House Goals for 2012

You may remember this post where I listed all of our to-do things for our house.  Um, it's a long freaking list.  Let's review and see what's been done.  I've added new goals (re-wrote immediate goals) in red, which I hope to finish this year:

Kitchen

• Paint
• Backsplash
• Install garbage disposal
• Under cabinet lighting
• Secure toe kick trim
• Finish restoring island
• Flip laundry room door to open into Laudry room
• Stainless fridge?
• Farm sink?

Breakfast Room

• Install bead board and trim
• Repair cracks in wall
• Paint
• Paint hutch
• Farm table
• Repair threshold
• Replace chandelier light fixture
• Paint globe light fixtures
• Repair/Replace cracked window
• Fix leak in roof.  Again.
• Replace back door?
• Add storm or screen door
• Upholstered seating on one side of table?

Living room

• Weather strip for door
• Paint vents
• Repair phone jack
• Hide cords
• Touch up crown molding
• Drop leaf table
• Find another drum table for the other side of the couch
• Reupholster chair cushions.  Or just get rid of the couch.
• Replace coffee table with ottoman or more appropriate table.
• Family tree art/project 
• Hang silver trays

Dining room

• Paint vent covers
• Install crowm molding
• Rug?
• Recover chairs
• Replace light fixture

Master Bedroom

• Paint
• Build out closet
• New bedding
• Paint wardrobe
• Artwork
• Do something with the fireplace surround.  Paint?  Strip?  Tile?
• Repair floor by window
• Replace window pane.  (Ahem, Chris. . . )

Entry/Staircase/Computer landing

• Hang mirror or artwork by front door
• Reupholster bench.  Or get rid of it.
• Bookcase under stairs
• Paint
• Replace doorbell
• Small rug for computer area
• Address chandelier. . . clean crystals, replace bulbs, clean fixture without killing myself.  Or replace with a larger fixture.
• Replace attic ladder with a metal ladder.
• Paint ceiling.

Small downstairs hall

• Paint
• Make shelving a bookcase
• Paint inside wall of bookcase
• Replace light fixture

Playroom

• Paint
• New curtains
• Organize closet
• Clean rug
• Recover loveseat (replaced it instead)
• Make/Hang chalkboard
• Add another bookcase or costume storage
• Hang art display system
• Clean out/donate books

Boys' room

• Paint
• Organize closet
• Add a dresser
• Hang photos or art
• Update photo collages
• Matching bedding
• Bedskirt for David's bed
• Rug?
• Hang wall lighting
• Replace overhead fixture?

Guest room

• Address fireplace.  Convert to gas? (We've decided to leave it as is right now - I don't think a gas fireplace and a five year old developmentally delayed child are the best combination in a bedroom.)
• Strip/paint/tile/something fireplace surround.  We cleaned this up, and I think we're leaving it as is for now.  We need to secure the screen, and call it a day.
• Hang mirror or art over fireplace
• Clean transom
• Paint
• Curtains
• New bedding?
• Rug?
• Art?
• Closet shelving and hanging system
• Lampshade for black lamp
• Cushion or pillows for window seat
• Add crown molding
• Fix loose outlets

Laundry room

• Cabinets over washer and dryer
• Add a cabinet for linen storage
• Paint
• Hanger for brooms, etc.
• Reroute pump to outside
• Install back door
• Clean/paint light fixtures

Patio

• Rug
• Figure out the light.  Make it work.
• Paint concrete?
• Rework the seating to make it more of an outdoor room
• New patio furniture
• Paint the flower stand.  Or love it the way it is.
• Paint candle holder/lantern thingy
• Add a stair?
• Add concrete planters?
• Hang flower holders
• Window box

Exterior

• Side the remainder of the house.  Yikes.
• Paint.
• Repair trim above front windows
• Replace upstairs windows
• Gutter/French drain system
• Reinsulate crawl space
• Repair loose roof panel(s)
• Pressure wash porch
• Paint porch floor, stairs, and rails
• Re-do porch columns?
• Replace front light
• Clean weeds off of front of house
• Make crawl space opening larger
• Clean/paint lattice under porch. 
• Trim out lattice
• Add back door to laundry room

Yard

• Fence back yard
• Cut down tree?
• Massive yard clean up
• Remove kennel after fencing is put up
• Weed killer on front walk  This will be an on-going project.
• Prune bushes
• Plant a garden
• Add two more bushes along the side of the porch
• Rip out three small ugly bushes near patio.
• Rip out two little trees in island area.
• Electricity to the shed?

Dream List/Far in the Future

• Build a detached garage
• Finish the attic and add another 1000+ square feet
• Add a second bathroom

Paint, Paint, Paint

Just when we thought the paintbrushes were put away to dry. . .

I'm at it again.  Next up?  The downstairs hallway.  And breakfast room.  And entry.  And playroom upstairs.  And landing/computer area.  What colors?

For the breakfast room, the downstairs hallway, the entry, and the landing/computer area I've picked Valspar Laura Ashley Taupe 4.

We're starting in the downstairs hallway, which is not large.

It's really more trim than walls.  

I've also painted the backs of the built-in bookcase in that hallway blue.  

I can't wait to see it all together.

In the breakfast room we're going to do beadboard on the bottom half of the walls and the taupe on the top.

We did this in our first kitchen and I loved it.  

It's so easy to clean little fingerprints off of.

And it comes already painted, which is a huge time saver.

The stairway will be interesting.  

Because it's roughly 20 feet tall, and I don't want to die painting, or have my husband die painting.

My solution?  Leave that wall unpainted for now.

I'm going BOLD in the playroom.  

I'm going to do Olympic Paint's Field Poppy.

I was inspired by playroom pictures in the Land of Nod.  

The Land of Nod photos are Mythic Paint called "Have You Seen Tangerine?"  I'm not ordering gallons of paint online, because that seems a bit foolish.  I'm quite certain I can get it reasonably close at Lowes.

I love, love, love this playroom. 

And am even considering painting our Target bookcases in this room blue like the storage in the Land of Nod room.

It looks so cute, and I think it will make that room feel more cozy.

I'm going to do some more of my favorite drop cloth curtains in that room.

Get your brushes ready!

House To-Do- List

Are you ready for this?  It's a big one.  Thankfully we have the next thirty-ish years to get it done. . .

Kitchen

• Paint
• Backsplash
• Install garbage disposal
• Under cabinet lighting
• Secure toe kick trim
• Finish restoring island
• Flip laundry room door to open into Laudry room
• Stainless fridge?
• Farm sink?

Breakfast Room

• Install bead board and trim
• Repair cracks in wall
• Paint
• Paint hutch
• Farm table
• Repair threshold
• Replace chandelier light fixture
• Paint globe light fixtures
• Repair/Replace cracked window
• Replace back door?
• Add storm door
• Upholstered seating on one side of table?

Living room

• Weather strip for door
• Paint vents
• Repair phone jack
• Hide cords
• Touch up crown molding
• Drop leaf table
• Find another drum table for the other side of the couch
• Reupholster chair cushions
• Replace coffee table with ottoman
• Family tree art/project for big wall

Dining room

• Paint vent covers
• Install crowm molding
• Rug?
• Recover chairs

Master Bedroom

• Paint
• Build out closet
• New bedding
• Paint wardrobe
• Artwork
• Do something with the fireplace surround.  Paint?  Strip?  Tile?
• Repair floor by window
• Replace window pane.  (Ahem, Chris. . . )

Entry/Staircase/Computer landing

• Hang mirror by front door
• Reupholster bench
• Bookcase under stairs
• Paint
• Replace doorbell
• Small rug for computer area
• Address chandelier. . . clean crystals, replace bulbs, clean fixture without killing myself

Small downstairs hall

• Paint
• Make shelving a bookcase
• Paint inside wall of bookcase
• Replace light fixture

Playroom

• Paint
• New curtains
• Organize closet
• Clean rug
• Recover loveseat (replaced it instead)
• Make/Hang chalkboard
• Add another bookcase
• Hang art display system
• Clean out/donate books

Boys' room

• Paint
• Organize closet
• Add a dresser
• Hang photos
• Matching bedding
• Bedskirt for David's bed
• Rug?
• Hang wall lighting
• Replace overhead fixture?

Guest room

• Address fireplace.  Convert to gas?
• Strip/paint/tile/something fireplace surround
• Hang mirror over fireplace
• Clean transom
• Paint
• Curtains
• New bedding?
• Rug?
• Art?
• Closet shelving and hanging system
• Lampshade for black lamp
• Cushion for window seat
• Add crown molding
• Fix loose outlets

Laundry room

• Cabinets over washer and dryer
• Add a cabinet for linen storage
• Paint
• Hanger for brooms, etc.
• Reroute pump to outside
• Install back door
• Clean/paint light fixtures

Patio

• Rug
• Figure out the light.  Make it work.
• Paint concrete?
• Rework the seating to make it more of an outdoor room
• New patio furniture
• Paint the flower stand
• Paint candle holder/lantern thingy
• Add a stair?
• Add concrete planters?
• Hang flower holders
• Window box

Exterior

• Side the remainder of the house.  Yikes.
• Paint.
• Repair trim above front windows
• Replace upstairs windows
• Gutter/French drain system
• Reinsulate crawl space
• Repair loose roof panel(s)
• Pressure wash porch
• Paint porch floor, stairs, and rails
• Re-do porch columns?
• Replace front light
• Clean weeds off of front of house
• Make crawl space opening larger
• Clean/paint lattice under porch. 
• Trim out lattice
• Add back door to laundry room

Yard

• Fence back yard
• Cut down tree?
• Massive yard clean up
• Remove kennel after fencing is put up
• Weed killer on front walk
• Prune bushes
• Plant a garden
• Add two more bushes along the side of the porch
• Electricity to the shed

Dream List/Far in the Future

• Build a detached garage
• Finish the attic and add another 1000+ square feet
• Add a second bathroom

Top Projects of 2010

In keeping with some other blogs I've seen, I'm going to list my top 10 projects of 2010.

1.  My bench re-do. 

 We took a cheap craigslist bench that looked like it came from a hotel lobby and made it a cute bench for our (old) kitchen. 

Now that fabric matches nothing in our new house and the bench will be recovered again!

2.  Buying our new (old) house!

This was the project to start projects for the next thirty-ish years.

And it's a good thing I don't have buckets of money at my disposal.

I'd be buying houses every day. 



 3.  The packing project.

Moving with three children, two dogs, and a full-time job is a treat.

4.  My craigslist project!  

This is an ongoing project. 

I love me some craigslist.

We've gotten a ton of great, inexpensive things this year.

Like what?

Eight dining chairs for $80.

An enormous braided rug in like new condition for $40.

The bench in project number 1 for $20.

A desk for $20.

Three matching twin bed headboards for $40.

A hoosier cabinet for $150.

I know there's more, but those are the things I can remember off the top of my head.

 5.  Unpacking. 

6.  Our Fall front porch.

 7.  The Living room.

 8.  The picture project in the stairway.

9.  The dining room re-do.

10.  The island. 

This project is still in progress, but has already added a lot to our kitchen.

I know 2011 will bring us several more projects. . . the biggest will likely be to fence our backyard!

I'm linking to Rhonda's top projects post at Southern Hospitality.

And to A Little Knick Knack's Everything But the Kitchen Sink party. 

 And to Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphosis Monday

And to Dittle Dattle's: Amaze Me Monday

Staircase re-do

I can't handle some blank walls.  Whether it's paint that's added, or something else, I have to add something.  As soon as we bought this house we knew we would want to do a big photo display up the stairs.  I'm sure there are all kinds of tips for hanging photos on a staircase.  We followed none of them.  This is what the staircase looked like when we bought the house.

And this is what it looks like now.

I love it.  We hung close to forty frames.  We just started with the larges frames and (sort of) equally spaced them out going up the stairs.  Then we went back and filled in with smaller frames.  We'll change a lot of the pictures.  Some frames are blank right now, and some are hanging sideways.  I am really happy with the end result though.  We will eventually paint the staircase and hallways, but the ceiling is so high (probably around 20 feet high) that we need to figure out the best way for us to do that.  And not have someone die in the process.  

We also hung a ribbon board and photo in the office area.  

I love this little space.

Chris has been working for the last few days to patch some bad spots in the dining room. 

As a result, a large portion of the dining room furniture is in our room.  This is the view from our bed.

I love those chairs, but I don't want them in my room.

Thankfully, tomorrow we'll have paint!