House Goals for 2018

At first it seemed silly to write out what projects I would like to complete around our house this year, but then it got me to thinking about what truly matters and what is a higher priority to complete. So it ended up being a helpful exercise. One thing I have to remind myself is that just because it would be nice to do doesn't necessarily mean it is worth it. This house likely isn't a long-term house for us, so I want to be realistic about what we do and don't do, especially if it is an aesthetic issue primarily. For example, many of the walls are a tan color. It isn't my favorite color, and I wish they were white, but they had been freshly painted right before we moved in, so it isn't really worth it to me to prioritize painting them. Perhaps someday I will paint them, but for now, I am decorating around it and fighting for contentment in it.

There are some projects, though, that need to be done, will add overall value to the home, or just add value to my day-to-day life because they bring me joy and allow our house to function better.

So, what am I hoping to complete in 2018?

DECORATE BABY GIRL'S ROOM

First up on the docket is to decorate Baby Girl's room. She is due in April, but I am hoping to get a lot of the room put together by the end of February / beginning of March so we don't have to scramble at the last minute.

I am working on a blog post with my inspiration for the space, but here is the high-level list of what needs to be done.

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To do—

Paint walls white

Hang curtains

Art for walls including this print from Etsy

Paint crib (?)

Small side table, new lampshade, and this new rug

ADD SHELVES FOR BOOKS IN OFFICE AREA

All of our non-kids books are still in boxes because we don't have anywhere to put them. We have a great spot at the top of the stairs in our office area that would work perfectly; we mostly just need to buy the shelves and brackets and set aside the time to hang them. This is pretty high on my priority list because it will make our office function more efficiently, and it will just generally make the space less cluttered and messy.

"FINISH" OUR DINING ROOM

This is one of the rooms that has tan wall paint. I don't intend to paint right now, but I would like to add some other finishing touches so it feels more completed. None of these changes are urgent really, but I am itching to get them done and crossed off my list because they feel like 'easy' wins.

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To do—

Reupholster our dining chairs with this fabric and get two new end chairs

Add art from Jenny's Print Shop—Hyacinth & Poppies, to be specific

Paint bench

Hang curtains

TWEAK LIVING ROOM

For the most part, our living room functions well, and I like how it has come together. I would like to switch out the loveseat that we have for a longer sofa that fits the style I'm going for a bit better. Also, the accent chair we have been using in the living room will get moved to the baby's room, so I will play musical chairs with a few other options I have around the house. Otherwise, the room needs some art and possibly another lamp for one of the corners that always seems dark. Besides switching out the loveseat, the other changes for this room are pretty low-priority for me.

To do—

Sell loveseat and replace with longer option

Switch around chairs

Lighting (?)

Art for walls

UPDATE FRONT EXTERIOR

The front and side doors of our house are currently red for a reason that will always befuddle me. The red does not go with any of the other colors used for trim and whatnot on the exterior of the house. I just wonder if the previous owners had read that a red door was popular or something and went with it. So, I would love, love, love to paint the doors this spring to better go with the rest of the home's exterior. On our long-term list, we would like to update the windows, paint the exterior trim, and get new gutters. Painting the front and side doors will be a nice hold-over until we get to those other items (probably next year). I'd also like to add some plants to the front garden so it doesn't look quite so bare.

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To do—

Paint front and side doors

Replace lock hardware with something more modern

Replace front exterior light with dusk-to-dawn option (We put these on our garage last summer, and I really like them.)

Add hydrangeas to front garden

UPDATE BACK EXTERIOR

We started on the back patio last summer and have a few things to finish up. There was a small deck leading from our back door to the yard area, and whoever built it did not use exterior screws, so they had rusted through. We ended up taking the deck down entirely so it can be built properly, but we didn't have enough time before winter came to rebuild it. This is pretty high on the list once the ground unfreezes so that we can take advantage of the backyard for the summer and fall. Dylan also wants to build a picnic table for our patio, which I am very excited about.

To do—

Build deck

Build picnic table

Add a few plants around patio (?)

Build grill station (?)

REMOVE CARPET FROM BASEMENT STAIRS (AND PAINT THEM)

This project is pretty simple but mostly just tedious. I will probably tackle it after the baby comes and we get back to a little bit of a 'normal' schedule again. It's not high priority but would be so nice to get done.

IF BUDGET ALLOWS—

Switch out pedestal sink for ikea vanity in main floor bathroom

Finish drywall in laundry room

I'm hoping this list will help me stay on track and not let random projects creep in that end up using up our time and budget. I'd love to hear if you have any particular house projects you are working on this year!