Showing posts with label FUTURE HOME PROJECTS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FUTURE HOME PROJECTS. Show all posts

The not so pretty home projects or maintenance.


Those things have to be in a timely matter or can get out of hand. We don't want to be like some old people, that just haven't kept up their home maintenance and then have to sell due to a family death and get practically nothing for their house. I have a good friend whose husband was a packrat - and he didn't like spending money on the house. He died in March of 2019 and Margie is still trying to get her home, clean and everything fixed. Plus she just turned 80. Bless her heart. 

The husband mowed both the front and back yards - We need either to sod or reseed our lawns. Probably won't happen this year. We had 2 garden boxes in the middle of the yard - and had planned to put rocks around it - and have a smaller lawn area. Then we decided we didn't like that and pulled out the boxes and now have 2 dirt plots in the middle of the lawn - they look like freshly dug graves. Boo!



The husband will be replacing a 3 section part of our fence on the side yard that we share with a neighbor. Our neighbor refuses to pitch in and told my husband that it was "his problem." He doesn't care how it looks on his side so what do you do? 

We have a dog that could get out and he's patched it but it's time to replace the fence. It's not worth fighting and arguing over.  Other than being downright cheap, they are good neighbors. The husband wants to put up a chain-link fence. I asked him if this was his version of "Love thy Neighbor." I know he wants to do that for spite. He later came back and said he wouldn't. 



We went in with our neighbors on a fence a few years back. That section my husband has to replace is because the neighbor insisted it wasn't that bad - funny, the next winter, is when it came down. The patched section of the fence, we had to do, because their 2 dogs like to chew the bottom of the wood fence. I do wish my husband had taken more care in mending the fence. I think he was mad and just threw some boards up there. It bugs me. 

Of course never any offer by them to help fix where their dogs destroyed the new fence. Aww, neighbors - you gotta love them. 




After the fence, he also wants to add an extension to his work shed so he can build things, have more room, and have an open area with a roof so he can work in the hot summer and keep his tools protected. Last year, he broke his toe which grounded him in a big boot he had to wear for several months. It was a bad break for him and our "projects." We have a lot of catch-ups we need to do this year. 




This is a "have to" this year. The paint is peeling on the hot, south side of the covered patio - the wood needs to be replaced and repainted. 

Provided he doesn't break anything this year, these should be fairly easy to knock out. 

I have my own projects I need to do -  I'm the painter of the family. 






Little annoying repairs


The not so pretty part of having a home is when something wears out and needs replacing. A dumb piece of hardware, we're trying to find it and so far, non of the big box stores have it.

I'm talking about my silverware drawer - the metal track on the inside (bottom mount) is broken and it's difficult to pull out and close the drawer and it is a heavily used drawer at that. It gets knocked off its track due to the roller thingy, that is broken. This house was built in 1992 - not that old but still hard to find. When you go into Cabinet Stores, they don't want to sell you a $2.50 track - NOPE, they want to sell you completely new kitchen cabinets. I think I found where I can order it online but the husband is such a know-it-all at times and believes he can get it at some store. We'll see.



I want to wallpaper the inside of my cabinets - I know I know, kinda crazy. Especially since I don't have glass doors - so I'd only see it when I open the cabinet door. 


Well, I need to get my drawer fixed first...not to mention everything else I want to do. 




Ready, Set...GO!


I want to move a planter box to the side of my shed - for more planting options and then let the grass grow around it for the winter rainy season. We can overseed or put in a new lawn next spring. There were two planters there - I already took one out. 

I also need to haul out my Fall decorations to start decorating. I am suffering from pure unadulterated LAZINESS - Not having people come to our home, we've become pack rats and we have little organized piles of clutter well beyond what we both like, but we're stuck. I am going to need a stiff pot of strong coffee and a six-pack of red bull and some Pink Floyd to get me moving.  I did go grocery shopping -this morning -  that's something. I have to do some major cleaning in order to decorate. 

I honestly don't know why I still do this. I have got to get motivated...or I will miss my favorite months. 




I did buy a pumpkin today. 


Tomorrow we are going to go on a picnic - just the husband and I and Laydee. 

Take it to the curb





We try to always, do things ourselves. That's why things take so long to complete. Since these SIP orders, we are getting a lot done and we're starting on some bigger projects as soon as the materials are delivered to us, this Saturday.

Right now I am waiting for an estimate from a landscaper to do a small/medium job we just can't do. We've decided to get estimates on a portion of our front yard - that has been problematic for us for a few years. I have another estimate on Wednesday. Still need to find another but 2 estimates are good enough.



The yard from the picket fence to the curb drives me crazy. We have tree roots that have taken over. Overgrown bushes. We want no to low maintenance. All the pretty flowers and such are on the other side of the fence. I am a tree-lover.  I do not want my trees cut. I'm thinking we need to add topsoil to protect the roots from our HOT summers. For weed control, I want a weed barrier laid down and a simple planting area between the trees and surrounded by river rocks. (Due to our high fire danger, river rocks are recommended)  We'll see what we can actually afford, or what we want to spend, etc...

It is a south-facing yard - Trees provide much-needed shade on the backside of the front yard from our triple digits. It's a shaded area with the exception of the sun that peaks in the late afternoon/early evening from the setting summer sun which can be extremely HOT and wilts many plants. I need some drought resistant plants. Some BIG rocks - I could plant bulbs in and around them for spring color.



Something similar to this 






or this. 






Much better than this



Things to do for 2018



I've always wanted this - I'm getting it this year



This has to be my last year of heavy-duty improvements and home repair. If I weren't so easily distracted, It could be done by Thanksgiving (with a little help) I'll just be happy if by this time next year, most of the big things on the list are crossed off and all that is left is just fluff.


2018

Downsize and reorganize the house
paint the trim on the house/front door
landscape both yards
start a vegetable garden

Paint hall bathroom
paint bathroom cabinets
Paint master bathroom
Paint master bathroom cabinets
install a new floor in bathroom

install flooring in the office
install flooring in the back bedroom

finish decorating the bedroom
new ceiling fan for master bedroom

The last really BIG project will be a new farm sink and wood counters in the kitchen. I want this done before Thanksgiving. I am DONE with the yucky sink and countertops I have now.






2017

New Carpet for Living room and master bedroom.
ORGANIZE the house. (storage etc)
Paint house trim and front door
Landscape front and back yards
redo our covered back patio. 
extend the front patio
Plant a small vegetable garden in containers
Hanging plants
More bird feeders 
a new hot water heater -
new screen door



2016

paint master bathroom and install floor
paint hall bath paint cabinets in both bathrooms
change fixtures 
new ceiling fan in master bedroom
my husband needs to finish the hallway

A new year to work on my house


Last Jan I had a new carpet installed. 


I've been going through a lazy time. I could say I am just tired from the holidays...but I know better. Today I HAVE to get my butt up and clean this house; put away the Christmas decorations and get started on some projects that have been taking up so much space in my mind - like it's TIME to get cracking on what I love to do. Work on my house.

I'd go into all that I want to do - but it would take me away from scrubbing out my shower!

I always look forward to a new year. A new year for me to work on this house. I don't believe I will ever get it the way I want, not that I am not content with it because I am. I just love home projects. It's fun to make your house the way YOU want it to be. Of course, my constant goal is to make my home a place of sanctuary for when I am too old to do anything.


Planning our drought resistant yards




SOURCE; PINTEREST

This is what I want to see when I look out my living room window. That's the goal. 



Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, we will be installing our fence in the front yard - and start our landscaping. I am at the stage, where I am fed up with our yards - victims of our 3-year drought. Everyone is doing some kind of landscaping - from expensive and professional to DIYers and cheap. We are in the latter. We will do it ourselves because let's face it - I have other things I would prefer to spend my money on. Like maybe a vacation, this year?



SOURCE: PINTEREST

I do not want a front lawn - My husband wants a small patch of it. WHY? So when we are sitting out there, it is pretty, green, and comfortable for our dog to lay on. I want rocks and pretty drought-resistant bushes, and stepping stones. If I need more color, I can plant flowers in pots and display them. I also want a yard that is a habitat for the birds.





SOURCE: PINTEREST

 Sonoma, Ca

SOURCE: SARAHSCAPEDESIGNS

Nice water-wise gardening in LA



SOURCE: PINTEREST

We have a problem hill in our back yard.
 This would work. and that's a blog post for the future. 


Closets with Curtains


SOURCE: Pinterest


The beautiful sunshine and warm weather have me, dreaming of decorating, gardening and landscaping. It's frustrating - I just can't physically do as much as I used to. Same with my husband. We plan BIG but our actual productivity is small.

Today has me spray painting a small metal shelf, to place in my closet, for my shoes. We still don't have the closet doors on yet and my husband doesn't want them back on. He wants to hang a curtain! I will humor him for a while since we have other things more important. When we went to IKEA, we saw their bedroom displays with closets with curtains and they looked nice. My deal, is I am trying to eliminate dust.

We do not have spacious walk-in closets. Here are some ideas. Which one do you like the best?


SOURCE: Pinterest



SOURCE: Pinterest



SOURCE: Pinterest



SOURCE: Pinterest

Home Improvements for 2017


Painting started Jan 2016 


Organizing the home seems to be the common New Year's Resolution for your home and like most personal resolutions, like losing weight, eating healthy, and exercising - it usually gets placed on the back shelf by March.




hardwood floor is done - still needs the trim


Last year, we decided to make all the necessary Home Improvements, we had been putting off. We had a new roof installed, all new energy-efficient windows installed, a new soaker tub in the bathroom, we painted all rooms, EXCEPT the bathrooms, and 1 bedroom that still needs to be done. We bought steel shelving for the garage -We installed new flooring in the laundry room and 1 bath and we bought a new stove and microwave as well as a new washer and dryer and put hardwood flooring in our hall.




Expect the Unexpected - we had to rip up the carpet in the office due to cat urine. 

On our list was possibly going Solar. We checked into it - the contractor came out but we have too many trees and I am not willing to cut them down. I am a TREE LOVER. Anyway, with our new energy-efficient roof and windows, I have noticed a huge difference.

2017, has us moving just a few things to this year's LIST. But the main focus will be the exterior of our home.

2017

New Carpet for Living room and master bedroom. (That comes on Wednesday)
ORGANIZE the house. (storage etc)
Paint house trim and front door
Landscape front and back yards
redo our covered back patio.
extend front patio
Plant a small vegetable garden in containers
Hanging plants
More bird feeders

and we may have to get a new hot water heater - it is already 9 years old. We are thinking about replacing it with a tankless water heater with instant hot water. 
How nice.

From 2016

paint master bathroom
install floor
paint hall bath
paint cabinets in both bathrooms
change fixtures
new ceiling fan in the master bedroom
my husband needs to finish the hallway

I am sure I have forgotten a few little things - I call that"Fluff". It's all the fun stuff.

WHY did we do all of this? My husband retires in 6 years and we wanted to get our home, fixed up and IMPROVED so we don't have to do this when we are on a limited budget. 

It has been a sacrifice of time and money - we haven't taken a big vacation. (Although I don't like to leave more than 4-5 days - I miss my animals and my house)

So here's to 365 days of Home Improvements!  

Lord willing, I hope 2018, I can say, we're DONE!







More ideas for our office flooring


Source: trendir



We are down to the bare, cold, cement floor in our office. It will have to wait till after Christmas, more like after the new year. I saw this and loved it. It would take too much work for us, and we won't pay to get someone else to do it -
 but I love the look. 



Source: improvisedlife



Source: houzz









Flooring - Plywood and Cement


LiveModern


Yesterday I finished painting the laundry room. 

I still have the trim and baseboards to do - I'll do that after the washer/dryer comes.
 I don't want them bumping my newly paint job. 
This weekend, my husband will lay down the flooring.


The OFFICE

The last couple of days, my husband has been patching the cement - and we had ants! We keep running into obstacles. Tomorrow he will put the sealer on the cement and then we'll be done, until January. 

Gives us time, to decide how to proceed with the flooring.

We are seriously considering, using plywood as flooring for the office and eventually, the backroom (guest, sewing/craft/hobby room)







Blog - This Must Be the Place



So, that's the Plan!

Christmas Decorating 

I have yet, to put up my Christmas decorations.  This weekend, we're planning to deck the halls - Then take 3 weeks off to just enjoy the season.






My game plan for the laundry room- today?



My Laundry room without the washer

This week, maybe even this afternoon, I may start cutting in. My husband will start on the floor after I am done painting. 

I'm thinking, I can probably knock this out in one day. 
I am 62 1/2 but I also am a "painter's daughter."

My Dad was a successful Commercial Painting Contractor in San Francisco in the '60s and 70's - so successful he was able to retire in 1980 at the age of 46. 

He did residential sometimes, but usually big mansions for those he did their buildings. I grew up watching Dad mix paints- and back then, it was all oil-based paint. Dad used to come home, put his overalls in lye soap, and after he washed his hands, he would use butter or mayo to put on his hands and sometimes his face - getting all that oil-based paint off. And to soften his skin. Maybe he could have used a hand lotion, but that is the way he did it.

Oh, and a fun tidbit - My dad and his crew were in the background of many films in San Francisco. Remember Bullet with Steve McQueen? The TV show, Streets of San Francisco - and Dirty Harry movies. Some others I can't remember right now. We would always look for my dad's trucks, or signs, or actual job sites. We sure got a kick out of that.



So the plan is to have the washer and dryer on one side (stacked) and then on the other side, I can put this dresser/bookcase I have had (forever) on the other side. Right now this is stored in my garage - with just junk on it.

 I've always loved this piece - it was given to me for free from the family I used to nanny for. The Mom bought it off craigslist and wanted to restore it. But it sat in her garage. So she gave it to me - (to sit in my garage for 10 years!)



my bookcase/dresser will fit nicely


The shelf will be taken down - and cut to fit above the door for a little more storage. It has to be high enough so that it doesn't "hamper"  (pun) the opening of the door and no one bumps their noggin on it.

Hey, it's a laundry room. I've seen some with chandeliers in them. I just want mine, organized, clean, and kept nice.

I'm excited.




Thanksgiving photos before the decorations come down



Living room



Not many times am I able to take pictures of my house when it's clean. I thought I would share some pictures, just before the family came over. It's not PERFECT - but now I can point out what I am wanting to do - 

One day I would like to take photos of my house when I am done with all the decorating. Like glamour shots for my house. 

Fairly picked up, except for the dog toy! The Burl-clock was given to me by my parents. The glider chair was my parent's and needs a pillow. 

The organ bench belonged to my mom. 





The sofa and loveseat I bought off Craigslist last year. 

The end tables and coffee table used to belong to my parents. 

The little bookcase in the corner belonged to mom. A neighbor teen made it for my mom and we always had it in our house - 

the clock on the bookcase belonged to my Grandma and Grandpa. 




shows the other side - entryway


I am bothered by the TV set and the wires.

 I can't "hang" with that!

 I'm thinking of putting some wood, nail it to the back of the tv stand, you know, make it look all nice, like it belongs there - just to hide those annoying cords. It's a work in process - or soon will be. 

I could put some plants there - ANY SUGGESTIONS?



Dining room/kitchen combo



My dining rooms, no matter where I have lived, have always been my favorite room in the house.

 I like it to be homey.  STORY behind the extra-large tablecloth = I bought it at Walmart - it is part of the Pioneer Woman's line of merchandise. I picked up the wrong size and threw away the receipt. So I just had to use cloth napkins to tie them to the leg of the dining table. It worked.


Next to my china cabinet




I love that side table! I got it for FREE. The family, I used to Nanny for, gave it to me. I love the rustic wood. Would love to get more pieces one day. They had it shipped from Mexico. 

The painting is from a friend's daughter who painted my hometown beach in Pacifica. 

and the little flower bowl was purchased at an art show for developmentally disabled adults - 

Fred made this and was so pleased that someone bought it. I love it!




dining room from living room

You can't really tell from the photos, but the walls are yellow.

 That china cabinet I've had since the late '70s and the table, my boys use to sit and do their homework on it. (It still has indentations from their writing that I refuse to sand away) Except for the chairs. I keep everything and if I can't use it, I store it in my garage - until I can find a good use for it. I hardly ever sell. Usually, when I am fed up and have held on to it for years, I end up giving it away to a good home.





Kitchen - still a work in progress


Last year, I painted my kitchen and the walls. 

We plan to put in wood countertops and a farm sink. We added the greenhouse window this past year. 

I also bought a new stove and over-the-range microwave. I wanted to keep that retro/farm look. I don't know what my style is - I like cheap and shabby!




entryway

This is my problem area. 

We want to make a useful entryway, with an umbrella holder and coat racks. When we have people over, we don't have a good place to store these items. I don't want furniture there - I'm thinking, using beadboard - and then make a simple rack on it - maybe an upper shelf and then get a nice umbrella stand. That's it. 


So many fun home projects are in my future. 

Now on to Christmas...

Taking a break...dreaming

Source


Taking a break, from cleaning the house before Thanksgiving. Instead of thinking of my Turkey, pumpkin pie, and stuffing - I'm thinking about decorating and more home projects. (Will we ever be done?)

There's just something about cleaning - maybe it's the little scratches on the wood floor, that I saw, while cleaning and polishing them or the hall bathroom, that still needs painting. Or that messy garage, that has boxes full of Knik knacks, that I stored while we painted. I miss them!

So, anyway, I was looking at my sliding closet doors in the hall, which are the basic sliding doors. I don't care for them and it's not like I am prepared to do this soon but was just wondering how it would look if I went for a faux barn-door look for the sliding doors.

I like the first photo - easy! 

I don't have the clearance to actually have a barn-door, anywhere in my house. Bummer!




Source


This actually looks similar to my hall. My dining room would be to the right. I'd love to have a door like this, but would have to make clearance and that would mean, getting rid of a favorite piece of furniture for the barn door.





Source

I like this for exterior windows - barn door-type shutters. 
Reminds me of the Western TV show in the late '60s, The High Chaparral.




Source


This is gorgeous. I like everything about this room. The dark hardwood floor, the chandelier, and the doors that enter into a living room or study. 

I've spent too much time, dreaming - NEED to get back to cleaning and getting everything ready for tomorrow. 

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving.

Upcoming Home Projects



Cutting in - earlier in the year 


This year, I proclaimed, that we would finally start getting the house in order. For what?  

For our old age. We're young seniors - I'm retired and my husband has another 6 years. While we finally have a good income, we decided NOW was the time, to get our house, in order. Then we can cruise toward retirement - traveling and doing what we want. 

We replaced the roof - and got a 50-year warranty.  
We replaced every window in our home with energy-efficient windows
We painted the living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway, and office. 
We replaced the linoleum in the hall bath.
We put in a brand new soaker tub in the hall bath.
New tub hardware. 
New Stove and Under the counter Microwave
We are laying down hardwood flooring in the hall. 

Projects we still need to do:

Painting in the hall bath, laundry room, back bedroom, master bedroom, and master bath,
New linoleum in laundry room and master bath.
Paint cabinets in both bathrooms. 
New carpet in the living room and master bedroom. 
New security screen door for the front door. 
Curtains in office, master bedroom, and back bedroom.
New Washer and Dryer
Wood countertops in kitchen
apron front farm since in kitchen

2017 sees us concentrating on the exterior of the house. The yards, patio, fish pond, waterfall, etc.







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