A Look Back At Our 2021 Projects

At the beginning of 2021, I took a look back at the projects we completed in our first year of living in this house. I also shared our project goals for the rest of 2021. I thought this year it might be fun to break down where all those planned projects ended up, including the project we tackled that didn’t even make our original list! Let’s dive in.

Finish the Renovation

At the top of our to-do list for last year was to finish the master suite renovation. That was quite the broad and lofty goal encompassing multiple areas, so let's see where we're at with all those rooms now…

Master Bedroom - Status: Almost done

The master bedroom is REALLY close to being complete. I know I said that last year…

 ..but this is our year! There are just a few things that are stopping me from checking off that box.

The first thing on my list is to finish out the top of the pony wall. All along I've had visions of incorporating warm wood tones into this room. One of the ways I wanted to add mix it in was by adding wood along the top of the pony wall under the windows.

Lucius took a stab at knocking that project out, but we quickly learned that the wood we originally grabbed was way too thin. I'm looking forward to ripping that out and putting in some more substantial wood after we get new windows in a few months.

Another to-do item for this room is to officially fill the ever-evolving corner.

Over the last year, this corner has been a bit of a workhorse. We've used it as bathtub/vanity storage, a temporary office for Lucius, a place to hold big Christmas presents that wouldn't fit anywhere else, and an interim bedtime reading nook. But my ultimate vision for this corner is to make it a cozy relaxation den, outfitted with a comfy chair, ottoman, lamp, and possibly an end table.

We also need to change the light switches and outlets to black. I’ve already replaced the covers, but that’s the easy part. And lastly, I want to replace the bench at the end of the bed. I have an old cedar bench that’s been in my garage for a couple of years just waiting for me to flip once I get the chance. And if that doesn’t work, I might steal the one from the foyer.

Master Bathroom - Status: DONE!

Finishing the master bathroom is the project that took up most of our time last year, but MAN was it worth it!

Lucius and I were really anxious to stop sharing a bathroom with the kids and get into our own space. We made this project a priority last year, which means that some spaces didn’t get much attention, for instance…

Laundry Room - Status: Not even touched

It’s so much fun to look back at my wish list from last year and laugh at my naivety, like when I said, “The laundry room is a pretty small space, so luckily it shouldn’t take long to finish.”

HA! What a fool I was.

Aside from installing the floors, we haven’t done ANYTHING in the laundry room. And that was actually for the best! Using our laundry room as I had originally designed made me realize that a different layout would work much better. So before we finish the drywall, we’ll be moving the placement of the washer and dryer for a more functional set-up.

Hallway - Status: Almost done!

I’ve been sharing plenty of updates (here and here) regarding the hallway, so no need to get too deep into it here. It feels so good to be thisclose to calling the hallway complete!

Fix Our Hot Mess of a Yard

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Our yard was another project that included lots of areas in need of improvement. I did a pretty terrible job of documenting my outdoor improvement progress over the summer here on the blog, but luckily I took some pictures along the way!

Grass - Status: DONE!

We grew grass last year and it felt sooooo good. When we moved in, we had zero grass in the backyard (you can see the progress in some of the pictures below). And while the kids loved making mudpies, I didn’t love cleaning up after them all the time. We called in a landscape company to help us through it (we haven’t had the best luck on our own in the past) and it seriously paid off!

Garden Beds - Status: In progress

I worked my tail off clearing out all 4 of our garden beds and laying mulch as far as the eye could see. And while I didn’t plant many new plants, I’m happy to have knocked out most of the dirty work last year (get it!?) so that next year I hopefully just have to lay a light layer of mulch and can start to fill in the garden beds with some more plants.

Deck - Status: DONE!

Our deck was in pretty rough shape when we moved into this house. We started improvements by boarding over the hot tub hole at the end of the deck, which put this mama’s anxious mind to rest. It was such a relief not to constantly worry about a kid falling in.

After thoroughly cleaning the deck, I also painted it… twice! It was quite the event. I really should have documented it because I learned quite a bit. For instance, after I spent hours taping EVERYTHING off, I learned that you can’t use deck paint in a paint sprayer.

I also learned that you can’t get sample pots of deck paint, which is unfortunate because when I originally painted the deck a gray/blue color it ended up looking like a pool. We hated it. Fortunately, my second choice in colors was a much better pick.

I also bought a table and some benches, which led to many outdoor dinners and me spending at least half my workday last summer outside with my laptop. Next year perhaps I’ll get around to replacing the Adirondack chairs with something a little more classy.

Front Porch/Entrance - Status: Haven’t touched it

Not much to say here except that this space just wasn’t a big enough priority last year.

The View Outside Our Living Room Window - Status: Done!

My plan to improve this view was to build a trellis filled with clematis vines on the fence right outside our living room - and I did just that!

This was one of the most rewarding projects of last year. I loved watching the vines grow and then bloom in the fall. By the end of the summer, they reached the top of the fence. I can’t wait to see them come back in the spring!

Kitchen - Status: Minor progress

The kitchen has been one of those passive projects that has very slowly been progressing. Last year I shared the repainted cabinets. Other than that, all I’ve done is installed new toe kicks and baseboards. I’ve started looking at new light fixtures, but we’re not in a huge rush to make any big changes in here right now.

Playroom - Status: Worse for wear

I have high hopes for the playroom… someday. But this year was not its year. Truth be told, it’s actually looking a little worse than it was a year ago!

If we’ve learned anything about renovations, it’s that while you’re improving one space, other spaces in your house have to become the catch-all for all the “stuff” from the renovated area.

During our loft renovation (more on that below), the playroom became our new hangout spot, which included removing the mirror above the fireplace so we had a place to put the giant TV from the loft. It looked ridiculous, but hey, it was temporary. Except now we’re left with more of an eyesore than we had before. No big deal though, we’re planning an entire overhaul of the fireplace/bookshelf wall when we tackle this room.

Foyer - Status: Minor progress

I replaced the light fixture, added a fake plant, and flipped a cabinet, but other than that, the foyer hasn’t seen much movement. Like the kitchen, this is just one of those passive projects that we’ll tackle slowly as the mood strikes.

Mudroom - Status: Worse for wear

Oh, our poor, poor mudroom. I have a vision for this space, but with everything else we tackled this year, the mudroom just kept falling lower on the list. Yet another example of when you renovate one space, another space takes a hit.

You see, to run the plumbing for the master bathroom upstairs, we removed a big chunk of drywall in this space. So, like the playroom, the mudroom looks worse now than it did last year.

And with the changes we plan on making to the laundry room, the mudroom will likely continue to suffer for a while longer. It’ll definitely be worth it in the end, but I’m itching for a functional mudroom with storage solutions galore for coats, shoes, and backpacks!

Bonus: Loft - Status: In progress

One project that wasn’t even on our radar for last year was the loft… and we’ve made BIG progress there! I think we spent enough time hanging out in there that we just couldn’t bear living with the stained carpet and low ceiling anymore - so we took them out!

You can follow the progress here and here. Even though it’s not complete yet, the space is entirely different from what we started with and I’m so excited to watch it evolve into the vision I have in my head.

Final Thoughts

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - when you’re in the thick of a renovation, it’s hard to comprehend the progress you’ve made and it can be discouraging how long a project seems to take. But looking back, I’m always so amazed at what we accomplish each year and I finally feel like I can pat myself on the back.

I’m excited to keep working on this house and continuing to make it our own - we’re definitely not running out of projects anytime soon. Keep watch for my next post where I’ll share our planned projects for 2022!

Projects We Tackled in 2021