Goals for 2012

A few days ago, I reviewed all of the posts we had in 2011 (well, January to November). As I reflected on this year of progress in our first house, I was shocked at all we accomplished in 15 months of home ownership. We certainly achieved more than I ever thought possible. We've tackled some ambitious projects like our kitchen, dining room, and paver project. We learned new things about plumbing, electrical, and tiling. 

We hope to put our new skills to good use and to put a few more DIY projects on our resume. With that in mind, we set our sights toward 2012. Here are some of our goals for 2012:

1) Lower level bathroom renovation - As Tim mentioned in our previous post, we've already purchased a vanity, faucet, and storage unit. Plus we installed a new light fixture a while ago. We still need flooring (TBA), wall paint, and a toilet. We will also be installing new trim and a mirror (purchased at Valley Thrift for $3-- we think this one should work perfectly). 

2) Upper level bathroom renovation - Unfortunately, we have zero items purchased for this renovation. More on this project in a future post. 

3) Decorate our bedroom - At this time, it has wall paint. Future plans include a DIY headboard (probably another upholstery project), wall decor, window treatments, and trim paint. Ideally, I'd get the trim finished in 2011, but with the clock ticking to close this year, I'm trying to be realistic.

4) Paint the living room - We've actually been doing a pretty good job of getting some decor on the walls in this room, but we have yet to paint them! The carpet is in pretty good shape, so it just needs shampooed. We'll have to choose a wall color plus paint the trim semi-gloss white like the rest of the house. Thus far, we've not done this for fear of ruining the carpet. 

5) Decorate the green room - It's now more functional, but we hope to make it a great space. I'm not sure what exactly that will mean in terms of decor, but we know the walls need something.

6) New carpet - We will be carpeting the upstairs: all 3 bedrooms and the hallway. We've already chosen the color, Shaw's Pecan, and can't wait to order it!

7) Craft Projects - I plan to make some homemade art for the upstairs bathroom or green room. I also want to revisit my failed canvas project. I have some random picture frames that I hope to paint and make into a gallery wall for our hallway or bedroom. 

8) Landscaping - This area is severely lacking. We've done a few projects here and here, but there's still major work to be done in this department. I plan to add a window box to our kitchen window that will be an herb garden. I will also replant the front flower bed. Other than that, my landscaping skills are slim. I don't know what we'll do to improve the look of our yard, but I hope something!

I'm sure there will be other projects that we'll tackle along the way, but that's what's on tap so far in 2012. Of course the bathroom renovations will be a huge undertaking!