Exciting times guys. Operation Ditch The Blue Trim is currently in progress! So while we sweat our way through un-blue-ing things on the second floor – that’s four bedrooms, a nice long hallway, and at least 10 doors – we thought it was high time we shared our master to-do list for the new house (and for anyone jonesing for trim-painting info/photos, we hope to finish up and be back with a full report for you on Wednesday).
These posts came about when people asked how we organize all the stuff we have on our to-do list. We explained that we basically have one long run-on document that we update as we go. Folks kept asking us to share it and it turned out to be a good time for us since public proclamations help keep our momentum up, and crossing things off gives me a nice mom-buzz. So here’s our first brain dump for the new house. Of course things tend to evolve as we go, so we’ll probably change our minds fifty times, but right now if you were to peel back our skulls and peek into our DIY-loving brains (you’re welcome for that delicious visual) this stuff would be banging around in there. #warningitslong
– The Front Yard (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Dig up all the quickly spreading ground cover
- Remove the trees that are dead/decaying/diseased beyond repair (our house inspector helped confirm which ones had to go)
- Aerate, level, and seed the yard
- Make planting beds up front and mulch and plant them
- Repaint all exterior siding and trim (there’s peeling paint, some rot, etc)
- Redo old cracked concrete walkway from the driveway to the front door (add curves and pretty planting beds on both sides)
- Add some pretty hardscaping around the front (we’re still inspired by this house’s awesome landscaping – so we’d love to add something raised stone beds)
- Plant a few green dwarf maples (it’s our favorite thing that we planted one at our current house – you can see it in this post under the window on the right)
- Add exterior up-lighting (some of the neighbors have it and it’s crazy charming at night)
- Add low curved brick borders on either side of the driveway wired with lights (some of the houses nearby have ’em and we love them)
- Get the driveway paved
– The Portico (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Repaint the portico (peeling paint = everywhere)
- Arch the portico ceiling (it’s low and one house up the street has an arched ceiling with a gorgeous hanging lantern)
- Add a few planters, a new door mat, new porch lighting, etc
- Paint the front door (we’re leaning towards a rich emerald color but we’ve also always loved a glossy red door)
– The Garage (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Repaint garage doors and add some nice hardware to beef them up
- Add pergola over double garage doors with vines creeping over it
- Finish the interior of the garage with drywall to create a workshop on one side and storage around the perimeter (add pegboards, shelving for paint and tools, etc)
- Reuse kitchen cabinets in the garage if we can’t salvage them after the kitchen makeover (they’re dinged up and splintered in a bunch of spots, but would be great for the garage)
- Redo four steps that lead from garage to kitchen (remove old carpeting and paint them? rebuild them completely?)
- Build a box on casters for scrap wood storage in the garage (we need a system to keep it from being all over the place)
- Maybe we should get old lockers and paint them fun colors and remove some of the doors for storage? (love these!)
- Possibly add plumbing for a utility sink out there (we’ve always wanted one in our “workshop”)
– The Foyer (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Remove the old carpet from the wood stairs
- Paint blue trim in foyer, including stair balusters
- Remove wallpaper and repaint the walls
- Remove the doors that block the flow into the kitchen (and the pretty view out the back windows that will someday be french doors)
- Depending on how things go as we move in/live there, we might add gates to the stairs and maybe a stair runner (seagrass? a colorful Dash & Albert runner?)
- Replace the old foyer light (paint existing one? so torn!)
- Replace tile? (only if it’s un-salvageable – there are a few areas where it’s pretty beat up)
- Since there are two closets in the foyer and we only need one for coats, so we want to build a craft and toy closet in the deeper foyer closet with a bunch of shelves to store Claraphernalia
– The Half Bathroom (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Remove wallpaper
- Repaint all blue trim (and door)
- Upgrade door hardware & hinges
- Paint walls
- Replace vanity
- New mirror (something larger and higher – John can only see up to his shoulders now)
- Upgrade lighting
- Replace tile floor? (only if it’s un-salvageable)
- Here’s a shocker since this house is covered with old wallpaper, but we’re actually flirting with adding some cool new wallpaper since there’s no tub/shower in there (grass cloth? something charming like this or this?). Could be fun!
– The Dining Room (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Clean and re-poly the wood floors
- Upgrade built-ins (remove scrolly tops? build up to ceiling? paint white?)
- Paint all of the blue trim
- Remove the wallpaper and repaint the walls
- Upgrade lighting and curtains
- Add furniture, a rug (?) and art
– The Living Room (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Clean and re-poly the wood floors
- Prime and paint the bright pink walls
- Lose the curtains
- Prime and paint the thick woodwork that wraps around the bottom half of the room’s walls (we LOVE it, and think it’ll be gorgeous in white)
- Paint the brick fireplace wall in the first phase of lightening up the room (we always loved how our first house’s den looked after we cozied it up with paint)
- Retile fireplace (maybe something like this tile?) and get gas logs as phase two after we save up our bucks OR drywall fireplace wall and add a stone lip like this?
- Add more can lights to evenly light the room (there are just three near the fireplace)
- Turn the overhead beams into a coffered ceiling (like these)
- Build/find a nice big built-in-looking cabinet that holds the TV (across from the window, we think)? We’ll have to see where we end up on this one…
– The Office (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Lose the curtains
- Clean and re-poly the wood floors
- Paint walls and trim and ceiling
- Add double desk work area somewhere – perhaps coming out from the middle of the left wall (or the right wall between the windows)?
- Bring in storage (bookcase, file cabinet, etc) – possibly cool build-ins around the bay window
- Add curtains/window treatments
- Hang art & create a brainstorm-zone on the walls (bulletin board? chalkboard?)
- Add two large potted plants (lemon trees? fiddle leaf figs?) in front of the two front-facing windows
– The Kitchen (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Remove the wallpaper and paint the walls
- Lose the curtains
- Convert giant triple window into french doors leading onto deck
- Open wall between kitchen & living room then add built-ins on either side (sort of like the dining room built-ins in our current house)
- Prime and paint the woodwork that wraps around the bottom half of the room’s walls
- Full kitchen reno (replace the faux brick linoleum, damaged cabinets, laminate counters, bad lighting, old broken appliances, etc)
- Perhaps try our hand at heated floors under some fresh tile (that might spill into the foyer and hall bath if we can’t salvage that tile)
- Organize the pantry with pull out drawers and bins and containers (and paint the door a fun color or replace it with frosted glass?)
- Amp up the “command center” area across from the triple windows
- Paint the new kitchen french doors and door to the sunroom (black? charcoal? soft turquoise? white?)
- Get water filter for under the sink
- Add window treatment and pendant over the sink & a larger new light fixture over the eat-in area
- Figure out how to create a drop zone for coats, shoes, etc (maybe in the garage if not in here?)
– The Sunroom (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Rip up old stinky carpet and padding
- Seal in the smell somehow (so the concrete doesn’t leech odor forever)
- Stain or paint the concrete floor as part of Phase 1
- Permanently remove the broken base heater
- Eventually retile the floor with outdoor-safe stone to upgrade the old concrete floors (down the line for Phase 2)
- Convert sunroom to an open covered porch with new columns and no more sliders (many of the sliders are bad and the posts are rotten) – we’re envisioning something like this
- Build a brick outdoor fireplace off of the sunroom after we open it up? Kind of like this, but different…
- Add beadboard to the ceiling and paint it soft blue?
– Our Bedroom (1% Complete) –
To Do:
Remove old carpetingand install hardwoods- Repaint all of the cream trim and doors
- Repaint the off-white ceilings and walls
- Add built-ins along the entire window wall (with integrated window seats, hidden storage, and display shelves with thick molding)?
- Add a ceiling light fixture (there’s nothing in there)
- Maybe add some textured wallpaper like this to the ceiling, just to spice things up…
- Bring in art, curtains, etc.
- Add wood blinds to all windows (it gets crazy sunny in here in the afternoon!)
– Our Bathroom (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Completely redo our bathroom (the fun blue hex floor tile is in rough shape and we want to expand the footprint into the sink nook area so it’s all one space (soaker tub? tiled shower as well? double sink? should be fun!)
- Bring privacy to the window in there (frost it? window treatment?)
– Our Closet (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Repaint all of the cream trim
- New light fixture
- Organize/build out/pimp the entire space (we’re envisioning cabinetry with drawers, shelves, rods at different heights, etc)
-Upstairs Hallway (1% Complete) –
To Do:
Remove old carpetingand install hardwoods- Replace the old hallway lights (or paint existing ones? not sure)
- Repaint all of the blue trim and doors glossy white
- Get all new hinges and door knobs (they’re not only bright brass, many of them are rusted/corroded so they can’t just be sprayed)
- Convert hallway linen closet into built-in open shelves or cabinets with shelves over them (sort of like this?)
- Upgrade to a Nest thermostat (we hear nothing but great things about them, and John is drooling for one)
- Add crown molding
- Add thick wood wainscoting (like we have in the kitchen and living room) to the upstairs hallway to break up the long space?
– Clara’s Room (1% Complete) –
To Do:
Remove old carpetingand install hardwoods- Repaint all of the blue trim and doors
- Make entire wall of built-ins somewhere? Maybe bookcases surrounding the windows?
- Build a bench seat in Clara’s deep sloped ceiling-ed closet nook with beadboard on the ceiling and wallpaper on the back wall
- Prime and paint Clara’s big girl dresser and attach leather pulls
- Add crown molding
- Add a ceiling light fixture (boo! there’s nothing in there!)
- Add window blinds, curtains, art, etc.
– Spare Room/Possible Someday Nursery (1% Complete) –
To Do:
Remove old carpetingand install hardwoods- Repaint all of the mauve trim and doors
- Repaint the dingy ceilings
- We’re going to hold off on major decorating decisions until this room actually has a use (if/when baby #2 is on the way, we’d love for this to become a nursery)
- Repaint the walls
- Add crown molding
- Add a ceiling light fixture (boo! there’s nothing in there!)
- Add wood blinds (for light blocking) and curtains
– The Guest Bedroom / Craft Room (1% Complete) –
To Do:
Remove old carpeting andinstall hardwoods- Repaint all of the cream trim and doors
- Bring in a bed and a dresser/desk that can accommodate my sewing machine/crafting so this room can multi-task (it has the prettiest view/light – I’d love to creep in there and sew/paint on Sunday afternoons)
- Organize and build out some craft/gift wrap shelving in closet (lots of shelves and bins, etc)
- Add crown molding
- Add a ceiling light fixture (nope, there’s nothing in there either!)
– The Hall Bathroom (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- A complete redo is in order (the old tile is stained/cracked, the tub and fixtures are crusty enough to make grown men cry, etc). Maybe we’ll do herringbone slate? Marble? Extra long rectangles of tile like this?
– Laundry Nook (1% Complete) –
To Do:
Remove old carpeting andinstall hardwoods (with washer in a water-safe metal tray on the floor for leak protection)- Completely redo nook (new doors for noise control, updated energy star appliances, new counter, new cabinets – or more cabs if we re-use the existing ones)
- Add tile backsplash and some great art/lighting (I want to make it a fun little surprise jewel box in the back of the hallway)
– Unfinished Storage Room (o% Complete) –
To Do:
- This will serve as an awesomely large storage room for a while (we have no current need for additional finished rooms), but down the line we’d love to finish it – maybe as a movie room / bunk room for older kiddos? This’ll be waaay down the line, but we dream of:
- Adding drywall
- Getting flooring
- Adding lighting
- Building out the closets (so there’s still some storage under the eaves)
- Furnishing the space with built in beds, a TV, a big sectional for lounging, etc – wahoo!
– General Whole House Ideas (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Slowly upgrade all lights in the house to LEDs to save energy
- Replace all of the gold/wallpapered/off-white switchplates and outlets in the house (there are about ten million of those to tend to)
- Upgrade to nicer frames, drapes, sheets, and curtain rods over time (they’re not cheap, but we’d love to be “grown ups” someday – even if it takes us 10 years or so to get there!)
– The Back Deck (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Power wash and stain/seal deck and replace rotten/ warped boards
- Remove the giant oak tree that’s practically growing into the house (the inspection indicated that the roots could severely damage the house’s foundation if we don’t get ‘er down – which is pretty sad since it’s cute but just way too close)
- Build a pergola for more architecture and shade off of the back of house where the future kitchen french doors will be (square to the sunroom)
- Build outdoor furniture like a table or lounge chairs for the deck
– The Backyard (0% Complete) –
To Do:
- Remove random slate paths from backyard and aerate and seed
- Transplant a few things for a better layout, like the pretty peony bushes in the middle of nowhere (not pictured)
- Plant holly bushes for privacy from the other houses that our wooded lot backs up to (Phase 1)
- Build a fun wooden playhouse tucked back into the woods for Clara
- Plant an edible garden
- Build a swing set
- Redo old cracked concrete walkway between garage and deck (not pictured) <– we’ll be whipping up an outdoor video tour for you guys soon, which should help show a lot more than a few pictures can
- Add more privacy plantings – tiered trees, bushes, and flowers (Phase 2)
- Build some raised planters and hardscaping
- Add a patio area somewhere around the deck
- Make a wooden lean-to in the corner of the backyard with Clara and then plant some vines to grow up around it to make a cool little hideaway
- Build air conditioner cover with wood boards like this
In summary, we’ve got big plans for this baby. And thankfully we’ve learned that we’re hopelessly in love with the act of upgrading a house (we did this stuff for fun far before we did this as an actual job) and the journey is actually a lot more exciting than the destination is for us (more on that here). We’ve also learned just to take things one day/project/victory at a time to avoid getting too overwhelmed and sucking the joy right out of things. And seriously, is there anything more fun than crossing things off of a giant list called Listy McListerson? (NO. The answer is NO).
As for the method to our “project order,” we don’t really think there is one. We just do whatever we’re in the mood for (barring anything that needs to be moved to the top of the list for safety or other extreme-urgency reasons). And we jump around from room to room just to stay excited and to avoid feeling too forced into doing something that we might not be ready to deal with yet – like gutting a kitchen or bathroom (we like to live in a house for a while to see how we use those spaces before completely retooling them).
As of this very moment, we’re thinking that we’d love to tackle these before we move in a few weeks (might not get it all done, but it’s nice to dream…):
- repaint all of the trim and doors on the second floor (we hope to be done and share details by Wednesday)
- lay our new hardwood floors in the four bedrooms and hallway
- lose the floral curtains in the office, dining room, kitchen, and living room
- remove the extraneous flow-blocking doors on the first floor (between the foyer and kitchen, dining room and kitchen, and living room and kitchen)
So those are “on deck” for ya. How do you guys make your house to-do lists? Do you keep them on your phone? On post-its? How do you decide what to tackle next? Is there any method to your madness?
Abbey says
How much of Clara’s big girl room will translate to the new house or do you think you will go in a totally different direction?
YoungHouseLove says
We think a lot of items will be the same (daybed, art, dresser, etc) but a lot of things will evolve just like they did between our first house and current house :)
xo
s
Kelly says
I assume yes, but are you leaving your desk at the old house?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, all built-ins convey with the house, so the cabinets in the laundry room, dining room, and the built-in desk are staying.
xo
s
Gina says
I can’t wait to see what you do with this house! So much potential!
Gem says
So exciting! I love seeing the journey for you guys – I was beginning to get a bit sad as I realised that there wasn’t much left to do in the old house.
I feel like you should get to call part of the upstairs at least 2% done though. You got rid of the carpets!
YoungHouseLove says
We just changed those to 1% since others said the same thing. Feels good! Look at us go! Haha!
xo
s
Thais Bessa says
Exciting!
Are you guys keeping some of elements you had in Clara’s big girl’s room in her new room, like the rug, birdcages, rug, etc? Or are you going totally new? Also, are you using this move to change her from cot to bed?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re still following her lead on the crib thing (we never could have guessed she’d still be in it, we really thought she’d be in her big girl room by now!) but in the new house we’ll just put her crib and her daybed in her room so she can transition from one to another whenever she’d like. As for how her room will look, I’m sure some elements will end up in there again but it’ll evolve to look and feel different, just like her room changed from our first house to our current one :)
xo
s
Anne says
Love the list, so excited to see you tackle some of the things I might try. May I recommend one more item? Sealing concrete floors (garage, back porch, any interior storage closets) with the garage floor sealer stuff is AWESOME (and fast). We’ve done it in our laundry rooms and basement and it is a dream to clean. Plus, you can have it custom-colored like regular paint. Check it out at Home Depot/Lowe’s.
P.S. doing it before you move in is the best time, but there is likely not time for even one.more.thing.
YoungHouseLove says
Love the tip Anne!
xo
s
Jessie says
You guys have projects for days… okay, maybe months and years. but I’m loving it!!!
A lot of new challanges! A lot of new things!
I CAN’T WAIT!
Traci says
Have you guys thought about applying an epoxy coating to the garage floor? We did that in our previous house and loved it. It was super easy and fairly inexpensive. My husband loved that he could mop the garage floor.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome!
xo
s
msconduct10 says
You will love the LED lights. Our electrician recommended them because our recessed lights were burning up in the attic (scary!) They’re expensive, but the light is so clean and they are so cool. Hopefully they keep getting cheaper and more generally accessible.
ErinY says
My parents have a wooden teepee like that in their back yard with old stumps for seats and everything. Let’s just say it’s not just for kids! haha It’s adorable when covered in snow in the winter.
Can’t wait to see how the new house comes along!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so charming!
xo
s
Penny Lynn says
1. You will LOOOOOVE the Nest Thermostat. It’s a great investment. And stylish too!
2. When you finish your spare room over the garage you can call it an official FROG (Finished Room Over Garage)…I thihk that’s the cutest name for a room :) I’ve seen some really awesome ideas for those rooms over the years and I can’t wait to see what you do with it!!
3. We are tackling a pergola this year as well I think (If we can ever finish the bathroom reno that seems to be taking over my life) so I can’t wait for that as well!!
I’m so so very super excited to see what you guys do wtih this house!!!!! You should make a harlem shake video of you guys putting in the hardwood floor I think then I would be able to die happy
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahaha! Love all the tips and the Harlem Shake idea. Burger in a mask = priceless.
xo
s
Jill says
Okay, y’all have to mark yourselves off as at least 1% complete on those upstairs rooms…you ripped up all that yucky carpet and that is a huge deal! :) congrats on the new house, I’m so excited to watch it transform!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Off to update that to 1%. Hilarious!
xo
s
Kristin F says
You’re very brave putting all those items down in ink. I was exhausted just reading it and had to stop after the hallway! This will be your forever home since it seems it’ll take that long to get everything on your list done!:)
You should change all the 0%’s for the rooms with removed carpet to 0.02% if for no other reason than to make you feel better. Oh, and I actually really like the foyer/hall fixtures, I’m seeing them in bright, bold colors like teal or sunshine yellow. The lines on them are very nice.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Others have said it needs to say 1% done so we updated it. Felt good! Haha!
xo
s
Christine says
This house looks so much like the house we moved into almost 4 years ago. We have taken our time and only have the master bathroom that needs major renovation. We just drywalled the garage over the last few weeks.
I saved a little piece of horrible mauve/blue/duck/roses wallpaper from each room we removed it from as a reminder – still makes me smile sometimes (but I am glad it is gone!)
YoungHouseLove says
I love that! I want to save all of ours too! And the old bathroom tile too!
xo
s
a says
I am SO excited about this list! Our house is on the market so I’m not allowed to do anymore projects :( Also my husband announced at a family gathering this weekend that if I want another fixer-upper, then I also get a new husband. I think he’s just still grouchy about having to put in floors last weekend:) I’m so excited for all the projects you have!!
Ellen T. says
Love your ideas. Congrats on your new home. I’m looking forward to reading about the updates.
As far as the TV placement – watch for the sun. We planned TV placement in our current home without regard to the sun and wound up having to move it to the other side of the room which meant moving cable lines. And, of course, it meant putting holes in the ceiling of our finished basement. Ugh. More work.
YoungHouseLove says
Good to know! I think we’ll be adding white faux wood blinds for light blocking so hopefully it’s not too bad. We won’t know until we move in though! But we like to live with things a while before adding built-in cabinets or anything major so hopefully we’ll figure it out :)
xo
s
Heather says
I agree. Watch out for the sun…especially since you love tv as much as I do :]
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Heather!
xo
s
Maria says
We live in Charlottesville and just had the soapstone (which is what it looks like you have) in our foyer refinished. It looked waaaay more beat up than yours and turned out beautiful, restored to its dark navy/ charcoal color. Our floor guy sanded and sealed it with marine lacquer for about $300. Would be happy to share before/ after pics and contact info if you’d like.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh soapstone sounds pretty! I think ours might be slate but we’re not sure. Good to know we can refinish it if it’s soapstone! And that’s a nice affordable quote for getting it done! We’d love to see before & after pics!
xo
s
Constance says
Wow! I am very excited to see this come together.
Just wondering – I see that list at the end that you would like to do before you move in. Since you closed on the house some time ago, how did you decided on your task/list timing? I would have been very tempted to work on the house all this time, even limited to trim/wall painting and floors, etc. so it was “ready” to move in. How did you decide on waiting to tackle those until now? I know both always make very informed decisions, so sure it makes sense.
YoungHouseLove says
The truth is we just didn’t have a second since we closed! We had a book tour and then the holidays and all of the projects at the current house to complete before selling, which we wanted to do as soon as we were done. We worried that our focus would be completely lost if we concentrated on two houses at a time, so we made a firm decision to finished one (the current house) and then shift our focus to the new one. It seemed to work since it kept us from getting overwhelmed – I think juggling a kid and a book tour and two houses might have been a bit much, even for DIY lovers like us :)
xo
s
Veronica says
I keep a spreadsheet, which this post reminded me needs some SERIOUS updating soon. We bought our fixer upper almost two years ago, and our list is always evolving and changing. I agree a small victory is great to focus on that crossing off big projects. We are expecting a baby BOY (I still can’t believe it since our first is a girl who will be three this fall) this fall so our list just got a drastic overhaul to finish a big girl room (out of a junk room simlar to what you guys just tackled actually) and redo her nursery to a more boy friendly room. I have some amazing ideas, and her room is already coming along so well… I just hope we can finish it before the TX heat hits for the summer (even with the AC running you are lucky to keep the house under 80 degrees) and I am too big to tackle the projects as well. :)
Love seeing the list for the new house, I have followed ya’ll since almost the beginning and it is always fun to watch how your houses evolve. I see what you meant in one of your first house posts where you mentioned you feel like this house could take 5+ Years to tackle. Can’t wait to see what is next for you guys.
V.
Reenie says
WOW…. I didn’t realize that blue trim was pretty much in every room!!! :o
Can’t wait to go on your journey with you…. room by room. ;)
Gillian says
In the midst of our own house renovations we picked up the Nest thermostat (my husband also drooled over it) but we are less than thrilled. Good for people who have a routine schedule (9-5 jobs) but we found working from home with our Nest akin to living with a menopausal woman – we were just never sure what the temperature was going to be!
YoungHouseLove says
Never thought of that! Should be interesting to see how it adjusts!
xo
s
Jennifer says
Looks like you guys have lots of fun work ahead of you! That’s so exciting!
As for the ongoing list of house projects, my husband and I use workflowy (www.workflowy.com). It’s essentially just a giant nested list. We use the same login so if one of us gets inspiration we can get it down and the other one can see it instantly! It’s easy to use on your desktop and mobile device, so can access it anywhere and make changes easily!
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds awesome!
xo
s
Melissa says
This is great. Congrats again. For me, I would be so overwhelmed I would be paralyzed but for you guys it’s like job security, right?! You’ll have so many wonderful projects to report. Best of luck and I look forward to reading about them in the months (years?) to come.
candicemcc says
First, I love lists. Second, I am WAY more excited about your new house now. Third, I’m a little more excited about my own house now as well. As we’re coming up on our 1st anniversary here, I was feeling a little bad about not having more accomplished. (But I did birth an ENTIRE human during that time. :) ) Looking forward to stealing your ideas.
Megan says
I have one notebook that I’ll make master lists in for each room and also sketch out project ideas. Also, highly recommend the lemon (or any citrus tree) for inside. I bought my husband a dwarf key lime tree and we love it. The leaves smell amazing and we have limes coming in for the first time! So excited to try one once they mature.
Laura M says
So excited to see the progress in the coming years! Your list is awesome.
Tanya says
What about a new gallery wall somewhere? Have you considered a location for that? Can’t wait to see where you end up!
YoungHouseLove says
I want one and John’s not sure he wants to do the same thing again, so we’ll have to see where we end up!
xo
s
Tanya says
I say you have a poll and we out vote John fair and square. Sorry John!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! I’m sure we’ll end up with frame collages all over the house (we have them in our bedroom, Clara’s nursery, her big girl room, the living room, the hallway, etc – so I think he just doesn’t want to do a straight transfer (ex: all the frames from the hallway end up in the new house hallway upstairs) and more wants to live with the house to see how it goes…
xo
s
michelle@decorandthedog says
I thought for sure you’d keep that darling blue trim. You could make it the new chevron in blogland. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah! Smurf trim is the new black.
xo
s
Annie R says
Funny you should say that! Did you see betterafter.net today? A girl painted doors and cabinets blue. It looks really great but it made me laugh when I thought about how you guys were getting rid of everything blue lol!
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! Didn’t see that yet! Off to check it out…
xo
s
JG says
Funny, when we were looking at houses (years ago) we saw one room that had all the trim painted the *exact* blue of painters tape! It was very strange- it looked like it was in the middle of being painted, ha!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Kim says
Wow, that list made me tired! Your new backyard looks awesome. I am dying to see what you guys will do. So excited!!
Rebecca says
I’m so excited!! This looks like it will be amazing. I’m so happy to see that the style of this house is really pushing your design into a new area.
Jenny says
Can’t even tell you how excited I am to see these changes! Many of them are things we want to do in our new house, psyched for you to blaze the trail haha! xox
Kelli @Little Cottage of Mine says
Hi sherry!
So glad you’re keeping the paneling in the kitchen and living room, it’s going to be so beautiful!
Love love the idea of updated wallpaper!! I love what The Lettered Cottage did to their new half bath, soooo adorable!
I’m kind of digging brass these days. I know it doesn’t go with every style but I can’t help myself.
I’m so excited for you! I see Clara growing up here and making a million memories in this home! What a great family home :)
Rachelle says
There are so many times where I look at my unfinished house and stress about all I have to do. But looking at your huge list makes me feel just slightly better! If you guys can tackle all of that, I can definitely finish my house!
By the way, I absolutely loved where you said, “I’d love to creep in there and sew/paint on Sunday afternoons.” That made me laugh out loud!
Can’t wait to see everything you guys do!
Karyl says
Thanks for the detailed tour, I’m terribly excited about your new adventure with this house! I can’t wait for the changes to see what you do. It would be ever so kind of you to tackle the heated tile floors before October if at all possible…I want to do that in our bathrooms and could use the tutorial :-). If you need a home for that cute closet light in the master that you want to replace, let me know, I’d love it!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Karyl!
xo
s
Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says
This reminds me that we actually need to update our list. We have a Word document on our computer that remembers everything for us thankfully. We have been known to bring the laptop along to HD and sit in the parking lot hooking into their Wi-Fi and tweaking the list here and there before going in and dropping a mint on this or that. It’s good to add the list to my blog though, with pictures, because I know that will help the Hubs see the progress we’ve made in a years time. It’s crazy man, crazy….
My best, Lynn
* guess what we did this weekend? As per your instructions, we made our first compost bin! Holes drilled into top of Rubbermaid and paper, leaves and dirt galore? Yes please! Now I run around saying “Don’t throw that out, put it in the jar…it’s compostable!”
YoungHouseLove says
Wahooo! Have fun! It’s completely addictive, I’m warning you…
xo
s
taetae says
YAY! So excited about this beautiful new house and all of the exciting projects to come. You guys are such an inspiration!!
Just one suggestion for ya – refinishing the floors downstairs will create an extreme amount of sawdust/mess (e.g., 5+ inches of dust!). For safety/practical reasons, you might consider tackling that before the move in.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we’re just going to clean and poly them (no sanding) since they’re in OK shape. Thankfully no sawdust! But we’d love to do that before we move in if we have time!
xo
s
Bonnie says
I just used some awesome hammered finish spray paint that I would help your foyer light fixture! It’s at least worth a try before buying a new one!
http://bonnieprojects.blogspot.com/2013/05/refinished-porch-light.html
YoungHouseLove says
Looks great!
xo
s
Barbara says
Very cool! I am excited to follow along all your adventures in the new house. Good luck!
Sheri says
My goodness I feel like I just read our list…LOL. Seriously was have most of that to do as well. Our house isn’t as bad so we are able to live in it but we have a lot of updating to do. Fresh coat of paint made a world of difference and I am LOVING it so far but there is still lots to do.
Try getting Stanley Steamer to come out and clean the tile (about $130). We were all prepared to rip up our tile until someone suggested that. It was amazing how clean it came – looks brand new now. After painting the kitchen cabinets and cleaning the floor we decided not to reno the kitchen right now which saved us a small fortune. It’s kind of cool though because the painted kitchen actually fits our house more than a new one would!
We are also in the process of replacing plugs, switches and door knobs too. If you haven’t seen them already – Lowe’s has contractor packs of white ones. They are about 50% cheaper than purchasing them individually. We are SLOWLY getting through this (luckily hubby can do them). Feel your pain though – we have about 20-30 in EACH room!
I think this is an awesome you guys are doing a new house at the same time as us. I seriously wanted to write you in beginning because I was completely overwhelmed with the items we had to do. I just wanted to do it all at once but that was impossible – fund wise and sanity wise. Making a list has helped in figuring out what to do first. I now have a time line for the next year. Since this is THE house we want it done right. We haven’t done a lot of renovations before so we are doing what we can and hiring out for the rest. Luckily I work at home to supervise :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Sheri! Love it!
xo
s
Becky says
That list is just a tad overwhelming! Go guys, go!
Lena says
Yay – going to be so exciting to follow along.
Not sure if you still have no floors, but you might want to consider beefing up the joists etc. in the laundry nook area before you put floors down so if you want to get a front loaded washing machine it will be strong enough to hold it and also do something to make sure the vibrations will be contained and not go through the whole house.
And if you are in there doing that you might as well add a floor drain too in case of a future leak. Often is the hose that goes.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we have heard that! In our current house we put down a solid chunky wood board under them to cut down on “give” and “bounce” in the floor. Worked really well with our stackable set, so we hope to do something to cut down on vibrations there too.
xo
s
rachel says
Excited to see ya’ll take on some new and different projects.
Is the tile in the entry area real slate? I love love love slate floors. Please don’t get rid of them!!!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re not sure if it’s real slate or just black/blue tile. We’d love to save it if we can! There are just some scratched/cracked/damaged areas so we’ll have to see how it goes :)
xo
s
Monica says
Will you purchase a front-loading washer/dryer again or go wtih a conventional set? I’ve heard so many people say “never again” about front loaders, so I was just curious what you guys think.
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve done it twice and we’d love to do it again! We have had great luck with Whirlpool, and we loved how in the first house we could put a counter over them for spot treating and folding and stuff. Can’t wait to have that again!
xo
s
Linda says
I have the GE Harmony set – top loading HE washer. I love it, since I got the virtues of a top loader and can wash my queen size comforter with ease! But, yeah, can’t put a counter on top of it.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome!
xo
s
Amy says
Will you provide packing and moving organization posts? Is the sunroom counted as finished square footage? What type of feedback did did you get from potential buyers looking at your current house before it sold? Did you have to make any house improvements from those comments?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we hope to share posts about the packing/moving process as we go! The sunroom does count as finished square footage I think, but once we open it up it won’t (no more heater in there since it’s half broken) but when we eventually finish the room over the garage it’ll end up with more square footage in the end, and it’ll have heat that works! Haha!
xo
s
Amy Mason says
I live in the Pacific Northwest, and don’t understand all the sunrooms you guys have on all the houses. We don’t have those here. What is the purpose? I find it so weird to have windows in a room looking into another room…
Can’t wait to see what you end up doing with the new house!
YoungHouseLove says
Since it’s so nice out here (usually March through October these rooms can be used) they’re just a way to feel like you’re outside without the mosquitoes. Great for reading or even for kids to play out there, etc. They come with almost every house in Richmond, it seems! As we mentioned in this list though, we’d love to just make ours a covered back porch (no more sliders) since it would be fun to put a big dining table out there and really eat alfresco whenever we can :)
xo
s
Amy Mason says
Screen porches I understand, I just never got another room that was pretty much the same as the room it was off of. The porch you linked to was GORGEOUS!
YoungHouseLove says
Isn’t it so pretty?! Ahh!!
xo
s
jordan says
Holy cow…….. i’m so stressed for you guys. But if anyone can do it, you guys can! can’t wait to see the progress ;)
Carrie says
I love your blog and love the new house. I was wondering if you ever considered not painting all the trim white (again) in the new house–how about wood color to match the floors? And wood doors that match the floors too? And what about two-tone cabinents in the kitchen? Just wouldn’t want to see yet another all white kitchen from you guys. Just my thoughts, I know its your house and your perogative (per Bobby Brown haha) but I’m probably not the only reader who would love to see something new, different and exciting with this house! Can’t wait!!
YoungHouseLove says
All of the doors upstairs are already painted, and the doors are in great shape (6 panel doors) so we don’t want to buy new wood doors, so painting them is the way to go. Same with all the painted trim up there (we just think painting it glossy white instead of blue and mauve is more our style). I think just as our first house and our current house have a ton of differences in style/color/design (seriously click the House Tour button under our header to compare ’em) this new house will end up having a completely new feeling as well. Especially since it’s a different style itself (and not a ranch like our first two homes). In general I think rooms with white trim and doors don’t all look the same, so things like curtains and rugs and furnishings and art and built-ins and lighting and flooring and all of those other choices can make them feel extremely diverse :)
xo
s
Carrie says
Totally understand not wanting to strip, sand, stain and seal all the doors, trim etc– so much work! I’ve seen houses where all the trim is white and then the bedroom doors were painted black– makes for a cool contrast and breaks up the white. But seriously, two toned kitchen cabinents would be da bomb! And I love the wallpaper idea in the half bath–there is some really nice wallpaper designs out there, excited to see what you all come up with :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, I’ve actually been thinking about painting the french doors we’ll add to the kitchen a color (I think we mentioned that in this crazy list – black or soft blue or something!) so that’s always a possibility! And as for the kitchen, we have no idea where we’ll end up, but we’re loving tuxedo kitchens lately (dark lowers and light uppers) so that’s another possibility. I also think I’ll paint the back of the front door the same bold color as the front (emerald green maybe? or glossy red?) so all the doors won’t be white :)
xo
s
Fran says
Oh my dear lord. I have anxiety just looking through all of this list! So you guys are moving in soon though right? god, the logistics all of this must be maddening.
I bet this comment isn’t helping that feeling huh? ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah! We hope to move in two weeks, so that should be crazy but so exciting! We used to feel so stressed by long lists (back when we moved into our first house, which we thought we should have finished in a month- and then got all down on ourselves when we didn’t). Then we realized “dude, the journey is the fun part!” – we did DIY stuff as a hobby way before it became our job, and we feel so grateful that it can now pay the bills and put money in Clara’s college fund. We wouldn’t have it any other way!
xo
s
Blythe says
Why did they not put overhead lights in the bedrooms? Our 4 bedrooms were like that when we moved into our house 3 years ago! Instead, there was a light switch attached to the first outlet in each room….so very bizarre!
You two are an inspiration to me…I want to quit my job and do full time DIY too (pretty please????)
YoungHouseLove says
No idea! We think this house was “the mac daddy” back in the day (it has an old intercom system and all of that crown molding and wainscoting) so we have no idea why they didn’t do overhead lights. Maybe back then they weren’t desired and everyone liked moody table lamps and floor lamps?
xo
s
Kirsten says
It so was!
These houses and this neighborhood were the cream-of-the-crop. It was all very elegant and ‘modern’!
Funny, I still think of it that way!
I guess it’s like when you fall in love with a person – even as the person ages, you still see the same youthful version forever….
(ps we don’t have overheads everywhere either – only kitchen, bath, hall)
… Hahaha “smurf trim is the new black” = Hilarious!! I LOVE that! (and so accurate a description, too!) LOVE it! :)
MaKaela says
My husband and I are looking at purchasing a ninety year old farmhouse and when I get freaked out about the renovations I look at what you guys have done in your other homes and your plans for this one, and I think, “I can do this!” Thanks for the inspiration and all the tips along the way! You rock my socks off!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Makaela! The farmhouse sounds amazing! All the best with everything!
xo
s