Good morning friends! And welcome to 2016!!!
The 25th of January, 2016, will mark the one year anniversary of moving into our new (to us) home.
Taking on our first fixer-upper (take the tour here) pushed us a bit out of our comfort zone for sure, but honestly, the decision to buy this house was one of the easiest we’ve ever made. *Little know fact: Brady actually picked this house out all on his own – I didn’t even get to lay eyes on it until our inspection day a few months later!*
Truth is, fixer-upper or not, we absolutely adore this house! The second we walked in the front door, it just felt like home.
As homey as it is, this charming house is certainly in need of some updating (goodbye 70’s doorknobs!). And there are a few extra changes we’d like to see happen to make this house work better for our family (yes, I’m talking about you giant wall smack dab in the middle of it all!).
From the very beginning, we’ve had BIG plans for this lovely old house!
We’ve had dreams of a large, open main floor. A beautiful, bright kitchen. A vintage, farmhouse feel throughout the entire house. Light, bright & airy are what come to mind most for each room in the house.
True, we made some progress in 2015. Carson’s bedroom became a Rustic Cabin Retreat…
And we created the most dreamy Farmhouse Master Bedroom…
But, my friends…
2016 is going to be HUGE!
Here’s what we’re hoping to make it through this year:
one. Completely transform the entire main floor. Yes, you read that right – the ENTIRE MAIN FLOOR. We want to create an open concept space, removing the wall between the kitchen and front living room. We’d like to raise the floor in the living room space (its a step down now), so that the entire space is all one level. We need to remove a closet, build a new closet, relocate some appliances and create a pantry space. We’d like white kitchen cabinets, new flooring, and built-ins around the fireplace. We need to move a wall in our back family room to create a new mudroom, making space for our laundry to be brought up from the basement. Did I mention there’s a powder room that needs a makeover too?
Really, it’s the sort of thing the requires one thing before another, so that in the end, you pretty much just have to do it all – and of course, all at once.
two. Because renovating our entire main floor wasn’t enough, we also have plans to renovate our guest bathroom upstairs. The top floor of our home is in pretty good shape. I replaced the linoleum in the bedrooms with some soft, plush carpet before even moving into this house. So, aside from changing some trim, door knobs, paint and light fixtures, there isn’t a ton of work to be done.
Except for the bathroom.
We have pretty large bathroom, with a pretty awful layout. A giant corner tub and the tiniest little vanity. Honestly, it makes no sense at all. And I cannot wait to rip it apart!
three. We may have a beautiful bedroom, but our closet space is awful. Okay, maybe not awful, but there’s just a ton of wasted space and it drives me nuts every time I walk in there! It won’t take much (famous last words!) to have it functioning better for us and of course, looking fabulous!
four. Our little front porch will be looking just as charming and sweet as it should be! I’ve always wanted a front porch and I cannot wait to turn our understated porch into a welcoming feature, adding a ton of curb appeal to our home!
five. A little hallway love will go such a long way! We’ve got the doors, the hardware and the trim – we just need to get it done.
six. Just in case we somehow make it through the rest, we still have 3 other bedrooms, a master bathroom, a garage, a basement and a backyard that could use a little love too! Ha!
Honestly, if we make it through even part of this list (am I nuts?!) in 2016, I’ll be completely over the moon (especially if I’m loving with an open concept main floor by this time next year)!
This house has SO much potential and I cannot wait to see some of our dreams for it come to life!
Wishing you SUCH a lovely day!
What an awesome list! I’m excited to follow along! 🙂
Thank you Anni! It’s definitely a bit daunting! Can’t wait to see how it all turns out!
Sounds like a fun and busy year! Looking forward to following along!
Thanks so much Gretchen! If we make it through even half of this, it will be one heck of a year! 😉
Such exciting plans! I can’t wait to see it all come together, I know it’s going to be great!
Thank you SO much Bre! Honestly, right now I’m wondering what I was drinking when I wrote this post – sounds like a pretty busy year 😉
Wow, you have some plans! I love your style and the rooms you have done are stunning, I can only imagine what the rest will look like once you get to work. I am excited to see this progress!
You are just the sweetest Emily! Thank you SO, SO much! Here’s hoping we can get it all done!
This is so exciting! I can’t wait to follow along with all these changes and see how they turn out. I’m especially looking forward to seeing what you do with your hallway and front porch. Those are two areas of my house that need some love!
Oh thank you Jenna! I’m so happy you’re so excited! Here’s hoping you find some inspiration for your own home my friend!
Wow! You do have some BIG plans for 2016, I am sure it is all going to look AH-mazing once you complete it!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Thanks Carrie! I’m pretty sure I’m nuts, but why not shoot for the stars? 😉
So looking forward to following along in the journey. If you get half that done, it’ll be A LOT!
Ugh, you’re telling me! What was I thinking writing that?! 😉 Thanks so much Teri!
You are soooo on top of it! I can’t wait to see what gorgeous ideas you come up with 🙂 Happy 2016!!
Thank you SO much LZ!!!
Love it! These are great plans and I am super excited to follow along! Good luck to you guys and happy New Year!
Thanks so much Sarah! I’m pretty sure we must be nuts! 😉 Wishing you the very best year to come too my friend!
I am very excited to get tours of your house transformations this year! Can’t wait to see how the open concept comes to life. You’re ambitious!!!
Hahahaha, or CRAZY?! Thanks so much Emily! Here’s hoping we can make a ton of this come to life!
Wow, that’s an ambitious list! I am so excited to see it all come true. I would love to take on a fixer upper for our next house, and I love following along as my friends make it happen! 🙂
It’s definitely ambitious … if we make it through even half of this, I’ll be absolutely thrilled! 😉 I know just what you mean Kimm, I love following along with the journey too! We’ve only been in here a year, but it’s been so gratifying watching our dreams take shape! Thanks again Kimm!