2014 DIY Goals

We didn’t fall on our asses completely with our 2013 DIY goals, but I’d like to do even better this year.

This year my goal is to not fall on my ass.

Likelihood of success: slim to none.

Well there you have it, list done, I’m going back to bed.

Oh… about those real 2014 DIY Goals. Okay okay, here they are.

Main Bathroom Makeover: You’ve never even SEEN this room! When we moved in we gave it a coat of Tiffany blue paint, hung a white shower curtain and that’s about it. After living with the bathroom for three years, we’ve noticed it’s a bit lacking in functionality. The vanity is too small for El Granto and I to get ready at the same time (which we do) and the storage is not as useful as it could be. (Aka too little and of the unorganized variety.)

Bathroom Vanity & Mirror
Bathroom Vanity & Mirror (sorry about this terrible picture, I shot it months ago and apparently forgot how awful/out of focus it was)
The strange (useless) gap between the vanity and the wall
The strange (useless) gap between the vanity and the wall (and hells yeah, we have a happy face nightlight)

Our goal is to build a larger vanity with drawers and his and hers doors and storage. We’d also like to build a new counter with built in trough sink and two faucets. A new mirror and lighting will have to follow as they will be off center and dorky looking after the new vanity.

Old Laundry Closet
Old Laundry Closet

When we moved into the Storefront there was a stacked washer/dryer in our main second floor bathroom. This dryer and it’s poorly constructed venting was the start of our water woes that resulted in Mike Holmes coming to fix our house. During the reno, Mike & the crew moved our laundry to a safer location in the basement. What was left is a large (empty) closet in our main bathroom which thus far just holds a laundry basket and some extra TP. We’d like to conquer the closet and custom build a linen closet with glass doors for pretty storage, and drawers for other not so pretty storage (I’m looking at you toilet paper). We’d also like to build in a hidden laundry basket door/drawer system. I really enjoyed making the media cabinet last year and am itching to do some more cabinet making in the bathroom.

To complete the bathroom will be a new shower curtain, towel hooks, art etc. I am also hoping for new tile (but that may be wishful thinking.) It’s a BIG project that we hope to start sometime in the spring.

 

Staircase/Hallway: The upstairs hallway was on my list last year and it never got done. I would like to finish it off, and continue down the staircase and knock that off the list as well. The staircase is the ONLY remaining beige wall inside. The reason it’s remaining as it’s hella tall, and going to be a pain in the ass to paint. While I’m at it, I’d like to do some trim work in the staircase, and beef up our newel posts to make them more appropriate to the period of the Storefront. Aka less 1990’s more 1910.

The Staircase
The Staircase

 

Do something with the backyard: The grading is sliding sideways and we’ve lost half the dirt/sand in the backyard in the last year. The pathway is sinking, creating a lake when it rains and the grass refuses to grow in the shifty sandy soil. I would also still like to put in a patio of some sort and build some patio furniture. This looks like an easy task but is HUGE. It may not get done this year.

Backyard Lake.
Backyard Lake created by the sinking pathway.

 

Garage Love:  The garage needs a little TLC. We need to add some lumber storage, make a new workbench for our bench top tools, add some insulation and figure out some sort of sawdust control system. As El Granto got a new belt/disc sander for Christmas, I think this project will be starting sometime soon.

 

Paint the exterior of the Storefront: I would love love love to remove the siding on the front of the house, re-point the brick, clean it, and re-do all the flashing. Unless I somehow come into a lot of money, this is not going to happen in the next year. To live with the front of the house for now, I would like to prime & paint the siding to give it a new lease on life. While we’re at it,  I’d like to de-beige the back of the house with some paint as well. I would also like to try a new paint color on the front door & mailbox. I’m thinking something fun, like green or blue.

I hate the ugly siding
I hate the ugly siding

What do you think? Is it a do-able list, or am I going to fail miserably?

2013 DIY Goals

I am not a new years resolution kinda person. I know I will never stick to a diet, or exercise more. I will most likely fail on any person goals in about the first month. However, the house goals are much more attainable. Why is that? Perhaps cause improving the house is fun, whereas jogging is not. So in 2013 will I be giving up sugar? Not bloody likely, but we will hopefully check off a few of these projects this year. So here’s the list!

2013 DIY Goals

The Coffee Bar – Installing a set of 12″ deep cabinets & some open storage onto the big wall in the dining room. It will be used as a coffee bar/buffet and hold a lot of our less used dinnerware and serving dishes as well as all our coffee related paraphernalia. (i.e. the espresso machine, milk frother, drip coffee maker, grinder, kettle, bodum etc. ) And yes, each of those items gets used SEVERAL times a week. We like our coffee, mmkay.

This is where the new coffee bar will go. Our poor liquor bar (on the right) was ousted from his living place when we made the new dining table. He’ll be relegated to the office and our new 7′ long coffee bar will dominate this blank canvas of a wall.

DIY’n new countertops for the kitchen & (hopefully completed) coffee bar – This one hinges on us getting a new sink first, then taking on this big project. I will be ever so happy to cross this one off the list, especially after my laminate countertops started de-laminating when I used the self clean cycle on my oven…eep.

Hopefully this kitchen will be more functional and look better with new concrete countertops!

Reno the laundry room –  This is a big project, that will cost us a bit of $. Hopefully we can fit it into the budget this year, as it would be sooo nice not to do laundry in such a damp dreary space. The bonus is that I will have a nice workshop in there as well! We have to lay down a dricore subfloor, flooring, walls, storage and a ton of other things. Wish me luck on this one…

Finishing the upstairs hallway – This one seems fairly straight forward, so hopefully we can check it off our list soon!

The hallway still needs some paint, art, plants for the nook and maybe a carpet runner.

Building a patio for the backyard & some landscaping – Its a small space, but this project will require a load of muscles. Anyone wanna come shovel? I pay in beer and pizza…

We hope to build a reclaimed brick patio and new walkway, as well as a flower bed near the fence. We also hope to build a modular sectional sofa to reside on the new patio.

Re-configuring our living space, and finally purchasing/building some grown up furniture for the livingroom –  A smaller project, but it will involve some carpentry, some techy things, and hopefully a new sofa purchase.

So what are your house goals for 2013? Got any big DIY or BIY (Buy it yourself) projects on the go?