Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Make A Whole House To Do List

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).

Trim Painting6

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) –

Front Before

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) –

Portico Before

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) –

Garage Before

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) –

Foyer Before

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) –

Half Bath Before

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) –

Dining Room

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) –

Liv Before

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) –

Office Before

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) –

Kitchen Before

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) –

Sunroom Before

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) –

Master Before

To Do:

  • Remove old carpeting and 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) –

Master Sink Before

Master Bath Before

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) –

Master Closet

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) –

Hallway1 Before

Hallway2 Before

To Do:

  • Remove old carpeting and 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) –

Claras Before

To Do:

  • Remove old carpeting and 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) –

Nursery Before

To Do:

  • Remove old carpeting and 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) –

Guest Before

To Do:

  • Remove old carpeting and install 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) –

Hall Bath Before1

Hall Bath Before2

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) –

Laundry Before

To Do:

  • Remove old carpeting and install 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) –

Storage Before

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) –

Deck Before

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) –

Background Before

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?

Comments

  1. Tj @ Phunkblog says

    There is NOTHING better than crossing things off a to-do list :)
    I’m glad to see this should keep you busy (& therefore us entertained) for a long, long time!

    Reply

  2. Lara says

    So… really not too much to do here.
    You guys are going to be busy on this baby for 5 years. Good thing you love it.

    Reply

  3. andrea says

    wow…what an exciting adventure! can’t wait to watch as you progress! btw totally in love with the idea of a frosted glass pantry door – I’d do it in a heartbeat if I actually had a pantry door!

    Reply

  4. ColleenwithMurals&More says

    No offense, but I’m questioning your and John’s sanity. j/k I was worn out with the trim. I do believe I could adopt a fondness for blue, if it were me.

    Oh well, it’s just my age showing. I’ll enjoy watching y’all, that’s for sure.

    Reply

  6. KEk says

    Oh, Nest thermostat broke my heart with its incompatibility with our really rather new hvac system; and then Lowe’s broke it further by refusing our attempt to return it…so if y’all want a very slightly used and really cool Nest, mine’s up on apartment therapy’s classifieds, and Craigslist (Richmond or Fredericksburg, I think)!

    Also, bravo on saying goodbye to the blue!

    Reply

  7. Vonda says

    Wow! To say that you’ve got your hands full would be an understatement. But at least you get to do it ‘as a living’ and not come home from other jobs and then do it. Exhausting! I’m excited to watch you transform this one into a beauty as well. And happy to watch from afar (well, from across town really!!) ;>0

    Reply

  8. Katie says

    You’ve mentioned tile for the floor in the kitchen a couple times. As someone ready to upgrade from linoleum in our own kitchen, I’m wondering if there’s a reason you’re not considering hardwoods or cork again? Were hardwoods too high-maintenance?

    Can’t wait to follow along as you power through your list!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh no, we loved them! We just thought it might be cozy to have heated tile floors this time- just to try something new. We hear that adding heated floors aren’t too hard (if you can tile a floor you can just add a mat under them and go to town tiling and it supposedly is awesome when you’re done. So we were just thinking that could be awesome and toasty on a winter morning :)

      xo
      s

  9. Kim says

    When we moved to our new place, we made fixing the things that could result in major structural damage a priority, like replacing the lower deck and all the bad siding. Then we did the upgrades that seemed necessary, replacing faulty heating, appliances, and plumbing. Now we get to move on to cometics. I love your idea of a list for each room. I need to get a notebook and get busy.

    Reply

  10. theresa says

    listy mclisterson is the BEST. seriously. crossing things off a to do list, or rather, watching you guys cross things off your list, is so satisfying haha.

    Reply

  11. Stephanie says

    We have a fireplace like that – one with a designated area for storing wood. The previous homeowner; however, converted the fireplace to gas. Not sure what to do now with the storage area except store a basket with magazine. Dying to know what you do!

    Reply

  13. Scott says

    Perhaps it was covered in previous comments, but in case it hasn’t…

    Like John, I too have been wanting a Nest thermostat. But there’s a catch. Depending on how your wires are set up, this may or may not be a problem. If you pull out your current thermostat, and DON’T see a C wire, then you may have issues. That’s what charges the battery. If you don’t have one, they’ll most likely say it’s still compatible, but the way it pulls power can do some unwanted things.

    Info:
    -http://www.marco.org/2011/12/17/nest-incompatibility-without-c-wire
    -https://community.nest.com/thread/1256

    Of course, you could get a C wire installed if you don’t have one. Problem solved.

    Reply

  15. Kelly says

    Having now seen more shots of the outside, that home is amazing. Really happy for you guys. Although your ToDoLists are already making me tired, but I know it’s your thing, so CAN NOT WAIT to go along on the journey (in yet a 3rd house) with you as you tackle each project. I’m a little overwhelmed with all of my projects still. I go in waves. As I’m working on one project, my mind is already on to the next one and things end up half finished. Ugh. Still trying to figure out a system of my own.

    Reply

  16. Megan says

    So fun to see another person’s home updates list 1) because I did the exact same thing when we moved into our house in 2008. Crossed out the projects in the exact same way — so gratifying! and 2) to know that I can see all of the progress of your updates without doing any of the work! Not QUITE as gratifying but certainly less costly and considerably less time and labor intensive! After five years I’m still not at the bottom of my list (and don’t think I’ll ever be) but really enjoy the constant improvements and especially the positive feedback from friends and family. At my daughter’s birthday party this past Sunday at our house (she turned 4 on May 15 so she’s almost exactly one year ahead of Clara) I had an interior designer friend ask me to design the rooms of her new house. Huge compliment and makes my bottomless list even more fun to tackle!

    Reply

  17. Cede says

    Love your new house! Was wondering, what spray gun do you use? And could I ask from where? Thanks:)

    Reply

  18. Susannah Hunter says

    You will LOVE the LED lights. We just upgraded all of our can lights to LED cans (with the financial assistance of our local town government!) and they are really fabulous and so easy to put in. And SO MUCH BETTER than CFLs.

    Reply

  20. JMK says

    Excellent list!

    Some random thoughts as I read through:
    1. before storing paint (or any chemicals) in the old cabinets in the garage, research how your local temps will affect them. Here we would never store paint in an unheated garage, in your area I expect extreme heat, and cans rusting due to humidity would be the issue.
    2. I don’t see any mention of extending the AC/heat system into the area over the garage. If it’s not heated/cooled it will have a very short season where anyone can stand to be in there.
    3. We also bounce around the house working on projects at times, but in many cases related or intertwined projects have to be done in a certain order, or at the same time. You’re unlikely to refinish the wood floors in adjoining rooms at different times. It’s far easier to rent the eqipment and make a mess once and do all of it. Likewise if you intend to add more ceiling lights in the LR and want to reconfigure the boxed beams, logically the beam layout (even if it’s done later) needs to be planned so you put the lights in the correct places. When you are running wiring to one bedroom ceiling, it just makes sense to do them all, even if you just cap the outlet because you aren’t ready to choose a new fixture.
    When we’ve had the opportunity to do a few jobs before moving in, we always put a priority on the bedrooms. Sounds odd, but in our case we valued being able to move into those rooms immediately and have a fresh, clean space to go every night even when the rest of the house was upside down. When everyy other room in the house was in some state of demolition, at the end of the day we could retreat to a clean, complete bedroom. Looks like you guys are on the same path. Not sure if it’s for the same reason or if it’s just that tearing out carpet, spray painting and laying hardwood are all dirty jobs best done before your books, and electronics arrive and get dusty.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks JMK! Great tips all around! The area over the garage actually has all of the duct work to be heated and cooled (it’s attached to our upstairs furnace, etc) but the vents have just been closed since it would be a waste of energy to heat/cool that area now. But when we drywall/finish it off, we can just open the vents and it’s all heated and cooled!

      xo
      s

  21. Casey says

    1. Wow there’s a lot of work to do. So exciting to have a new blank slate! I can’t wait to see it start to come together. 2. I cannot believe I’m doing this, because I specifically never say “you should…” (so annoying, like you need my advice), however, I recently saw this in a magazine and fell in love. http://www.theyellowcapecod.com/2012/03/white-washed-brick-fireplacetutorial.html Now every time I see a big wall of brick with a lot of dark/light variation going on—like the living room—I think of this. And by the way, the woodwork in there is AWESOME! I’m obsessed with coffered ceilings and any form of wainscotting/board and batten. :)

    Reply

  22. Ashley says

    I’m sure someone has mentioned it already, but I’ve heard really good things about Kennel Odor Eliminator for getting rid of the smelliest of smells. You can get it on Amazon.

    Reply

  26. Joanna Banana says

    I cannot wait to see the trim painting post! We are currently painting our living/dining room, stairway, and upstairs hallway: ceiling, walls, and trim. I’m super meticulous and it’s taking FOREVER. I’m very intrigued to see the details on using a paint sprayer for the trim!

    Reply

  27. Nieszka says

    you guys bought a beautiful home! will need a lot of work, but i know you guys will make it perfect. once its all done it will be the dream house! its gorgeous!! and i’ve always loved a glossy red door too! :)

    MemoriesOfTimesPast

    Reply

  28. Erika says

    You inspire me so much. I’ve been in my house for a year now and that’s probably how long I’ve been following Young House Love. I’ve learned through your blog that you have to concentrate on one thing at a time. There’s so much to do but I’m enjoying the experience and trying my best to not let my own personal list from intimidating me. As I live and breathe in this house, so does my list. It does feel really good crossing things off, it makes me fall in love with my house all over again.

    Reply

  29. Bonnie says

    Wow – so excited for you guys! We just bought a “new” home too, and I’m SO looking forward to hearing about your projects and updates and possibly using them for our own home! Awesome! You’re off to a fantastic start with those to-do lists. :)

    Reply

  30. Lauren says

    Can’t wait to see all of these wonderful changes! Do you have a color palette inspiration you’ll be sharing with us soon?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Other than the things we linked to in this post (like some of the wallpaper we like, etc) I’m not sure we have a clear direction yet. We feel like there will be lots of fresh and classic white with pops of color and hits of natural elements (like wood and stone floors, etc). Wahoo! Can’t wait to see where we end up!

      xo
      s

  31. wendy h says

    Suggestion for the DR built-ins. Beefing them up to the ceiling is a great idea. The proportions may be a little off when you do that, though, so here’s a solution:

    When you build up, also reset the doors to they are higher up. Reuse the same ones. Then, between the lower cabinet and where the bottom of the moved door is, put in a drawer.

    Reply

  33. Maggie G. says

    Wow! What an exciting project to embark upon! I want to recommend a company that has so many wonderful hardware and lighting choices. I have never been disappointed! Look in the Attic & Company offers the best quality kitchen and bath hardware at reasonable prices so check them out at http://www.lookintheattic.com

    Reply

  34. Whitney says

    The new house is SO Colonial Williamsburg-esque it makes my little heart soar. Also, Benjamin Moore just came out with Colonial Williamsburg paint… What a coincidence!!! :-)

    Reply

  35. Ginny says

    I’m glad your to do list isn’t overly long, LOL! Seriously, I can’t wait to see what you do with your new home!

    Do you have any hints on spray painting light fixtures? Why I ever chose a brass one for our front entry is beyond me, and I would love to paint it so it fits in with the rest of the house. That is, once I convince hubby that it must be done.

    BTW, none of the comments were showing up in Firefox tonight, although your responses were. Any idea why not?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Weird! I have no idea why that would happen. Have you tried it now? Are they back? As for how to spray light fixtures, we like a certain spray with primer built in (Rustoleum Universal) and if you remove the bulbs and tape off the part where the light socket is (and take down the light and spray it outside or in a basement) you should be all set.

      xo
      s

  36. Ben says

    Oh, I had missed the “YHL Season 6 episode”,the one where…you bought a house!! So this is your third house renovation? In what 6 years? If renovations get too fast and easy, let me know, I’ll help you find un petit chateau in France, with a few decades of projects and associated blogging! I hear there are good bargains here and there :-)
    Congratulations!

    Reply

  38. candace says

    I want to cry looking at your house — tears of relief!!! We just recently bought a “new” house (20 years old but new to us) and every single, solitary last inch of it needs something. Cream trim, brass light fixtures, yellowed carpets, dingy walls, ceilings, yellow outlets…they even painted the counter tops??? But it’s bones…man it’s got great bones, we love it but so. much. work!! Our first two homes were adorable and 100% move-in ready, so this time around the morning after we moved in I thought to myself “If I don’t start working and unpacking I will start crying and I may never stop…” It’s so overwhelming! BUT finding your blog and your list, I am so excited to see what you do since I made my list a few days ago and thought to myself how in the world will we get it all done? I’m a new reader but SO SO SO thankful to have found your blog and see what you’ve done to your past homes. I just ordered your book and will be checking your blog regularly for updates and ideas but also encouragement that we did not make a horrible mistake!

    Reply

  39. Robyn in Chicago says

    I’m excited and overwhelmed! Wait – this isn’t my house… Question – did I read right that you may want to dry wall over that cool brick wall in your new living room? Totally expected that it would get painted, but the idea of dry walling it surprised me. So excited to follow along this new adventure with you guys. Happy Birthday Clara! Coolest bday party ever.
    xo

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re really on the fence about if we’ll either do what we linked to in the first pic or the second- or possibly something completely different! Should be fun to see where we end up!

      xo
      s

  41. Kerry says

    Hey there! I see that you are considering wallpaper in your downstairs bathroom. If this is your first project, I might suggest wallpapering a closet first. Not only does it look AMAZING but it will give you a bit of practice before trying the real thing. Plus, since there is much on the walls anyway it is very forgiving of errors…. and you can get really amazing online deals on 1-2 rolls of wallpaper as people are trying to get rid of their “overage”. I found a handprinted William Morris wallpaper for a steal, and every time I open my closet it makes me smile. Just a thought!

    Reply

  42. The Chatty Housewife says

    I don’t have time to read all the comments to see if anyone else thought the same thing, but I think your second wallpaper example for the bathroom is actually glass tile? I followed all the links to the original photo. I love all your lists!

    Reply

  43. Kim says

    Hey, Guys –

    I just wanted to say thanks for posting this. My husband and I recently purchased our first single family home which is very similar to this one and with a seemingly never-ending “to-do” list much like yours. We’ve been feeling very overwhelmed by all of the upgrades that need to be done in order for it to start feeling like “home.” This really helped me put things in perspective and lessened some of the pressure I had been feeling to get everything done right away. I’m excited to continue to follow you on your journey as you cross things off of your listy mclisterson one at a time. I also appreciate that you do most of this work on your own and on a budget.

    I’m not sure how you manage to raise Clara, sell your current house, completely renovate a new house, host birthday celebrations, take care of Burger, and then at the end of the day blog and respond to comments. I hope you get some sleep in there from time to time.

    Thanks for posting and keep up the awesome work!

    Reply

  44. abbey says

    Is there an easy way to get to the post before this one and all the others? Like an arrow at the bottom of this post to go to the previous one? For example I’m trying to catch up on your last week or so of posts

    Reply

  46. Jenn R says

    Such an ambitious, and awesome list! Can’t wait to watch you guys check things off!
    And thanks for the inspiration, I’m going to make a similar list for our new house this weekend…popcorn ceilings are the first thing to go!

    Reply

  47. Dena says

    Funny, your master bath is almost exactly like ours – in our 1989 house in Richmond, VA – well, we don’t have wallpaper. Our tile is actually a softer blue and in great shape, so we’re keeping it. We’ve also got that same knotty pine paneling in the kitchen and living room – we’re painting it white, too. Good luck… you’ll need a lot of primer… and I mean A LOT.

    Reply

  48. Jen D says

    Wow, tons of work to do. It will be so exciting to watch it unfold. The tree growing out of the deck is pretty cool, but I understand about it wrecking the foundation. Maybe you could just chop off the top and use it as a giant umbrella stand for some shade!

    Reply

  49. Korie says

    I know I am way late on the comment thread… but just wondering. Would you guys consider cork for your kitchen again?? I am noticing tile is whats planned for the new kitchen. Are you just trying something new, or did you not like the cork flooring. Just looking for a little input from someone who had cork, as we are contemplating replacing the VERY dated white tile in our kitchen with cork. Thanks guys!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We liked the cork a lot (so soft underfoot and awesome on the knees for cooking) but we have always thought about heated floors being fun so we might give those a try!

      xo
      s

  50. Tara says

    Do you already have an idea of what you want your new house to look like, or do you just “get it” as you go along?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s definitely a multi-year journey for us as things come together and evolve, but right now I think we’re drawn to the idea of something classic but not too stuffy – so a lot of white with pops of color and natural materials (a jute rug, wood floors, woven blinds, billowy curtains, etc). Should be fun to see where we end up!

      xo
      s

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