Tackling an (Almost) Impossible To-Do List
When I saw our house online for the first time, I knew it would be work. Like years of work. And when we toured it, parts of it felt more livable than we expected and other parts felt more neglected than we expected. Indefinite amounts of work. And I'm good with that and Austin is good with that. We get some mixed reactions when we show others our home but pretty much everyone has the same sentiment--whether in excitement or terror--"it's going to be a lot of work."
The work load doesn't intimidate us but the shortened timeline with expecting a baby in November has been a little intimidating. We started with a priority list when we moved in and tackled what we could for a few months, took a few months off for our busy freelance season and are now looking ahead at what we're hoping to accomplish before winter.
Some big things that have been on our to-do list are:
THE FAMILY ROOM Resurface the walls, lay carpet, replace lighting, furnish with a sectional for cozy cocooning when Baby Day comes home.
THE KITCHEN Gut the existing kitchen, move the metal cabinets to the basement to create a woodshop area, install new flooring, cabinets, countertops and backsplash.
FRONT STEPS basically build a mini deck on the front of the house out of treated wood because that's our budget right now. (We just checked this one off last night after a week of working on it!)
Some smaller projects to get done this summer/fall:
MASTER BEDROOM Paint ceiling, install crown moulding, resurface the top of Austin's dresser, stain guard rug, reupholster headboard and decorate.
NURSERY Put together nursery furniture, switch out light fixture, organize closet and decorate.
FRONT ENTRYWAY Install curtains, organize coat closet and deep clean.
Projects on our wishlist if we end up with extra time:
UPSTAIRS GUEST BATHROOM Finish flooring, install new vanity/sink/over sink lighting, tile the tub walls.
GUEST BEDROOM Second coat of paint, paint trim and replace light fixture.
MASTER BATHROOM Replace or fix sink, organize bathroom storage, address rotting wood around shower with a semi-temporary fix, drywall over hole in wall (this bathroom will be ugly for a long long time but just could make it a little more functional and safe if we made some changes now).
OFFICE Stain and seal the floors in Austin's office.
Some big fixes that will have to wait until next spring/summer (or for several years):
BACK PATIO Tear out existing death trap patio and replace with concrete or pavers.
FRONT YARD Pour sidewalk, replace scary retaining wall with a poured retaining wall and landscape.
MASTER BATHROOM Complete gut job.
STAIRWAY Tear out existing wall board and replace with drywall or shiplap, replace carpeting, add height to banister to make it code, window treatment, replace lighting and decorate with art or photos.
EXTERIOR Replace rotting wood siding with new cement board siding, paint brick, scrape lead paint from trim and repaint, fix flashing where it needs and replace storm door.
There are definitely other things planned for the more distant future but this is where we're starting at. And it's a lot. But it's actually been encouraging to look around and see what we got done even in the first 3 months of living here. It might be chaotic for a bit but I believe in us and we are so fortunate to have extra hands from our parents to help make it happen.
Today starts kitchen demo and we'll see how long it takes us! Prayers things go better than expected are welcome. It'd be the best if we could do it in 2 to 3 weeks but my timelines are usually a little too optimistic.
Goodbye cute but frustrating cabinets that leave rusty metal shavings all over my clean cookware. You will do great in your second life as tool storage in the basement. Goodbye ugly peel and stick, pastel green floor tiles. May you never find your way into home improvement stores ever again. Goodbye cardboard backsplash--why you were ever invented to keep water away from walls is beyond me. And the saddest goodbye of all, goodbye beautiful farmhouse sink. You are constantly stained with coffee and you need to be resurfaced but you are a sweet reminder of simpler times had in this house. I wish we didn't need the counter space but we do. You will love the basement workshop.
