I’ve shared this post the last two years and it has been a great way to keep myself accountable in the home renovation projects I’m working on, and to share all the progress we’ve made on our 1930s fixer upper home in one place!
2020 definitely threw us for some major loops but we still were able to get some projects done, and pivot on some other projects as life has changed so much. We officially completed our last renovation project (albeit differently than planned) and now just have some smaller decor and organizational projects to finish up.
Below you’ll find a list of ALL our finished projects, with links to the corresponding posts and source lists, plus what we’re hoping to do in 2021 for the projects that are still in progress or have yet to begin!
Home Renovation Projects We’ve Completed
New (or re-finished) Floors, Roof, Air Conditioning + Interior Paint
Completed: July 2017
Arlo’s Room (Our First Nursery)
Completed: January 2018
Converting A Kitchenette into A Master Closet and Laundry Room
Completed: February 2018
Dining Room
Completed: April 2018
Exterior Paint
Completed: June 2018
Master Bedroom
Completed: September 2018
Master Bathroom
Goal: February 2019
Completed: February 2019
Kitchen
Goal: March 2019
Completed: May 2019
Backyard
Goal: Summer 2019
Completed: October 2019
Nursery Closet which has now become a craft closet!
Goal: Summer 2019
Completed: October 2019 (Updated Summer 2020 to craft closet)
You can get the tutorial for the sunburst bi-fold closet doors here!
Entry Closet
Goal: Fall 2019
Completed: November 2019
Kids Bathroom
Goal: Late 2019 or Early 2020
Completed: December 2019
Living Room
Goal: Spring 2019
Completed: September 2020
Arlo’s Closet Fort
Goal: Fall 2020
Finished: December 2020
Front Yard
Previous Goal: Sometime in 2020
Finished: December 2020
We finally re-did our front yard!! I don’t share many pictures here for privacy reasons but we worked again with Rachael who did our backyard to come up with a quick update to the yard that would complete the outdoor makeovers on our house. We didn’t want to spend a TON of money since this was mostly done for future re-sale value but we’re so happy with how it turned out. The previous yard was a hodge podge of random and dead plants and now it’s super simple, clean and cohesive! Yay!
Home Projects In Progress
Garage to Playroom Conversion which is now just a Garage Update!
Previous Goal: Fall 2019
New Goal: February 2021
Well, this home renovation project really took a turn. Mid-garage renovation we ran into some major inspection issues due to work the previous owner had done. It ended up costing us a TON of money (and time, and stress) to fix all the issues and sucked up the budget we had left to finish fully converting this into a playroom. So, now we just have a garage with a really nice floor and door. LOL. (I laugh to not cry.)
It doesn’t make sense to invest any more money in this space to finish the project, and with the new renovations we had to make, we lost all the storage space in the ceilings that we thought we could use, so instead we got some big shelves (The “HENJE” line from IKEA!) to help us organize all the storage we keep out there and are calling it a day!
(You can see the original playroom plans here.)
Hallway + Hall Closet
Previous Goal: Fall 2020
New Goal: Summer 2021
We made some major progress on this space at the end of 2020. We did a revamp on the hall closet by moving all of our cleaning supplies to an over-the-door organizer which made this space SO MUCH more functional. We also added sun tunnels to the hallway when we did our kids bathroom renovation which brought in SO much more light.
I’m still hoping to turn the end of the hallway into a personal/family portrait gallery. So hoping I can put that together over the summer!
Big Kid Room Update
Previous Goal: Fall 2020
New Goal: March 2021
We’re getting close to wrapping up a quick “big kid” update to Arlo’s room. Since we know we will likely be moving in the next couple years, I didn’t want to do a huge overhaul on this room. Instead, we swapped the crib for a day bed, installed a storage system in the closet to clear the dresser out of the room and make more space for toys, and are updating the rainbow bookshelves to be able to store more books. Will do a full post on the updates soon!
Projects We Still Want To Do
Kitchen Pantry + Cabinets
Previous Goal: Summer 2020
New Goal: Spring 2021
After we finished the kitchen renovation, our biggest home renovation project, we were just so desperate to have a kitchen again that we kind of dumped all of our stuff into random cabinets and still haven’t organized it…. and we still haven’t a year after writing that sentence.
I’m dying to change this and maximize the functionality. I have invested in some storage solutions, like drawer organizers and lid organizers, etc. but we really need to do a full clean out of our cabinets and organize them so they make more sense and are more efficient!
Guest Bedroom & Craft Room
Previous Goal: Summer 2020
New Goal: Summer 2021
This room was originally supposed to be a nursery, but with plans to grow our family on hold at the moment, it’s basically just been a dumping ground for all our crap for the last two years. And it’s one of the biggest rooms in the house!! SUCH a waste. We did add a day bed last spring, when we thought we had visitors coming all spring long (which didn’t happen of course) so I think we are going to make this space some sort of guest room/craft room situation so I have a space to get some creative projects done that isn’t our dining room table.
Still not really sure what that will look like but that’s the loose plane for now. Really want to better utilize this space!
And that’s where we’re at!! I guess we’re really nearing the end of projects in this house which is so crazy to think about!
Any big home renovation projects in the works for your house in 2021? Or big decorating (or re-decorating) adventures??
Karen says
What a fun list to review – so many accomplishments! That green tile in the master bathroom is so swoon-worthy!! We completed a major renovation in 2017, which leaked into (pun intended) 2018 due to a flood (disaster/heartbreak-city). Since then we’ve taken a break, but we’re back to planning as this spring we’re going to renovate our pool area. We have an acre of land (North County in San Diego), and my mind does spins when I think about the entire yard – so we’re starting with a slice, and it’s the most important slice (re: pool) since our kids are young and we want years for them to enjoy it. Renovating is a wild ride but I truly love the process, and the finished product is always quite enjoyable too!
Kelly says
I think that’s smart!! An acre of land is SO much to wrap your head around at once!! But how amazing to have all that space!!
patricia says
Very surprised you wouldn’t want to fix the front yard if you hate it so much. Its the first thing anyone sees whether they walk into your house or not. Maybe fixing it up a bit will get you to a point of not loving but at least tolerating.
Kelly says
I’m the kind of person that has a hard time putting money into something when I know I won’t love it. Ha! So it’s just become our last priority, it’s also where we spend the least amount of time so doesn’t seem worth it! But we’ll definitely fix it up when we get around to it and for sure before selling it!
Paige Cassandra Flamm says
I love those pink cabinets so much!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Kelly says
Thanks Paige!!
at home with Ashley says
I love your entire house! We just got a new home so we’ve got an entire clean slate to work with this year
Nicolette says
I’m sure you have written about it before but I don’t remember reading what style your home is in the front that makes you dislike it so much!
Jaclyn says
You’ve done such a beautiful job, congratulations! I’d love to know where those pink and orange bathroom floor tiles are from? They’re the best! X
Karen says
Everything looks so great and I’m really looking forward to see new projects completed.
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Aisha says
Wow good job, your home looks beautiful and cozy! Dream
streamcomplet says
Très bel article. Continuez à poster. Je veux attendre votre prochain article. Merci!
Victoria Leigh Shingleton says
Came for the 2021 update! Mannnn sorry about the garage issues. It’s really such a common problem where the previous owner did unpermitted work or never got final on a pulled permit, and then the next owner gets stuck fixing their mistakes which usually involves updating to current code. (Which, you know, if the previous owner had just closed out that permit in 2005, there would be no issues! Yeah that was an oddly specific example, but I feel your pain.) I do love how you continue adapting and moving forward with all of your home projects. And I’m very excited to see the “big kid room” for Arlo – can’t believe this all started with his nursery! The house looks gorgeous, and you have a lot to be proud of! Also… my recommendation for the Guest Bedroom / Craft Room – looks like a great spot for your Studio DIY HQ (errr…. office/craft space/guest bedroom when needed)!
Jonel says
We are emply nesters so this year we reorganized my son’s old room into more of a multi purpose room. It is a huge room so it has two beds for guest plus a TV and recliner. I have also added a desk that I use for conference calls and I have a treadmill and exercise equipment. It is not cluttered at all and it makes me smile every time I enter. I feel so happy that I am getting a lot of use out of the room. I also converted our official guest room so that 1/2 is now a craft area for my new cricut. Two overlooked rooms are now getting plenty of use!
Jen Corona says
I am so incredibly glad I found your blog…amazing, literally amazing. Just bought a place here in PS as a second home and it has a totally different vibe (the hacienda look!) than our home in Chicago. And I’m excited to work with that but had no idea where to start, Until I found all of this! Thank you thank you thank you. And if you get tired of doing your house I’m happy to invite you to do mine 🤣