2016 is already off to a productive start – I think it was the first time ever I took the Christmas decorations down on Jan. 1 and I’m enjoying getting the house back to normal. Looking ahead, I’ve got some projects in mind (some big, some small) and am excited to get started! Below are a few to-do items on my radar for the coming year:
- De-clutter: I think I mentioned before that we moved into our house 2 weeks before our wedding – which resulted in very quickly stuffing boxes and bins in closets until after the initial renovation. Plus, add wedding gifts and it’s taken us a long time to go back and get through everything. I thought I’d done a decent job but then I found 3 storage bins in the garage, mostly with decor items, and out of 3 bins, I found 4 items I wanted to keep (a t-shirt, a Christmas ornament, a clothes hook and a carved pumpkin). It made me realize I need to do another deep clean and am planning to purchase “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” to help get me started. Has anyone purchased this book? Curious to see if anyone else has had a good experience with it!
- Hall Bathroom Refresh:While we don’t plan on doing a full renovation on the hall bath for a few more years, I think it’s a good candidate for a mini-makeover that should be cost-effective, but also impactful. I’m really excited about this one!
- Finish the Master Bedroom: Like many master bedrooms, ours has been half-way done for quite awhile. Like the bathroom, it won’t be a full makeover and the main focus will be to decorate the big wall behind our bed, add a vanity and replace my husband’s nightstand.
This big blank wall is finally ready for some decor!
- Update Fixtures: I’ve been scouring the internet for new light fixtures for the hallway, foyer and laundry room – I’ve got a post coming on budget-friendly options, but I’m planning to start with the foyer and laundry room, then figure out the hallway. We also started updating the light switches and outlets throughout the house and am hoping to wrap that up this year as well.
- Paint: I change my mind daily on if I like the paint color that’s in the living room and kitchen – sometimes, I think I nailed it. Other times, it’s so gold, I can’t stand it. Hoping I come to a decision and figure out a solution this year!
- Outside: There is a lot of work to do on the outside to create more curb appeal – we may get the house re-painted this year and do some other maintenance items. I expect this to be a multi-year project, but my priorities for this year are create a stairway from the front of our house to the street, add plantings around the foundation and plant some trees for privacy on the side yard.
The before and after shot of the front of our house once we had 13 pine trees removed.
I’m sure there will be some other projects that come along the way (like the laundry room, garage and linen closet)! What are your goals for 2016?
[…] be to have the interior renos largely done, minus small things like lights, paint, etc. For 2016, my biggest goal is to focus on the outside, but in terms of return on investment and […]