Packing up our house while new-floor installation at the new place continues has been a busy season. Before we hand this house over, we wanted one more updated Listy McListerson—a comprehensive roundup of projects we finished and a few ideas we would have loved to tackle if we’d stayed longer. Here’s everything we completed room-by-room, along with a short list of future plans we considered. #warningitslong
Front Yard: Complete!
- Pruned and limbed up the magnolia so it no longer obscures the house.
- Removed overgrown bushes that hid the facade and replanted grass in the cleared patches.
Front Porch: Complete!
- Furnished the porch using pieces from our previous home.
- Planted shrubs and flowers, painted the front door yellow, and added window boxes filled with plants.
- Framed out the porch columns to match the carport’s look and painted the porch siding to make the yellow door pop.
Carport: Complete!
- Replaced a tiny light with a substantial black lantern and added a matching column for balance.
- Built a pergola to add dimension to the flat ranch exterior.
Living Room: Complete!
- Painted the walls and trim, gray-washed the beams, and added overhead lighting where there was none.
- Replaced seating with a new sectional, added a larger media cabinet, rug, ottoman, and desk chair.
- Built a console for behind the sectional, a leaner chalkboard, and a shelf above the TV for the awkward space.
- Hung subtle patterned curtains to soften the room.
Office: Complete!
- Installed a built-in double desk, painted and upholstered secondhand chairs, and stenciled the walls.
- Updated the chandelier with a shade and new bulbs, added bamboo blinds, sentimental art, and a file cabinet for function.
Hall Bathroom: Complete!
- Raised the shower curtain height, added window trim, framed the mirror, painted the walls, and installed a new light above the mirror.
- Built a chunky shelf, updated vanity knobs, and added a homemade window shade.
Big Hallway: Complete!
- Created a frame collage around the console table, turning the hallway into one of our favorite spots in the house.
Small Hallway: Complete!
- Spray-painted the door knobs oil-rubbed bronze, added board & batten, crown molding, swapped out dated lighting and the old doorbell chime, and hung playful calendar art.
Dining Room: Complete!
- Painted the walls, painted the back of built-ins dark teal, hung homemade curtains, and added a large round table with chairs.
- Introduced a chippy buffet, personalized yard-sale art, and installed an oversized light fixture over the table.
Laundry Room: Complete!
- Painted the walls, removed old shutters, frosted the big side door, painted cabinets and swapped hardware, and replaced old appliances with energy-efficient models.
- Built custom shelves, replaced laminate flooring with cork, added art, made a clothespin chandelier, and mounted an ironing board on the wall.
Kitchen: Complete!
- Painted paneling, replaced mismatched appliances with stainless steel, and installed new white Corian counters.
- Knocked out a large opening to connect the kitchen and dining room, rearranged cabinetry, added a peninsula, painted the cabinets, and installed a tiled backsplash to the ceiling in places.
- Installed open shelving, a microwave cabinet, range hood with a cover, dark cork flooring, and seating at the peninsula. Added a fabric window shade over the sink and refinished the fireplace with new mantel and herringbone marble surround.
Playroom: Complete!
- Cleared clutter through yard sales and donations, painted the walls, added curtains, a rug, a kid-sized table and chairs, storage dressers, and swapped the ceiling fan for a pendant.
- Created a meaningful frame collage and organized the closet for better kid-friendly access; added crown molding for polish.
Nursery: Complete!
- Painted walls, hung curtains, moved in furniture, hung art, and installed Clara’s capiz chandelier. Built a play kitchen and play fridge and added crown molding.
Clara’s Closet: Complete!
- Removed bifold doors and replaced them with a curtain, repainted and stamped the closet walls, and added a sewn beanbag reading nook.
Sunroom: Complete!
- Spray-painted hardware in oil-rubbed bronze, painted walls and the odd brick box, furnished the room with existing pieces, added art, a bookcase, window treatments, and refreshed a side table.
Our Bedroom: Complete!
- Brought in a new bed, painted the walls (twice), added a playful chandelier, hung art and curtains, made an upholstered headboard, and finally furnished the bare wall across from the bed.
Sink Nook: Complete!
- Took down dated bifold doors, installed a mirror over the sink, removed the granite backsplash for a furniture-like look, and upgraded knobs.
Bathroom: Complete!
- Hung shower curtains at ceiling height, painted walls, replaced the toilet, centered and updated a pendant light, frosted the window, and swapped the dated border tile for white frosted glass subway tile.
Guest Bedroom & Guest Bathroom: Complete!
- Primed and painted walls, furnished the guest room, hung curtains, added crown molding and a larger mirror. In the guest bath, we replaced the mirror, light fixture, painted surfaces, added privacy frosting and a fabric shade, hung art, and installed a new shower curtain and mat.
Basement Workshop: Complete!
- Cleared debris by donating and using a Bagster, organized tools on pegboards, framed and painted the pegboards, stored screws and nails in jars, and added sawdust-proof art and functional shelving.
Side Lot, Deck, Patio & Backyard: Complete!
- Side lot: planted two trees and naturalized the area for a low-maintenance, wooded feel that adds privacy.
- Deck: cleared and translocated shrubs, planned and permitted the deck, demo’d an old balcony, dug posts, framed, added deck boards, railings and steps, furnished the space, installed a new French door, and power-washed, stained, and sealed the deck.
- Patio & backyard: removed weeds and dead trees, planned and laid pavers with a custom curved edge, landscaped around the patio, built a rock box for Clara, added a rain barrel, built a compost bin, cleared overgrown beds, removed invasive monkey grass, transplanted misplaced shrubs, reseeded lawn, and removed a large tree vine.
Looking back through this list is a little bittersweet — we’re going to miss this house a lot. Since a home is always a work in progress, here are a few projects we would have loved to tackle down the road:
- Turn the kitchen fireplace into a double-sided fireplace that opens into the living room (would have required a mason and structural planning).
- Refinish the floors throughout in a richer mocha tone to match the cork kitchen and laundry floors for a seamless look.
- Paint the playroom ceiling a playful color like soft teal and redo the sunroom flooring to better suit our taste.
- Convert the bedroom window onto the deck into a French door, tile the bedroom sink nook’s back wall, and consider retiling or reglazing the bathroom floor and wall tile.
- Add raised-bed gardens for vegetables, fruits, and herbs, and build Clara a swingset — some projects we’re excited to bring to the next house.
We hope the next owners enjoy these updates as much as we did making them. Maybe we’ll get to house-crash them someday!