2023: Plans and Progress

2022 was not the year for projects. Basically, nothing got done last year. I didn't reach any of the design goals I had wanted to so this year I was determined to finish up and honestly, even though we are only halfway through the year, we have accomplished so much already that I felt it deserved an update! First, I wanted to go over what goals I had set to accomplish for the year ....

1. Re-do the pantry. 

One morning I woke up decided I couldn't look at that nasty carpet anymore and I ripped it out. My husband woke up to me with a pry bar in hand pulling staples out of the sub floor and he's like, "I guess we are re-doing the pantry now?" Yes. Yes we are. 

This is where we started. Gross right?

I ripped out the flooring and replaced it with leftover LVP we had. We took out the shelves and built in floating wood shelves and organized everything into bins. I want to build a nice wood shelving unit with a pull out drawer to replace the plastic drawers I have in there currently but so far, I'm much happier with it now. We still need to add baseboards but this project is 80% done!

2. Re-build the pergola and get new pieces for the back porch. 

Remember when we had to remove our pergola so our concrete could be re-poured...TWO YEARS AGO?! This was one project that I said absolutely positively could not be put off again. I ended up purchasing some new decor pieces and putting in a small veggie and herb planter and then, finally, we re-built the pergola. Here's where we started 

And this is what it looks like today...

3. Build the coffee bar. 

Coming from a 2300 square foot house in Pueblo to this 1600 square foot house we sacrificed a lot of storage and that's been a constant struggle for us, especially in the kitchen. We have a lot of small appliances and we love making Italian sodas so we keep a ton of syrups on hand and no where to store everything. Currently, we used some cabinets we had originally used as a tv stand when we moved in but they were always intended to be temporary. My goal is to build in a large coffee bar/storage area that will look like an extension of the kitchen without sacrificing too much walkway space in the already small dining area. This will probably be the  most expensive project due to the cabinets and wanting matching quartz, so here's to hoping we can find an affordable remnant. 

This is where we are at currently...

and these are the mock ups I've created. 

4. The front yard. I am happy to say this project is COMPLETE. Last year I was able to finally add the corbels to the peaks, accent lighting and we replaced our dead bushes. Now the curb appeal is everything I had envisioned. I keep going back and forth on adding a window box under my office window but I'm not 100% yet but I did create a mock up to see and I'm kind of digging it. 

5. Our master bedroom.

There was nothing wrong with the master, but like anyone else, my style has evolved and I wanted a little more moodiness in our room so I did refresh the space with a new rug, pillows and décor. I also painted the trim and FINALLY replaced the ugly boob light fan. I do still plan to add a center ridge beam and potentially some picture frame molding but that I'm not 100% on yet. But here's a little before and after so far. 

6. The living room. 

Just like with the master I'm wanting to add some moodiness to the space. My plan is to replace the blinds with dark brown blackout shades (like the ones I have in the master), change the pillows, get a new rug, add a cushion to the dining bench and get new dining chairs. I have already added a new rug, changed out the accent tables and changed the ceiling fan. Down the road, I want to re-build the fireplace to the ceiling but again, I'm not 100% decided on the style I want so I don't want to start that until I am certain.

Here's where we started

and this is what the space looks like now. 

I am confident I'll finish my list by the end of this year because most of it is already done, but summer is here and we are always busy in the summer so I'm trying to fit in small projects when I can. Check in soon for more updates and as always, following me on Instagram gives you more frequent updates on our progress. 

--Jacqui 

2022 Plans: progress report

 We are 1/3 of the way through 2022 already so I think it's about time to check in on the progress we've made so far. 

1. The Kitchen.

We finished the backplash and changed the hardware. We still need to build the vent hood 

2. The pantry. 

We've done absolutely nothing in here yet. We need to add electrical for the microwave, cabinets and built in shelving 

3. The backyard. 

We haven't done much of anything at all besides slapping down a new rug and decor only because we are waiting for the warranty people to replace the slab still. We will need to build the pergola, rebuild the steps (we might have them pour concrete ones) and we'd like to build in the grills. Not sure if we can accomplish that one since we are at the mercy of the warranty people and the weather. Only time will tell. 

4. Front Yard

We got so much done! We replaced the dead bushes, added driveway lighting and we will be adding the corbels just as soon as we have time. I wanted to hire out the job but they quoted us over $400 for labor and I know we can definitely get it done ourselves for free. We also need to pressure wash and stain the fence, the water lines are driving me crazy.

So how are we doing? I'd say we are on track right now. Each project is a weekend project that we can knock out quickly so I'm pretty confident we can finish. Here's to hoping.

---Jacqui 

Guest Bedroom / Zack's Office

 Our guest bedroom is the most un-used space in our house. We never have guests who sleep over, like ever and Zack has really needed a space to work on his projects so we decided to create an office space for him while leaving the guest bed, just in case. 

I started by painting the walls. I used Farrow and Ball Card Room Green color matched in Valspar Signature. I also replaced the windowsill and framed out the window. 

The final piece was to decorate. I ordered a new bed frame (but re-used the headboard), a desk and chair and a nice bookcase with drawers to store all of Zacks stuff. Then, I added decor I already had, along with some new curtains and a rug. All done!

---Jacqui 

Kitchen Backsplash Reveal

 My number one mission this year was to get the kitchen completed and we just finished with one of the biggest pieces: The backsplash! Here's where we started when we first moved in

then, before Christmas, we changed out the appliances and removed the microwave and replaced it with a vent hood. 

It took me a while to find a backsplash I liked. Originally I thought I'd go with marble but all the samples I got just did not look right. Then, I kept seeing the Cloe tile everywhere and I just fell in love. We have a local Bedrosian so I stopped in to see it in person and it was even more beautiful. I used their online calculator to figure out how much I needed and placed an order. We only needed 3 boxes. 

I got quotes from several companies to install it but they came in really high ($1000-$1500) just for the labor portion so we just decided to tackle it on our own. I've heard alot about the Musselbound mat and that seemed like an easier option. I hung all the full pieces first then Zack rented a tile saw from Home Depot ($51 for 2 days) and we cut the rest. You cannot attach wet tile to the Musselbound so we had to let the cut tiles dry overnight before we hung them but it worked out fine and the mat was much easier and less messy than the alternative. 

After all the tile was hung we grouted using pre-mixed grout from Lowes in a white finish. We tried using the foam float but it was a pain so I ended up using my hands to smush it all into the cracks while Zack wiped the excess. It worked really well. We changed the hardware to a champagne gold and here's how it looks now! 

We still need to add electrical to the pantry so we can move the microwave in there and we will need to build a vent hood cover but then the kitchen will be done done, and I cannot wait for that. 

---Jacqui 

Master Bedroom Updates

 

Our master got a little mature facelift this month with new bedding, lamps and art. Here's where we started about a month after we moved in...

Then we added our double barn doors...

And here we are today. 

So serene and it feels so much more mature. I would eventually like to change out our rug to something a little darker and potentially add a bench or benches to the foot of the bed, but thrilled with where it's at now. 

---Jacqui 

Living Room Changes

 The living room has come a long way. Immediately when we saw this house I knew I wanted a fireplace. We built two in our last house so I knew we were up for the challenge, but we got busy with other projects and it fell to the back burner. Here's how it looked at the start of the year. 

And my plan for the space...

Finally, before Thanksgiving I convinced Zack to help me bring the fireplace vision to life. initially I painted it the same color as the doors in the house but I do think down the road I'd like to plaster it or paint with roman clay for more texture. 

After the holidays I was ready to take the next steps and do my "built ins" next to the fireplace. There are several ways to do this, you can build them yourself, which I would have loved to do but we just don't have the time like we used to and what time we do have together we just don't feel like spending it working on projects SO we chose the prefab route. Our ceilings are tall though so I had to look around for shelving that was the right height and color. I found the ones I wanted, the Billy bookcases from Ikea in birch but they were out of stock. I set up an alert for when they came back in stock hoping it wouldn't take long and lo and behold, a week later they came in stock. Our Ikea is over an hour away and but the shipping cost was ridiculous so I set them for pickup and ended up driving there in a snows storm for these babies. It was worth it. Here's how it looks now. 

I did plan to add doors to cover the bottom two shelves but they were out of stock at the time, they recently came back in stock and are on the way to us now! This room has come so far and it feels so good now! Hoping I can convince the hubby to get me a Frame TV to finish it off 🤞

---Jacqui 

2022 Plans

 Wow, I'm not sure where the time's gone. I am so bad about updating here but fortunately, you can follow along on Instagram for more frequent updates. Since the last time I've posted we've done so much, and yet, there's always more to do! This year, we have big plans! We started on the kitchen at the end of 2021 by ordering new appliances, removing the microwave and adding a vent hood. 

So, for 2022 that's first priority...

1 Finish the Kitchen.

First and foremost, we need to add a backsplash. I haven't decided on one yet but I do love marble, I also may check out the Cloe tile from Bedrosian. We're also still deciding whether we want to build a vent hood cover or leave the stainless one exposed. Not sure yet. I'm also thinking I may change the hardware to a champagne gold, just for another layer of pretty. The final piece will be adding electrical in the pantry to move the microwave in there, which brings us to...

2 the pantry

I did an initial fix in here by adding more shelving but I want to do it right. The plan would be to add electrical, rip out all the shelving, add cabinets, build wood shelving and some functional organization. 

3 Back yard 

We built our home in 2020 and had some issues with the patio concrete cracking. Fortunately, the warranty company will be replacing it but they can't do that until late spring #ColoradoProblems. Once the slab is replaced, we want to build a pergola, maybe replace the slider with French doors, build wider stairs and *fingers crossed* build in our grills. Hoping we can finish everything on our list before the end of the year. 

 

4 Front yard

The final and most simple project will be our front yard. Our bushes we added last spring unfortunately didn't survive the summer so we will be replacing those, adding some driveway lighting, staining the fence and possibly adding some corbels on the roofline, we'll have to see if we get affordable quotes on that. 

Of course I have some smaller projects planned too but those are the biggest things on our list this year. Stay tuned! 

---Jacqui