January 13, 2020

Project List for January to April

January is half way over and April is creeping up fast! With that in mind, I have several projects I'd like to finish before baby Jase makes his arrival in late April. It's not a strict "I must get these done" list, it's more of a guideline that gives me goals to achieve. Most of them are just buying a piece here or there, but there are a few DIYs I have in mind.



DINING ROOM
Buy new pendant light and install.
I'd like to have a nice large pendant light to hang over the dining table. The electrical box is centered in the middle of the room so I'll have to find one that has a swag cable. I'm leaning towards a natural, warm wood but also am considering a black metal look. Here are two that I've come across.



Buy/make small credenza to fit behind the table.
We have about 2-3 feet of space that is just dead space between the dining table and the wall that separates the living room. I'm hoping I can find a skinny credenza to fit in that awkward space to make it feel complete and give us some more storage. Here are some I've found that are possibilities.


Buy/make art to hand above the credenza.
I'd love to have a Block Shop Textile print here but know I can't afford it before April. Queue the DIY skills, I'm going to try to make one. These are some that I'm thinking about.


HALLWAY
Buy/make gallery wall.
Currently doing this for the $100 Room Challenge. IKEA is definitely where I'll be sourcing the frames whether they are black or natural wood. You can catch the full post with the mood board.


Paint walls.
Accomplished this weekend for the $100 Room Challenge! Woo can check this off the list.

LIVING ROOM
Buy new tv console with doors.
Right now we have a console the tv sits on from Amazon with open shelving. It's super unappealing but what we could afford when we moved in. Now I think it's time to get a slightly larger one with doors so we can store our gaming consoles and board games.


Mount tv on wall. 
We already have the mount, I'm just waiting to decide on a console to know how high to hang it.

Buy/make bookshelf for storage.
I've had the idea floating around in my head that we need somewhere to store our books we want to keep. We both love to read and there are many books I don't want to get rid of yet. I'm considering these, but the open one from CB2 is really on the top of my list.


HALF BATHROOM
Level floor and tile.
I should've done this when we did the half bath refresh, but just didn't take the time to fully level the floor when we had to replace the subfloor. I'd like to put actual tile down and it would be the perfect time to use the floor patch to get a completely level floor. This photo via J Miller is giving me the inspiration to do matte black hex tile, it'll match the full bathroom. I may not do this because I don't want to mess with the toilet, but we'll see. If I get that "burst of energy" everyone keeps talking about it'd be nice to tackle.



Install wall treatment & Paint.
Since this is only a half bath and hardly there won't be any shower/bath water to worry about, I'm considering doing a full wall treatment, kind of like the one I did for the adjoining nursery only all the way to the ceiling. Maybe the floor and wall treatment can wait until next year, but I'd really like to go ahead and get it done if I have the budget and time. Here is my inspiration via Emma Austen.


Buy/make new vanity.
Right now we've made do with this 1960's sink that isn't very pretty, is super low, and very rusty (read: you don't want to clean yourself in). I'd like to think I could afford a new vanity, but I'm thinking I'll just build a small pedestal with some open shelves and stick a sink bowl from IKEA on top. Here;s the inspiration photo I'm working with via Honey Homes.


Update/replace mirror with old medicine cabinet.
I took out the medicine cabinet when I did the $100RC in this room, but I kept it. I think I can spray paint the chrome to a nice matte black and put it back up. Since this is going to be my primary bathroom it would be nice to have some extra storage. This is easy and wont take long.


Re-do open shelves.
Simple and not expensive. I'll probably end up doing the same thing I did for the full bath $100RC, just brackets and a natural wood plank.



KITCHEN


Buy new pendant light.
I have been wanting a new pendant light for a while. The gold one is just too gold for me now and I'd like to have a light wood one to bring some natural-ness into the space. Here are a few that are catching my eye.

 One, Two, Three, Four

Tile the backsplash.
This has been on my to-do list for the past two years, but I can't seem to pull the trigger on actually picking a tile. I don't want to pick a cheap tile just for the sake of having a backsplash, so I'm keeping an eye out for something that is in my price range but still not cookie cutter. Here is my huge inspiration photo, and more proof that I should probably keep the cabinets black via Jenni Yolo.


Spice Rack
I had been searching for a cute, practical way to store our herbs/spices for the last few months. Then Anastasia remodeled her kitchen and gave me the perfect solution a custom spice rack with matching glass bottles. I've already got the bottles and labels, I just need to build the rack.



LAUNDRY ROOM
Reconfigure washer / dryer?
When we got our new washer and dryer, they replaced ours from the 80's. But what we didn't consider is that these are front loaders and the doors only swing one way. Right now, they're across from each other and it makes it really difficult to maneuver the doors and change clothes around. If there's space and I can make the plumbing work, I'd like to put them side by side.



Buy a stand up freezer and install?
Since getting our new fridge, we've noticed we're lacking in fridge space. It's not super evident now, we mainly use it for Auston's chicken he buys in bulk, but I know once baby is here we'll be wanting more space. I think if I could get the washer/dryer layout worked out that a small stand up freezer would fit in the remaining space. If I decide this is more important than having a drawer/cabinet and one could fit, I'll nix the cabinet.

BACKYARD
Finish installing and staining/sealing the shed ramp.
I did the shed $100RC back when I was 6 weeks pregnant (what was I thinking) and I was so sick I couldn't accomplish the entire scope of what I set out to do. I still need to secure the ramp to the shed, right now we just have to step directly up to the shed, and stain/seal it.


That seems like a lot on paper, but I've laid out all my weekends and think I can get it done! Do you make lists of things you need to get done? Something about checking a list really gives you a sense of accomplishment.

2 comments:

  1. just a word of encouragement--moving the toilet is not hard at all. i have no skill, and i can do it. so don't let that be a deterrent to a floor you love :) good luck as you enter your 3rd trimester!!

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    Replies
    1. Oh totally! We did it for our first phase, but once we level the floor it means raising the toilet which means doing some plumbing so everything is flush. Not super difficult, just a little bit of a pain. Thank you so much!

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