It’s the beginning of a new year! Which means my brain is full of hopes and goals for the year. I’ve taken time off and had lots of time to dream! Let’s get cracking! This year, I have two houses and they’re mostly done. So now I get to dive into the nitty gritty. I get to really refine my houses. What isn’t working? What needs the most work? So here’s my 2021 project plans. This will be fun!
2020 project plans
Last year I made a goal to re-do 10 spaces in my houses. I felt like I was shooting for the stars and I ended up doing more than what was on my list. I worked hard with my husband and probably spent too much money on renovations if I’m being honest. But I still love the process of redoing spaces so here I am, ready to get started with a new year of projects.
1. laundry room
Our laundry is in our garage. Note- the garage door doesn’t open (it’s jammed and we haven’t figured it out because our truck is too big to fit in here). So we’re wanting to make a fancier and more permanent laundry area. I’m thinking adding a pony wall, adding tile, and wallpaper. Plus a new washer and dryer. It’s so utilitarian, but could be really cute- trust me!
One issue with our laundry is it blocks off the doorway to the tiny powder room. So we might move the doorway over too. And put the light switch to the bathroom in the bathroom.
We’re hoping to start this project in February.
2- garage
The rest of the garage is really rough. We’re thinking about getting permits so that we can convert the garage space to living space. This would add square footage onto the house so it’d really add value to the house. The vision for this room is to make it a game room. We’re thinking ping pong table, TV, and a work bench that could double as a bar. Can you see it?!
I mean, it’s real rough in here, but I hope we can have our way with this room- lol. We’re even thinking about changing the garage door to a big wall of windows or French doors. There’s a little patio outside the garage door so it could be nice to have an indoor-outdoor living situation. Plus more light is needed in here!
That big wood box is our storage when we don’t live here. We have paint and some small tools in there now. I need to paint it so it looks pretty.
3- main bedroom
I’ve lived with this wallpaper for a year and I’m not a fan. It’s my fault for not ordering a sample and realizing the color is too dark before putting it up. But, I believe in second chances so I want to replace the wallpaper with something lighter and hang the drapes higher. I feel really bad that I messed up the design in here. It’s wasteful. But I don’t feel bad enough to not fix it 😉
4- backyard
The big plan for the backyard is to add a fence across the back driveway! We’d need to add a spot for parking in the front- we’d tear out grass and add gravel. Then we can take down the chain link fence in the back. This would double the backyard space! We have an alley behind out house so we can park in the front and back. Which is strange, but a fun feature.
Don has been begging to add a hammock between those two palm trees. So that is something I really want to do. Hammocks aren’t super expensive. I was just looking through my pictures of last summer. We have a hammock in our Utah house’s backyard and we used it daily. So I’d like to add that here.
5- patio
Our patio is cute, but it needs more work. The concrete is pitted. Should I fill those holes? Should I tile? I definitely want to hang cafe lights. I’m going to re-do that coffee table soon. And I need to paint the patches on the wall. Mostly it needs more ambiance.
6- closets
The three closets in our house need help. I’m probably going to start this project this week. I want to paint the closet and build a shoe shelf. And I want to really optimize the space so that it works better for us. How proud of me are you that I share this tiny closet with my husband and fit everything?! Lol. It’s actually great to not have a ton of stuff to have to take care of here!
And it definitely helps that we only need clothes for one season.
Here’s Don’s closet. We store Air BNB stuff in the top- a pack and play and a high chair. In the bottom, I’d like to add shelves so we could have toy storage and a place for shoes. It could just be so much better- you know?!
And then here is my linen closet. Again, Air BNB stuff is on the top. It’s not bad at all in here, but I’d like to have fun with organizing and make this space really special.
7- Logan Kitchen
Let me just say this- I don’t know if it’s in the budget to fully re do the kitchen. I’m sure hoping it is because this room is so special. New cabinets would be amazing! And there’s way too many cabinets in here. I need to take some down so that I can fit a bigger table.
At the minimum, I have to redo the counter tops. I painted them a few years ago and they aren’t holding up well.
8- Logan Don’s Room
My son Don’s room is super cute in Logan, but it still has room for improvement. We want to try lofting it and shiplapping the ceiling.
9- new floors Logan
The living room, office, and kitchen all have different floors. I’d like the same thing between the three rooms. At a minimum, I need to strip and paint the living room floors. They are flaking and look terrible.
10- pave driveway Logan
This is a project that is painful to do, but really needs to be done. Our driveway in Logan is gravel and is terrible in the snow. We need to pay the $5k to pave it so it’s easy to shovel in winter. Uggggh. This is like buying toilet paper- it needs to be done, but sucks to actually do.
extra credit- pool in Florida
Alright, I doubt this will happen, but we’d love to put in a pool. Now hear me out! A really nice pool is $40k. BUT my neighbor did a $4,000 pool- it’s an above ground pool that she put underground and runs it as a salt water pool. That way it only costs $50 to run yearly. The main reason we want to put in the pool is to be able to rent out the house easier as an Air BNB.
extra credit- outdoor shower
If we do a pool, we’d love to do an outdoor shower too. Even without a pool, we live close to the beach so it’d be nice to have a place to hose off before going inside. My husband and I have NO idea how to build one. Is it possible? We don’t know. It’s on the dream list.
extra credit- bathroom Florida
The last item might be a big of a surprise- I just redid this space a few months ago. But the problem is the tile. It’s the original 1950’s tile and has been painted over as has the tub. The paint is peeling in space. Can I fix it and have it match? I don’t have the paint and don’t know what was used.
With this bathroom being part of a rental, we don’t want items that look sloppy and are high upkeep. So we might have to re-tile. I’d rather not because I love old things. But I don’t want a bathroom that looks like it’s falling apart- you know?
So there are my 2021 project plans. What do you want to see most? Anything you think I’m missing? Anything you think I’m crazy to try and do?
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April Blake says
For your garage door situation, you might want to consider an accordion style door! It’s not too common but we love ours. Although I guess it depends on how much you’ll want to have the door open to the outside because bugs! I am in SC and know how it is with bugs lol. Check ours out: https://theaprilblake.com/2020/04/our-garage-renovation/
The closet project sounds like an excellent way to ease into the new year! Can’t wait to see what all you accomplish!
Ashley Wilson says
Thanks! I’m going to read it now. I appreciate it! I’m also considering doing a big wall of windows and then doing a daybed that can work for sleeping or lounging like a sofa. Adding beds in an Air BNB is always smart so I’m tempted by that.
Kate says
You are ambitious with your plans but if anyone can do it is the Energizer-Ashley. I’ve seen on Property Brother’s IOU that they use a shipment container as an in-ground pool. They have done it because it’s quick. So that might be an option.
Ashley Wilson says
Ooooh that’s cool! I’ll have to look that up. I don’t watch their show much, but I heard Zooey Deschanel was on an episode so I need to watch that one too!
Victoria says
These plans are so exciting! I definitely think you could accomplish them and they will be such value added! I think the laundry/garage convert I’m most excited about, but can’t wait until we get to see mood boards so I can visualize better!
Ashley Wilson says
Thanks! That’s so good to know. I’m working on the laundry room mood boards. We think we’ll do that corner first and then start working on the rest of the room. Sometimes I find doing a smaller project gives me motivation to get the rest of the room in order.
Tangee Cassidy says
Re: your pitted concrete patio- I JUST watched a youtube video of a woman Nicole Michael DIY -using some old concrete patio pavers with the gravel texture- flipped over and then she applied some encaustic looking tiles to them and it was stunning! And people are normally begging folks to come haul away those mangy old pavers, so you might be able to pick them up for nothing more than your labor.