color
• Get a bed skirt of upholster the box spring

Done:

• Moved in a bed we had from my mom and used Eric’s brown bedspread (pre-blog)
• Moved in antique bureau from my mom (it first had a quick hiatus in the master) (pre-blog)
• Upholstered Eric’s old wooden headboard with padding and fabric (pre-blog)
• Bought new curtains (pre-blog)
• Found beaten thrift store side tables and painted them
• Bought new lamps (pre-blog)
• Got a hand-me-down TV stand that I painted teal and put our old TV on
• Moved in a bookcase (pre-blog)
• Painted the walls

Guest Bathroom (95%)

To Do:

• Hang custom framing artwork when I pay it off
• Perhaps add some more pretty/functional things for guests
• Replace vent with a quieter one with a heater

Done:

• Rebathed the tub and surround (it used to be pink) with a white marble look and replaced shower head (pre-blog)
• Laid new flooring (pre-blog)
• Painted vanity white (pre-blog)
• Painted ceiling white (pre-blog)
• Replaced pink toilet (now covered in stickers and usable in the basement) (pre-blog)
• Got new vanity top (pre-blog)
• Installed new lighting
• Painted the walls (pre-blog)
• Bought huge, awesome picture (pre-blog)
• Used Eric’s pre-marriage bathroom accessories that I love!
• Cut up a van Gosh poster to make a small gallery (pre-blog) that I repainted white

Master Bedroom (95%)

To Do:

• Refinish jewelry stand in a mirrored look

Done:

• Brought in bed given to us by my mom (pre-blog)
• Bought side tables, lamps, storage baskets, rug, bureau, chair, artwork, hampers, down comforter and duvet cover (pre-blog)
• Painted walls (pre-blog)
• Eric’s mom made us these amazing curtains (pre-blog)

Master Bathroom (85% or 50%)

To Do:

• Create a better storage system
• Paint vanity
• Replace toilet seat (seriously, this needs to be on the list since I have been meaning to do this since the day I moved in)
• Replace vent with a quieter one with a heater
• Sometimes I also want to redo this whole space as I like it but I’m not in love with it. This would mean new shower curtain, paint color, artwork and perhaps new curtain, but I love the new curtain.

Done:

• Rebathed all the tile in the room (the shower, tub, shower ceiling, and tile around the entire half of the wall) (pre-blog)
• Replaced floor (pre-blog)
• Installed new light fixture
• Changed out towel rack for double towel rack for more storage (pre-blog)
• Installed new vanity top (pre-blog)
• Painted walls and ceiling (pre-blog)
• Got new curtain and artwork

Finished Basement (50%)

To Do:

• Paint stairwell walls
• Refinish shelving by fireplace
• Create office nook area for Eric
• Change out light fixtures
• Paint door (eventually replace door into unfinished area)
• One day I dream of French doors here

Done:

• Painted walls and trim
• Brought in Eric’s old furniture from his apartment (pre-blog)
• Brought in exercise equipment, Comfy Sack, and bookcase (pre-blog)
• Got a few new lamps
• Failed with a slipcover debacle
• Found a Craigslist entertainment stand
• This room we are also going to let evolve as we mainly use it as a gaming room/man cave  and an exercise room. It is such a blank slate, we will let our future needs dictate what we need to add.

Unfinished Basement (5%)

To Do:

• Organize the heck out of this space
• Create a paint place and a more built-in work bench area
• Create a better laundry specific space
• Bring in lots of storage tables/cabinets/etc.
• Purge!
• Perhaps spiffy up the very utility like bathroom

Done:

• Insulated the ceiling

So there is our ultimate house list! Whew! I find it very exciting to read through it. The done list makes me feel accomplished and to to-do list makes me excited! I will make sure you keep you updated as we check things off the list and make changes.