Now that I’m done with the crazy summer travel, I’m happy to shift my attention back to home stuff. Scott and I are SO CLOSE to being done with the big stuff (we finished re=installing all of the trim on Monday!) and so now we can focus on a) little things and b) planning & saving up for some bigger stuff. Here’s what’s on my list of things to tackle before summer’s end:
- Repaint the master bath white (it’s such a small space that this really opens it up), install some dark-stained wood shelves, replace the towel rack and hooks, and install a TP holder!
- Caulk and re-paint the baseboards (while it sucks, it’s a necessity so you can’t see the sheen difference where you caulked)
- Finish installing the rest of our pantry shelving and storage, paint and re-hang the doors, and frost the glass windows
- FINALLY reattach our island using (wait for it…) VELCRO! This won’t put any holes in our brand new floor, and leaves us a lot of flexibility if we want to swap out the island down the road
- Install ceiling fans in the sun room. While I’ve got some longer-term plans for that fun little room, right now it’s often unbearable because it’s SO HOT–even with all of the doors open! I really think a ceiling fan will help this, so it’s a goal to get it done before summer ends so we can enjoy that room
- Build (and paint!) a corn hole set (hopefully this weekend–we want it ready for the neighborhood block party!)
- Clean up the garage (this means installing some organizational features and ACTUALLY cleaning it–there’s saw dust everywhere!) and finally getting a remote for me so i can park in it!
Considering we’ve got something going on nearly every weekend from now ’til September, this is no small feat!
Of course, this gets me excited to thing about some longer-term plans as well. Scott and I decided that these are the things we’re going to “save up” for (vs. just doing now because we want it and can), likely because they’re more expensive OR just take more time than we have right now:
- Install crown molding throughout the downstairs: Scott has a special talent for working with trim: he’s so good with the angles and with his beefy miter saw, knocked out all the cuts in no time. This gives me a lot of hope that the crown molding job will be quick!
- Add white-washed wood-planks to the sun room ceiling and (eventually) tile the floor
- Knock down the wall in the laundry room area, add venting for the dryer, and move the washer and dryer upstairs
- Replace out kitchen sink and install new counter tops. I really want a simple yet large farm sink, and I have NO IDEA what material for the counter tops. At minimum, I want to change the counter top on the island and extend it out, making it an eat-in island
- Paint the stair risers white, add a runner, and add a handle for the last 4 stairs at the bottom (this is actually for safety, but I figure we can do it in a way that adds style as well!)
- Begin to think about some landscaping. We definitely have a lot of brush to clear (that’s this summer/fall’s goal to get us down to a clean page) but after that, we want to spend some time (and $$) making our yard(s) feel like lovely retreats!
With the exception of the kitchen stuff, we think we can get all of this done by next summer. We’ve got to get some estimates and do a little research, but if we take it one-project-at-a-time, I’m certain we can get it all done.
Even in the midst of all of this planning, I’m so enjoying being in our new home. And we’re making sure we still stop to appreciate and enjoy all of the work we’ve done up until now. I LOVE our living area, cooking in our kitchen still feels so homey, and I have been working from the sun room all week (until it gets hot in the afternoons…!)
The Ocean in a Drop 