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DIY To-Do List 2010

OUR 1st HOUSE

Just like last year, we plan on divulging our 2010 DIY To-Do list to you all so that we can keep motivated, inspired and on track for our home improvements.  Sure, Twenty-Ten is over half way done but all the more reason to share this honey-do list pronto.  And just like 09er (sorry the “er” is necessary when you say nine…er), I walked through the house with such vigorous excitement levels that they would have Richard Simmons sweatin’ with pride.  Obviously we had to narrow down the thousands of items to a more manageable list (one that wouldn’t give my sweet husband a coronary or be too hard to handle during Will’s naptime).  So here it is – the items that we plan on tackling with our True Value store credit (and some of our hard earned cash too).  

 #1 – Guest Bedroom

First up is our highest priority – the guest bedroom.  When we moved into our house, we brought Jeremy’s old Room’s To Go bedroom set with us and stuck it into the guest bedroom.  Sortof like an outta-sight-outta-mind kinda move.  It was fine…a complete set with an outdoor woodsy theme that was ultra rustic for our taste.  Fast forward to last year and we realized that this room was fairly gross.  It was embarrassing.  Whenever we had guests, we would be all like “Welcome to our home…please enjoy this fugly room.”  The walls were sprayed by the previous owner and the paint job was sloppier than a blind pie-eating contest.  Not only does it not reflect our personal style and have nasty paint (or lack thereof), it also has a dinky fan that barely works, furniture that although relatively new, is too large for the space, and bedding that desperately needs replacement.                  

#2 Upstairs Hall

Our upstairs landing and hall received a little update recently with a couple framed art pieces, a new chair and a little sidetable.  But do you see those walls?  Of course you do.  I mean…seriously…it’s a carwreck that calls for rubbernecking.  Those walls fell victim to the same sprayed-with-antique-white-sloppiness that took out our guest bedroom.  It’s hard to tell, but believe me, they need more work than siamese twins.  I’m thinking new paint and maybe an accent wall?

#3 – Kitchen Cabinets

Throw me a guitar, I am jumping on that white cabinet bandwagon.  Don’t stop me.  I knew it would happen someday.  And since I am not really a jump-in-with-both-feet kinda girl (hey, I used to work in insurance!) I figured that maybe testing the waters with the upper cabinets first would be the best bet.  I also think it would be great to remove the doors on one or more for open shelving.  And maybe add a little beadboard backing to the open ones?  We will see.  Anything will be better than my bad stain job that currently takes place on the doors.   

#4 – Laundry Room

Remember how we wanted to finish a beautiful laundry room fit for a spray-n-wash fiend?  Didn’t happen.  We got distracted with a little thing called Will.  So now that we are finally coming back up for air after near drowning in babyiness, we decided to bite the bullet and summon in the pros to help us with ductwork and plumbing (aka – Jer’s friend and my brother).  Then we can finish out the drywall, install cabinetry, throw in a sink and a workspace…plus paint, lighting, and accessorize!       

#5 – Basement Steps

This was actually on the list for last year.  OH THE SHAME.  We need to finish the banister and railing, the trim, the storage door, and the walls.  And when I say walls, I mean we are re-painting (the green doesn’t look right next door to the green living room)…and staining and painting the steps.  It’s gonna be, in the words of Katy Perry, so hot, we’ll melt your popsicle.   

We have alot to get crackin’ on, huh?  Lots of paint.  Lots.   Looks like we are gonna need to get our sleep so that we can cut loose on these projects…if that’s possible with an almost five month old.  Maybe we should go on vacation just to get our strength up.  You know…sleep till noon, put our brain on bedrest and stock up on carbs so that we can kungfoo these to-do items right away.  Keep us to it, ok?  We need your support…because it would be just plain embarrassing to see that basement stairway for a third year in a row.

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Comments

  1. I really liked this post! It’s so nice to know that even the Bowers have parts of their home that drive them crazy. 🙂 You can do it!!

    {I have that same pillow fabric on my couch pillows. I noticed yesterday that now Calico Corners is carrying it!}

  6. KB – I can’t wait to see the white painted cabinets! I love that idea and have been trying to convince my parents to do the same to update their kitchen. I have my mom hooked, just need the laborer, er dad, to get on board. You have to post how-to’s, just to prove to him that it is just that easy as a bucket of paint, sandpaper and some arm muscles.

    Good Luck with it all… YOU CAN DO IT!

    xo
    Rosalyn

  7. Can’t wait to see your progess on these projects. Our to-do list looks so similar. Hopefully you go first though so I can learn from you 🙂 Good luck!

  8. I’m so jealous that you have a baby that naps long enough to let you get projects done. My Chloe gives me only 1/2 hour at a time, barely time to open up a can of paint. I’m looking forward to your laundry reno. And the kitchen – I love your stained cabinets! – but white will be a nice change. Have you thought of doing any other colour? Grey/green tones are a growing trend. Good luck on getting that all done in the next 4 months!

  9. So excited to see your kitchen plans! Go for the white cabinets! When our house was built earlier this year, we went with cream upper cabinets and dark espresso lower cabinets. Could not be happier with how our kitchen turned out! Get on it, lol!!! I think it will make your baby happier, after all, ha ha ha!

  11. Can’t wait for the white cabinets! I am planning on doing the same thing to mine, someday…we have a little guy too, so we have a lot less free time now! But I’d love to hear your tips. We also want to paint all the trim in the house white as well. I’m so not looking forward to it, I did it in our last place and just can’t get excited about all the work again!

  13. I’m excited about the laundry room- and the kitchen! I absolutely LOVE white cabinets, and the idea of open shelving, although I’d probably go with glass doors instead (less dust and grease on everything). I’m sure it’s gonna look great! Can’t wait to see the afters!

  15. Pray tell, where IS your laundry room now?? Please tell me you have a laundry SOMEwhere in the house ;-). Haha!

    I’m intrigued about your kitchen idea! My husband is dragging me kicking and screaming into a kitchen renovation (honestly, I think it’s the testosterone talking!) and I don’t wanna do it. LOL!

    good luck!!!

  16. This is a great and doable list for the Bowers!! We are working on our 2010 ten list:
    1. New garage door (so bad, and so retro in not the good way), 2. Insulate the garage/ attic (um winter is fast approaching), 3. Chair rail in the hallway (the fun and pretty project), 4. Doing up my art studio in the basement (I am going to kick that one solo), Laundry Room (nothing cute about it).
    Can’t wait to get started- so much easier to tackle projects when it is cold and nasty outside, oh winter when I turn into a DIY Hermit!

    http://styleandcentsability.wordpress.com/

  19. These are some excellent goals and I’m looking forward to seeing the changes!! Home improvement takes time and new babies take even more time. Everything in my house came to a screeching halt when I had Joseph and it’s just starting to pick up again (5 mos later). Maybe I’ll finally finish my sanded down banister. Maybe.

    I am really, really looking forward to seeing how your kitchen changes. I’ve been wanting to jump on the white cabinet and open shelving bandwagon for a while now, but my husband keeps using his veto privilege. Lame.

  20. I actually really enjoyed reading about your project to-do list (not that I don’t have my own). It’s comforting to know I am not the only one with thoughts of multiple random projects swirling around my head…looking forward to seeing your progress regarding all of them!

  22. I’m really excited about your kitchen cabinet plans. I think painting those cabinets is going to look awesome! Can’t wait to see the finished product!

  24. I love your runner in the kitchen. I can’t seem to find it on your source list. Would you mind sharing where you found it? Thanks!!

  25. Hee hee…nice to see that we aren’t the only ones with a project list a mile long. Fortunately, we are nearing the end of our biggest project: finishing our basement. The boys are putting the counter on the bar this weekend. Unlike most people around here, we made the basement the ‘grown-up playroom’ rather than the kids’ playroom. Theirs will be upstairs! Like you guys, we’ve had project interrupt due to babies. I’ve been pregnant or nursing for 3 of the 4 years we’ve been here, and baby #2 is just 9 weeks old.

    I’m hoping that the other project FLY by b/c the basement was such a huge job (drywall, painting, flooring, etc). We do have vaulted ceilings on the first floor, so it’ll be fun to paint those, ha ha, helloooo scaffolding! Gonna be fun w/ a 3yo!

  26. Hi Ashley,
    The rug was from Shades of Light. It was actually voted on by my readers to be the choice for the kitchen.
    XO – Katie

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