Turbodizinhouse projects

Make A Whole House To Do List, step by step

Room Repairs

Make A Whole House To Do List, step by step

Exciting times folks. Operation Ditch The Blue Trim is right now in progress! So while we sweat our way through un-blue-ing things on the second floor – that is four bedrooms, a pleasant 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).

These posts came about when people asked how we organize all the stuff we have on our to-do list. We explained that we in short 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 assist keep our momentum up, and crossing things off gives me a pleasant mom-buzz. So here is our first brain dump for the new house. Of course things tend to evolve as we go, so we will likely change our minds fifty times, but right now if you were to peel back our skulls and peek into our Hands-on-loving brains (you are welcome for that delicious visual) this stuff would be banging around in there. #warningitslong

– The Front Yard (0% Complete) –


To Do:

  • Dig up all the swiftly 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 is peeling paint, some rot, etc)
  • Redo old cracked concrete walkway from the driveway to the front door (add curves and fairly planting beds on both sides)
  • Add some fairly hardscaping around the front (we are still inspired by this house’s excellent landscaping – so we’d enjoy to add something raised stone beds)
  • Plant a few green dwarf maples (it is our go-to 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 is 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 enjoy them)
  • Get the driveway paved

– The Portico (0% Complete) –

To Do:

  • Repaint the portico (peeling paint = everywhere)
  • 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 door mat, new porch lighting, etc
  • Paint the front door (we are leaning towards a rich emerald color but we have also consistently enjoyed a glossy red door)

– The Garage (0% Complete) –

To Do:

  • Repaint garage doors and add some pleasant 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 cannot salvage them after the kitchen makeover (they are dinged up and splintered in a bunch of spots, but would be strong for the garage)
  • Redo four steps that lead from garage to 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 (0% Complete) –

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 fairly 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 perhaps a stair runner (seagrass? a colorful Dash & Albert runner?)
  • Replace the old foyer light (paint existing one? so torn!)
  • Replace tile? (only if it is un-salvageable – there are a few areas where it is fairly 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) –

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 is un-salvageable)
  • 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!

– The Dining Room (0% Complete) –


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) –

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 ENJOY it, and think it’ll be vivid in white)
  • Paint the brick fireplace wall in the first phase of lightening up the room (we consistently enjoyed how our first house’s den looked after we cozied it up with paint)
  • Retile fireplace (perhaps 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 simply three near the fireplace)
  • Turn the overhead beams into a coffered ceiling (like these)
  • Build/find a pleasant big built-in-looking cabinet that holds the TV (across from the window, we think)? We will have to see where we end up on this one…

– The Office (0% Complete) –

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) –

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 cannot salvage that tile)
  • Organize the pantry with pull out drawers and bins and containers (and paint the door a lively 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 (perhaps in the garage if not in here?)

– The Sunroom (0% Complete) –

To Do:

  • Rip up old stinky carpet and padding
  • Seal in the smell somehow (so the concrete does not 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 are envisioning something like this
  • Build a brick outdoor fireplace off of the sunroom after we open it up? Kind of like this, but distinct…
  • Add beadboard to the ceiling and paint it soft blue?

– Our Bedroom (1% Complete) –

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 whole window wall (with integrated window seats, hidden storage, and display shelves with thick molding)?
  • Add a ceiling light fixture (there is nothing in there)
  • Perhaps add some textured wallpaper like this to the ceiling, simply 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) –

To Do:

  • Fully redo our bathroom (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!)
  • Bring privacy to the window in there (frost it? window treatment?)

– Our Closet (0% Complete) –

To Do:

  • Repaint all of the cream trim
  • New light fixture
  • Organize/build out/pimp the whole space (we are envisioning cabinetry with drawers, shelves, rods at distinct heights, etc)

-Upstairs Hallway (1% Complete) –

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 are not only bright brass, many of them are rusted/corroded so they cannot simply 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 strong 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) –

To Do:

  • Remove old carpeting and install hardwoods
  • Repaint all of the blue trim and doors
  • Make whole wall of built-ins somewhere? Perhaps 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 is nothing in there!)
  • Add window blinds, curtains, art, etc.

– Spare Room/Possible Someday Nursery (1% Complete) –

To Do:

  • Remove old carpeting and install hardwoods
  • Repaint all of the mauve trim and doors
  • Repaint the dingy ceilings
  • We are going to hold off on major decorating decisions until this room in fact has a use (if/when baby #2 is on the way, we’d enjoy for this to become a nursery)
  • Repaint the walls
  • Add crown molding
  • Add a ceiling light fixture (boo! there is nothing in there!)
  • Add wood blinds (for light blocking) and curtains

– The Guest Bedroom / Craft Room (1% Complete) –

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 enjoy to creep in there and sew/paint on Sunday afternoons)
  • Organize and build out some craft/gift wrap shelving in 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 (0% Complete) –

To Do:

  • A complete redo is in order (the old tile is stained/cracked, the tub and fixtures are crusty sufficient to make grown men cry, etc). Perhaps we will do herringbone slate? Marble? Extra long rectangles of tile like this?

– Laundry Nook (1% Complete) –

To Do:

  • Remove old carpeting and install hardwoods (with washer in a water-safe metal tray on the floor for leak protection)
  • Fully 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 strong art/lighting (I want to make it a lively little surprise jewel box in the back of the hallway)

– Unfinished Storage Room (o% 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
    • 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 (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 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 (0% Complete) –

To Do:

  • Power wash and stain/seal deck and replace rotten/ warped boards
  • Remove the giant oak tree that is practically growing into the house (the inspection indicated that the roots could severely damage the house’s foundation if we do not get ‘er down – which is fairly sad since it is cute but simply 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) –

To Do:

  • Remove random slate paths from backyard and aerate and seed
  • Transplant a few things for a better layout, like the fairly 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 lively 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 will be whipping up an outdoor video tour for you folks soon, which should assist 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 have big plans for this baby. And thankfully we have learned that we are hopelessly in love with the act of upgrading a house (we did this stuff for lively far before we did this as an actual job) and the journey is in fact a lot more exciting than the destination is for us (more on that here). We have also learned simply 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 lively 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 do not truly think there is one. We simply do whatever we are 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 simply 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 fully retooling them).

As of this quite moment, we are thinking that we’d enjoy to tackle these before we move in a few weeks (might not get it all done, but it is pleasant 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 folks 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?

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