let’s talk: PROJECT H – The First 6 Weeks
Hey Guys!
We have been spending time focusing HEAVILY on Project H. So let’s talk updates.
So, as we do, let’s talk Real Estate, let’s talk PROJECT H – THE FIRST 6 WEEKS…
So we have offically owned Project H for 6 weeks now and here is where have done so far…
Completed
Carpet removed from dining room + living room
Painted living room + ceiling
Man Cave entertainment center – built! We repurposed the wood from the dining room to build this and I am SUPER proud of the final results. I will share photos in the next couple of weeks once we get it a bit more tidy in that room!
Designs finalized! We met with an architect and designed floorplans for the kitchen and a new mudroom on the first floor as well as the bathrooms and master closet on the second floor!
Wallpaper removed! This was a PAIN IN THE A**. We had wallpaper in the man cave, front foyer, upstairs hallway and dining room. We tried to do this “to-do” ourselves but ended up outsourcing it as I made a bunch of holes in the walls. At first I felt bad but when the contractor who specialized in this told us that it was also a PAIN IN THE A**, I felt a bit better. Apparently at one point in time it was okay to attach wallpaper with super glue?!
Floors ordered! We picked out the hardwoods for the house and capret for the man cave today. We are doing the floors in phases for two reasons. One, to help our pocketbook. Two, because the house is kind of in a state of flux. Flooring Phase 1: Install hardwoods on 2nd floor and carpet in man-cave Flooring Phase 2: Install hardwoods on the 1st floor. We will install the floors on the 1st floor AFTER the kitchen demo is complete and the floorplan is more open. This was actually a learning point for me so I will share. I knew we would be tearing up the first floor layout and had assumed the new flooring should go in AFTER the kitchen was complete. BUT, the correct timing is actually once the walls are down / demo is complete but BEFORE the cabinets and appliances are installed. You want to have the same flooring installed throughout the open space so that if you ever wanted to change the layout of the kitchen in the future, you would not have to worry about if there was existing flooring underneath!
Fence ordered! We are taking down the current wood fence that backs up to the main road behind our house, and installing a black aluminum fence around the entire yard so Book can run free! We placed this order last week and it should be installed in late February / early March.
Kitchen appliances ordered! We went with the GE CAFE line and are SUPER excited for these to be delivered in January / February. Appliances are on a HUGE back order right now so a 6-8 week delivery window did not seem too bad!
Here is what we are working on in the immediate future…
Ductless air system fo the man cave! The man cave used to be the former garage of the home so it is not connected to the home’s HVAC system. There used to be a HUGE heater/ac unit in there but it doesn’t work. And as it gets cold, aka we are sitting through a blizzard as we speak, that room gets freezing. We need to get some heat in there ASAP as it is right next door to the laundry room and my parents brought up a good point – the pipes could freeze…Should have this done in the next few weeks.
Trees to be cut down! We have 9 trees that need to be cut down in the backyard… ouch. We have contracted them out and they should be down prior to the fence being installed. We are removing stumps and all. Not so fun fact, once the stumps are removed they put the shavings pack in the hole where the tree was otherwise you could find yourself with sink holes…. hello anxiety kicking in. Sink holes are actually one of my irrational fears that I think about often when I am trying to go to bed.
Phase 1 floor install! Should be done on the 2nd floor and in the man-cave in mid- January.
Here is what we are working on in the next few months…
Permit pulling! Once we have the finalized construction drawings from the architect we can pull permits for the big kitchen renovation.
Kitchen – we will need to demo, install the floors, select the cabinets, select the countertops, install everything and paint!
Here is what else we hope to work on in the next year-ish…
Bathroom and closet renovations on the 2nd floor
New garage door
Stain the front door
New outdoor lighting
Landscape lighting
Pool work – so excited for this!
Combine the porches?! I don’t know but I want to make the backyard a FUN place to be for all.
Biggest learnings so far…
1. Floors run perpinduclar to floor joists
2. Never choose the cheapest option. You get what you pay for.
3. You will always go over budget when it comes to home renovation.
4. It is okay to space things out.
5. Do your research.
6. Create a vision board for your house.
7. Get tons of quotes.
8. Learn to repurpose materials! We utilized the dining room doors to build the man-cave entertainment center. We also pulled a bunch of leftover materials from Project Philly to repurpose for Project H.
9. Pay for leaf removal if you have 10+ trees in your backyard… never doing that again.
10. Fancy paint sprayers can be helpful if you use them correctly… if you don’t, they make your job 10x harder than it would have been had you just used a roller. So if you are not going to spend the time learning how to properly use it (aka me), stick to the roller.
11. When living in a renovation, make sure you have one comfy spot you can retreat to. Living amongst a construction zone can be anxiety inducing to many. So, right now, we have two rooms we can retreat to when we are done working -living room and bedroom. So grateful to have both set up, all be it minimal, but in such a way that we can “take a break” from the construction around us.
12. Carpet removal is way quicker with the right tools. Check out this post if you missed our biggest learnings last week.
13. Everything is google-able!
That is all for Project H! Are you working on any DIYs during this pandemic?! Please share your projects with us!
Happy Wednesday! & Stay Healthy!
Erin
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