We are hoping to take on two smaller projects this year and one (maybe two!) larger project if we feel like we have the mental energy to live through the mess, dust and disruption to our everyday life. Check out the list below to see the rooms we’re renovating in 2023:
1. Powder Room
This is the main bathroom guests use when they are over. It’s covered in horoscope wallpaper which is peeling in places and the cabinet doors don’t shut properly. Things we do like are the lighting; it’s so bright and not dimly lit. When looking for lighting I’ll definitely be keeping in mind how much light it will give off. Because some sconces are directional and don’t light as well, I am toying with the idea of adding overhead light as well. We have a large laundry room/mudroom just off of the powder room so the cabinets in the powder room are almost entirely empty. We may get rid of them and opt for a floating vanity. One thing we won’t touch are the floors since we’ll do the floors to the laundry room/mudroom, hallway and the powder room together so it’s all seamless.
2. Primary bathroom
This really should be top of our list but it’s a big job. We currently have a tiny ensuite with a plastic corner shower insert and barely enough room to move around. When we bought the house and did round 1 of renovations, we installed hardwood upstairs but left a section in our bedroom, off of the bathroom. We are going to take that area from our room to extend the bathroom and give us a proper ensuite with a large shower and double vanity. Here’s a funny thing about our house: every single bathroom doesn’t have a window. It’s because of the location of the bathrooms within the home. The kids bathroom has a skylight which we love so we’ll add a large one in our ensuite for natural light.
3. Finish up the Kids room
The boys share a room and we are hoping to really let their personalities shine through the design of their own space. Before moving in we painted the room a beautiful custom green (the first green was more along the lines of baby poop so we went back and adjusted it into a custom colour we love!). Other than that, the room hasn’t been touched. We need bed frames, more art, lighting, trim paint and to figure out a better book storage situation since they are overflowing. We have A LOT of kids books.
4. BONUS: Laundry / Mudroom and hallway flooring
This is a huge job. It would require removing walls, putting up walls, closing door openings and adding a new door opening, relocating the washer and dryer and all the appropriate HVAC & plumbing, installing tile throughout and custom cabinetry which would take up the largest chunk of the budget. This is lowest on my list because of the cost. If we get to it I’d be thrilled! We need a better place to store shoes, jackets, the kids gear in the winter and also have a place to organize laundry and cleaning supplies. We may have to cut out some of that wallpaper for a keepsake, Matt’s grandmother had basically the same wallpaper in her home!
That’s it! We did a lot in 2022 and feel like small projects from now on are manageable. I’m glad we did the largest renovation when we did so now we can enjoy it and not have to live through that insanity again with two young kids. Full main floor home tour will be coming at some point on the blog!
