Which means this time last year we woke up to a surprise snowstorm that sent our rented U-Haul slipping into the gutter of our old driveway (more on that in the post titled “Monday the 13th”).
It feels like that happened yesterday. John and I still recall the exact conversation during that truck snafu:
JOHN: Hey Sherry. Walk-through went fine. They’re off to close and I’m headed to the new house.
SHERRY: Okay, be very careful. It’s snowy out there so drive as slow as you need, even if people are honking. Just take your time.
JOHN: I will. Don’t worry.
SHERRY: Great. I just don’t want you ending up in a ditch or anything.
[HANG UP. PHONE RINGS AGAIN.]
JOHN: Crap, the truck is in a ditch and I think I knocked over the mailbox.
SHERRY: You’re kidding, right?
On the other hand, living in this house already feels familiar, like we’ve been here forever. Still, we forget small details about the old place — where a light switch was, which way a door swung. That makes our previous house feel like it’s been ages since we lived there. At the same time, there are still mysterious light switches here, so this house still has secrets to reveal as we renovate, decorate, and settle into rooms we haven’t really used yet, like the sunroom and the playroom. (And no, that’s not a hint about a baby — sorry, Mom.)
Looking back through last year’s archives is funny: seeing our first house empty brings back how different things looked without furniture. Some camera angles were only possible when the rooms were bare, like the spot where the media cabinet used to stand.
We also have photos from move-in day at this house, taken while our rented truck waited in the driveway. It’s wild to compare those empty-room shots to how rooms look now. Some spaces have changed a lot in 365 days, while others remain almost untouched — our bathrooms, for example, still need a lot of work. A few rooms have only been used to hold furniture or to stash items destined for a garage sale, like the sunroom and the playroom.
Rather than dwell in the past, we thought it would be fun to share the projects we hope to tackle in year two and beyond, after we finish the kitchen in a few months. We’ll post a more detailed updated project list later, but for now here are the plans in broad strokes:
- Build a wooden deck for outdoor dining just beyond the kitchen sliding glass doors.
- Convert the carport into a finished garage (a contractor project).
- Add a trellis arch or pergola around the new garage door and plant it so it looks lush and inviting.
- Construct a large media cabinet to balance the console table we built, plus a bench for the foot of the bed and a cabinet to fit the master bedroom’s inset wall.
- Refinish the bedroom floors and the other wood floors throughout the house, scheduling them so we always have a place to stage furniture.
- Add wainscoting to the hallway that leads to the nursery, playroom, and guest room.
- Finally paint, furnish, and actually use the sunroom.
- Paint, furnish, and make the playroom functional instead of a storage area.
- Refresh all three bathrooms with a mix of cosmetic and more involved updates, depending on the room.
- Continue refining rooms like the living room, dining room, nursery, bedroom, and guest room — many walls still lack art and key furniture pieces.
- Create a defined entryway with a large buffet, artwork, and a rug near the front door.
- Add crown molding in several rooms, such as the playroom, nursery, and guest room.
- Double-side the kitchen fireplace so it can be enjoyed from the living room as well.
- Build a backyard playset and an upgraded sandbox for our little one, plus a play kitchen and dollhouse — lots of kid plans.
- Repaint the house siding, trim, and shutters, square off the porch columns, add another exterior light, and stain the porch concrete.
- Undertake extensive landscaping projects in the front, side, and back yards.
- Create a built-in vanity in the master bathroom for symmetrical, concealed storage.
- Build raised beds for an edible garden.
- Modify the playroom daybed to accept a trundle for sleepovers or extra guests.
- Add French doors between the dining room and office to create privacy and architectural interest.
- Adjust the front roofline to introduce more peaks for dimension and better balance with the back of the house.
- Someday attempt a DIY pool (John thinks it’s a wild idea).
We’ll spread these projects out over several years — our first house took 4.5 years to finish — so there’s no rush. We try to enjoy the process instead of rushing and stressing. After big projects we often take a breather and do smaller fixes, and sometimes we ride the momentum into the next big job. Right now the kitchen takes priority, so we’ll see what we feel like tackling once that dust settles.
One thing’s for sure: if year two is even half as exciting, rewarding, and memorable as year one, we’ll be thrilled. Is it odd to love a house like a family member? What projects are you hoping to tackle in the coming year (and beyond)? Every time we say “and beyond,” we can’t help but think of Buzz Lightyear — is that just us?
P.S. Clara is obsessed with big dogs and has no concept of personal space. More on that topic in another post.