Welcome to 2021, friends! We made it. Let’s hope we stay the course and help the world change for the better this year. Since this is a DIY home improvement blog, I’m starting the new year by sharing our 2021 house goals with you. Home improvement is why you’re here, right? Here’s what we have planned for the next twelve months.
Our #1 DIY Home Improvement Goal for 2021
MOVE. Yes, I consider that to be a home improvement. Haha. Our current house is not our forever home, and we only intended to live here for a year or two. However, buying a new home is easier said than done, around these parts. Maybe when Denver stops making it to the top of all the “best places to live” lists (Read more here and here and here), our housing market will settle down and we’ll be able to find our next home. What’s good for our economy is hard on buyers in our housing market – we have very few houses for sale, many buyers, and ever-rising prices. It’s a good problem to have, though, and we know that.
Before That Happens… Here are Our Other Goals
If you’ve been reading for awhile, you know we bought our house as a fixer upper. It’s the second 1960’s house we’ve updated in our neighborhood; we doubled down because the neighbors are great and the houses are really well-built. We are almost done with the main floor in our ranch-style house, and we have a few big projects (and plenty of small ones) left on the list.
BIG DIY PROJECTS
- Laundry hallway
- Family room
- En suite bathroom
- Basement
SMALL PROJECTS
- Finish trim
- Finish kitchen
- Back porch floor
- Main bathroom
Our House Layout
In this post about our current house, I shared a mockup of the floor plan. It’s sort of a Z-shaped flow on the main level, which is really nice, because the living room and family room are spaced apart in different zones. Here is the layout again for reference:
Big Projects to Tackle in 2021
1. I can’t wait to get started on our “laundry hallway” because I want to add some color to this space. We painted most of our interior walls Silky White by Behr, which is nice and breezy, but also a little dry for my taste. This space is still mint green and mostly untouched (except for a new light fixture, you’ll be glad to know).
Our plans for the laundry area are to extend the kitchen floor into the hallway, replace the upper cabinets with one recycled kitchen cabinet, and add open shelving. I would like to do something fun on one wall – maybe paint it an emerald green, add temporary wallpaper, or stencil a fun design. I do plan to tie in elements with the kitchen, so the floor and cabinets will match.
2. Moving into the family room, I don’t have much to share yet. I still need to research materials and create a mood board, because believe it or not, I’m planning to shift away from three shades of pink. I’m leaning toward a laminate flooring in natural wood tones and perhaps a feature wall of some sort. Wyatt still wants to bust out one of the walls and add a fireplace (there’s actually a chimney hiding behind that dark pink wall!). We are still debating that plan, and it will probably come down to timing.
3. Our tiny bathroom off the master bedroom needs a total overhaul, and I’ve purchased most of the materials for that project already. The only thing we’ve done so far is rip out the pink carpet. <- YES, you read that correctly. So gross. Here are some items I’ve mapped out for a black and white update.
4. Last, the basement, in all its 1980’s glory, is still untouched. So that will be fun.
Minor Work to Wrap Up
We also have a few smaller DIY home improvement projects still on the docket. Here’s the current list.
1. Trim, trim, trim! Wyatt recently installed this cute hexagon floor tile in our entryway (more on that coming soon!). Now, we can finish the casing around our new front door, as well as the base trim that extends into the living and dining rooms.
> Tips to Install and Stain a New Front Door <
2. Our kitchen still needs to have backsplash tile and two floating shelves installed. I have the materials, so this project is moving up the list. This kitchen is so close to the finish line!
> Choosing a Backsplash Tile Layout <
3. We need to figure out a plan on the back porch floor project. Unfortunately, these Runnen tiles from IKEA are hating the snow and rapidly disintegrating… such a bummer! I’m debating whether or not to replace them in the spring and seal the floor, or to come up with Plan B. For now, I’ve pulled up all the damaged tile and will stack the remaining, undamaged tiles in the garage through the winter. 1 out of 5 stars on that product!
> Back Porch Refresh with IKEA Flooring <
4. Last, we need to figure out a game plan for the main bathroom. If we run out of time (assuming we buy a new house), it’s close to being finished at this stage. Just needs base trim, new countertop, faucet, and mirror. The tub/shower liner is in great shape, but if time allows… there is an original TURQUOISE TUB lurking underneath the liner. I am dying to salvage it and redesign the bathroom around a turquoise tub. I know, that’s a bold move for a house we want to sell. Stay tuned!
> Cheap Bathroom Update and Hanging Shelves Tutorial <
How’s That for a 2021 DIY Plan?
I know our parents are shuddering after reading this blog post, but we’re gradually chipping away at the mountain of home improvements. Wouldn’t it be nice to wrap this up in 2021? Our fingers are crossed for so many reasons. Just writing this list of projects already has me thinking about a vacation… our last trip to Moab was such a nice break. That should be my motivation to buckle down and get this house finished!
Good luck as you tackle your own DIY home improvement list this year. We’ve all got one, and I hope it’s smooth sailing for you. Stay tuned for progress updates, how-to posts, and product reviews as we check off our list in progress this year and share updates with you.
Thanks for reading and following along! I’m grateful for each and every one of you. Happy New Year!
