Listy McListerface: Updated: a house log

So sorry to everyone who requested an update on this sooner! We first shared our new house to-do list back in May and later updated it at the end of July, so this check-in is well overdue. But one lively thing about going longer than you meant to before updating a list is getting to cross things off like crazy. Picture me grinning maniacally for a far too extended period like the people in this video who think they are getting their photos taken while the camera’s truly on video mode.

These posts came about when people asked us how we organize all the stuff that we have on our to-do list and we explained that we in short have one long run-on document that we update as we go. They said “share it!” and I said “aight, boo” and now we update it every few months, simply to see where we are going and to take a moment to appreciate what we have accomplished. I enjoy lists like this because even when it feels like we are all over the place and some projects are taking forever, seeing nearly 90 things crossed off after five and a half months of living here is fairly dang exciting. And addicting. Simply looking at this list makes us want to dive into about five more projects simultaneously.

– The Front Yard (20% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove the trees that are dead/decaying/diseased beyond repair (an arborist and a home inspector helped confirm which ones should go)
• Get all exterior siding and trim repainted (there is peeling paint, some rot, etc)
• Dig up all the swiftly spreading ground cover (we still have some mulch beds to tackle, but the parts we graded and seeded are groundcover free)
• Aerate, level, and seed the yard
• Make planting beds up front and mulch and plant them
• Transplant some of the crowded/overlapping boxwoods on either side of the portico (around the back or into other planting beds out front?)
• Redo old cracked concrete walkway from the driveway to the front door (add curves and fairly planting beds on both sides)
• Add some pleasant hard-scaping around the front (we are so inspired by this house’s landscaping – so we’d enjoy to add some raised stone beds)
• Plant a few green dwarf maples (it is our go-to thing that we planted one at our previous house – you can see it in this post under the window on the right)
• Add low curved brick borders on either side of the driveway wired with lights (some of the houses nearby have ‘em and we enjoy them)
• Get the driveway paved

– The Portico (25% Complete) –

To Do:

• Repaint the portico and sidelights (peeling paint = everywhere)
• Paint the front door
• Arch the portico ceiling (it is low and one house up the street has an arched ceiling with a vivid hanging lantern)
• Add a few planters, a new double-wide door mat, new porch lighting, etc

– The Garage (3% Complete) –

To Do:

• Change out the compact/rusty light over the garage doors (we attempted this, hence the 3% ranking, but we are not sold on it, so we might return/replace it)
• Repaint garage doors and add some pleasant hardware to beef them up
• Add a pergola over the 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 (they are dinged up in a bunch of spots around the doors and frames, but would be strong for the garage)
• Redo the four steps that lead from the garage to the kitchen (remove old carpeting and paint them? rebuild them fully?)
• 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)
• Perhaps we should get old lockers and paint them lively colors and remove some of the doors for storage? (enjoy these!)
• Possibly add plumbing for a utility sink out there (we have consistently hoped one in our “workshop”)

– The Foyer (70% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove the doors that block the flow into the kitchen (and the fairly view out the back windows that will someday be french doors)
• Paint blue trim, doors, and sidelights
  
• Remove wallpaper and repaint the walls
• Replace the old foyer light
• Turn the extra toy closet in the foyer into a craft and toy closet for Clara
• Repaint the foyer ceiling
• Replace tile? (only if it is unsalvageable – there are a few areas where it is fairly beat up)
• Turn the other foyer closet into a shoe/coat closet with some functional built-ins

– The Stairs (90% Complete) –

• Remove the old carpet from the wood stairs
• Paint blue railing spindles and trim
• Stain the top rails dark to match the runner
• Paint the walls and ceiling
• Paint the stair risers
• Install new striped runner with a rug pad under it
• Hang some art
• Possibly hang a big chandelier overhead since the ceiling is so lofted above the top of the stairs

– The Half Bathroom (35% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove wallpaper
• Repaint all blue trim (and door)
• Upgrade door hardware & hinges
• Paint walls
• New mirror (something larger and higher – John can only see up to his shoulders now)
• Paint vanity (use odor blocking primer)
• Upgrade lighting
• Replace leaky faucet
• Replace vanity & seashell sink (Phase 2) Note: We like to live with kitchens and bathrooms (and give them smaller budget-friendly updates) for at least a year before doing any major gut-jobs or renovations (this helps us get a better feel for how we use the space, and allows us to save our pennies for something thoughtful that we will not regret (more on that here)
• Replace unsalvageable tile floor? (Phase 2)
• Here is a shocker since this house is covered with old wallpaper, but we are in fact flirting with adding some cool new wallpaper since there is no tub/shower in there (grass cloth? something charming like this or this?). Could be lively! Or a tiled accent wall could be lively. (Phase 2)

– The Dining Room (7% Complete) –

To Do:

• Clean and reseal the wood floors
• Upgrade built-ins (remove scrolly tops? build up to ceiling? paint white?)
• Paint all of the blue trim
• Remove the wallpaper (I am about halfway done, hence the half-crossed off line)
• Repaint the walls
• Upgrade lighting and curtains
• Add furniture, a rug (?) and art

– The Living Room (10% Complete) –

To Do:

• Clean and re-seal the wood floors
• Prime and paint the bright pink walls
• Take down the old curtains
• Whitewash the brick fireplace wall
• Prime and paint the thick woodwork that wraps around the bottom half of the room’s walls (we ENJOY it, and think it’ll be vivid in white)
• Figure out window treatments (bamboo blinds + curtains? printed roman shades?)
• Add more recessed lights to evenly light the room (there are simply three near the fireplace)
• Turn the overhead beams into a coffered ceiling (like this)
• Build/find a pleasant big built-in-looking cabinet that holds the TV?
• Get gas logs after we save up our bucks (Phase 2)
• Add stacked stone or built-in molding around the fireplace? (Phase 2)

– The Office (7% Complete) –

To Do:

• Take down the old curtains
• Clean and re-seal the wood floors
• Paint walls and trim and ceiling (do not mind that little white table in the middle of everything, we were using that to shoot something)
• Add a double desk work area somewhere – perhaps coming out from the middle of the left wall like a peninsula (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 (7% Complete) –

To Do:

• Take down the old curtains
• Remove the wallpaper
• Remove shelves thank flank the sink window and add shelves there
• Move the cabinet over the fridge forward so it is accessible
• Get a table for the eat-in area
• Paint the walls
• Update the old kitchen lights
• Paint the pantry door and the door to the garage
• Prime and paint the woodwork and trim
• Paint the cabinets (they are too beat up to keep forever, but they’ll eventually end up in the garage when we do a full kitchen reno)
• Remove almond microwave over stove and add an inexpensive vent (put microwave in pantry?)
• Convert giant triple window behind table into french doors leading onto the deck
• Open the wall between the kitchen & living room and add built-ins on either side (sort of like the dining room built-ins in our last house)
• Full kitchen reno for Phase 2 (replace the faux brick vinyl floors, damaged cabinets, laminate counters, 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 cannot salvage that tile)
• Organize the pantry with pull out drawers and bins and containers (and replace the door 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?)

– The Sunroom-Turned-Veranda (80% Complete) –

To Do:

• Rip up old carpet and padding
• Permanently remove the broken base heater
• 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)
• Loft the ceiling
• Add beadboard to the ceiling and paint it soft blue
• Redo the electrical to get two fans in there
• Paint all the trim, window trim, walls, and the french door into the living room
• Retile the floor with outdoor-safe stone to upgrade the old concrete floors so they are less slick, more level, and less stained
• Add sconces to the posts around the room
• Build a box to hide the wires that creep down the brick wall near the french door
• Furnish the room with deck-friendly outdoor furniture
• Build a brick outdoor fireplace off of the sunroom after we open it up? Kind of like this, but distinct…

– The Master Bedroom (15% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove old carpeting and install hardwoods
• Repaint all of the cream trim and doors white
  
• Add faux wood blinds to all windows for privacy/light blocking
  
• Repaint the walls
• Repaint the ceiling (or even plank it or wallpaper it like this for texture?)
• Add built-ins along the whole bed wall (with an integrated window seat, hidden storage, and a nook for the bed to tuck into)
• Add a ceiling light fixture (there is nothing in there)
• Bring in art, curtains, etc.

– The Master Bedroom Sink Nook (50% Complete) –

• Rip up the carpet in sink area (we did not put hardwoods there because we eventually want to tile it)
• Replace the mirror over the sink for something bigger
• Paint the walls and the trim and the ceiling
• Stencil and seal the subfloor (to tide us over until Phase 2)
• Add some plain shelves to the empty side of the vanity for balance
• Stain/paint the vanity and add new hardware
• Phase 2 (a full reno where we knock down a wall and combine the master bathroom with this sink nook area)

– The Master Bathroom (15% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove the glass shower door
• Bring privacy to the window with some blinds
  
• Remove the wallpaper
• Paint the walls and trim and ceiling
• Replace the bathroom mirror & upgrade the lights
• Fully redo the master bath down the line for Phase 2 (the lively blue hex floor tile is in rough shape and we want to expand the footprint into the sink nook area so it is all one space (soaker tub? tiled shower as well? double sink? should be lively!)

– The Master Closet (40% Complete) –

To Do:

• Repaint all of the cream trim
• Paint the walls and ceiling
• Rip up the carpet and stencil the subfloor
• Phase 2 (we will either extend the tile from the bathroom or the hardwoods from the bedroom into here, simply have to decide if we are moving the door or not)
• New light fixture
• Organize/build out/pimp the whole space (we are envisioning cabinetry with drawers, shelves, rods at distinct heights, etc)

-Upstairs Hallway (60% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove old carpeting and install hardwoods
• Repaint all of the blue trim and doors glossy white
• Get all new hinges and door knobs (they are not only bright brass, many of them are rusted/corroded so they cannot simply be sprayed)
• Upgrade to a Nest thermostat (we hear nothing but strong things about them, and John is drooling for one)
• Stain/paint the bannister and posts
• Paint the walls and ceiling
• Replace the old hallway lights (or paint existing ones? not sure)
• Convert hallway linen closet into built-in open shelves or cabinets with shelves over them (sort of like this?)
• 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 (50% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove old carpeting and install hardwoods
• Repaint all of the blue trim and doors
• Add window blinds & curtains
• Paint the walls and ceiling
• Make a canopy wall for Clara’s bed (with lights)
• Paint the door to her closet bright pink
• Add crown molding
• Hang art & bring in things like her play kitchen when the crib moves to the nursery
• Make whole wall of built-ins somewhere?
• Build a bench seat in Clara’s deep sloped ceiling-ed closet nook with beadboard or shaker shingles on the ceiling and wallpaper on the back wall (we want it to feel like a little playhouse within her room)
• Add a ceiling light fixture (boo! there is nothing in there!)

– Future Nursery (10% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove old carpeting and install hardwoods
• Repaint all of the mauve trim and doors
• Add wood blinds (for light blocking) and hang curtains
• Furnish the room (we are going to hold off on major decorating decisions until we find out what this bun of ours is in early December)
• Repaint the walls and ceiling
• Add crown molding
• Add a ceiling light fixture (boo! there is nothing in there!)

– The Guest Bedroom / Craft Room (10% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove old carpeting and install hardwoods
• Repaint all of the cream trim and doors
• Paint the walls and ceiling
• Bring in a bed and a dresser/desk that can accommodate my sewing machine & crafting stuff so this room can multi-task (it has the prettiest view/light – I’d enjoy to creep in there and sew/paint on Sunday afternoons)
• Organize and build out some craft/gift wrap shelving in the closet (plenty of shelves and bins, etc)
• Add crown molding
• Add a ceiling light fixture (nope, there is nothing in there either!)

– The Hall Bathroom (5% Complete) –

To Do:

• Paint the door and trim
• Paint the walls and ceiling
• Replace the faucets and mirrors and lights for a mini-update (Phase 1)
• A complete redo is in order (Phase 2) since the old tile is stained/cracked and the tub & fixtures leak. Perhaps we will do herringbone slate? Marble? Extra long rectangles of tile like this?

– Laundry Nook (10% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove old carpeting and install hardwoods
• Lay a more washer-proof flooring under the appliances like tile (we ended the hardwoods right in front of them so we could use something more water-safe in there)
• Fully redo the 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 a swanky tile backsplash and some strong art/lighting (I want to make it a lively little surprise jewel box at the end of the hallway)

– Unfinished Storage Room (0% Complete) –

To Do:

• This will serve as an awesomely large storage room for a while (we have no current need for additional wrapped up rooms), but down the line we’d enjoy to finish it – perhaps as a movie room / bunk room for older children? This’ll be waaay down the line, but we dream of:
  • Adding drywall
  • Getting flooring
  • Adding lighting
  • Possibly enlarging the windows to let in more light
  • Building out the closets (so there is 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 (7% 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 (we have replaced around 15% of them so far)
• Upgrade to nicer frames, drapes, sheets, and curtain rods over time (they are not low-cost, but we’d enjoy to be “grown ups” someday – even if it takes us 10 years or so to get there!)

– The Back Deck (50% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove the giant oak tree that is practically growing into the house
• Patch the deck hole after the tree is took out
• Strip and stain/seal the whole deck
• Replace any rotten/ warped boards as we go
  
• Add double wide stairs off the back of the deck that line up with the new french doors that we will add off of the kitchen
• Possibly 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 (15% Complete) –

To Do:

• Remove random slate pieces from the backyard
• Aerate or level the yard
  
• Seed the yard in the fall
• Plant large holly bushes for privacy from the other houses that our wooded lot backs up to
• Transplant a few things for a better layout, like the fairly peony bushes in the middle of nowhere (not pictured)
• Reseed again in the spring/fall
• Build a lively wooden playhouse for Clara
• Plant an edible garden (not sure what the deer will not eat, so I will have to do some research)
• Build a swing set
• Redo the old cracked concrete walkway between the garage and the deck
• Add more privacy plantings around the rest of the yard – tiered trees, bushes, and flowers (we plan to save up for these and add more each year)
• Build some raised planters and hardscaping
• Possibly 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 around it to make a cool little hideaway
• Build an air conditioner cover with wood boards like this

Thankfully the journey is a lot more exciting than the destination is for us (more on that here), so if our list makes your brain fog up: 1) sorry about that, and 2) we are a weird breed of human who in fact loves stuff like this (we upgraded our house for lively for years well before this ever became a job of ours). We have also learned that taking things one day/project/victory at a time keeps us from getting too overwhelmed, so if you are wondering how we choose what to do next or how we avoid getting overwhelmed, we simply do whatever sounds lively and whatever works with our current budget (barring anything that needs to be moved to the top of the list for safety or other extreme-urgency reasons). We also jump around a lot, which seems to keep our momentum up. For example, right now we are:

• halfway done peeling wallpaper in the dining room
• simply getting our Phase 1 kitchen makeover rolling
• contemplating wall colors for the hall bathroom upstairs and the guest room
• beginning to brainstorm what we want in our office to make it functional for two people (and to add a lot more storage/work space)

So that is what is next on the agenda. How do you organize your house-related to-do lists? Do you use your smart phone? A good old fashioned notepad? Is it all up here (points to head)?