Our 2014 Renovation and Projects Hit List

Our house renovations and projects have been ticked off the massive to do list as the years go by and in the four and a half years we've lived here we've completed almost all the inside of the house and also made huge changes to the exterior. You can check out our house renovations to date in the house tour here.

 

So what's on the 2014 renovations / projects / DIY / to do list ?

 

As well as our other 2014 goals of date nights, less TV, more pet time, exercise and my 2014 word motivate .... would I sound too optimistic if I said we also want to completely finish inside AND outside the house this year?

 

Maybe, but that is exactly what we plan to do !

1. Laundry and Toilet/Powder Room Renovation

Our first renovation for 2014 is the laundry and toilet which is the only remaining room left inside the house to renovate - it's a total gut and redesign with everything being removed including the old plumbing, tiles, etc. We also want to install a basin and vanity unit in the toilet to convert it into a powder room so you don't need to wash your hands in the laundry sink which is what we have to do now and is total pain!

We have already started this renovation, have the project to do list stuck on the fridge to remind us of what we need to do, we've been out shopping and getting ideas for the cabinetry, basins, tiles etc and have started an inspiration file with magazine clippings, brochures and ideas of how we want to design this room ... this inspiration file travels with me on our shopping expeditions so I can keep everything together and stay organised. 



2. Finish inside of the house - doors, painting, etc

 

We have a few finishing touches to do to the inside of the house to get it looking good - replace all the internal doors and handles, touch up on some painting, that kind of thing. Then we can say the house is 100% renovated and finished on the inside and we can turn our attention to the outside!

We are currently pricing up doors and will touch up the paint most likely when we are painting the laundry as it will be the last time we need to get our paint brushes wet inside ... It'll almost be bitter sweet knowing there will be no more painting left to do inside the house ... almost!

3. Front of the house - Courtyard and Landscaping

 

Once the inside of the house is done and it will also mean the harsh Summer weather has passed we can finish off the front of the house which will be much better to garden in cooler temperatures. This includes finishing the courtyard fence with DIY slats and landscaping the courtyard area and our front verge.

We have lots of ideas for the types for paving, grass and plantings and it's just working out the final design, buying everything and laying and planting it .... I feel a busy bee weekend coming on for the planting stage with a BBQ and beers afterwards offered as bribes!

 

4. Backyard - Remove Granny Flat and Patio

5. Build a deck
6. Render back of house

 

Then there's the backyard, we want to build a deck leading of the dining room where we put in French Doors and once that is done we can render the back of house (as we rendered the front). The render will cover the patches made by the French Doors and also the back of the garage extension so you won't be able to see the changes we've made to the house and it will look like it was always built that way.

Unfortunately we can't build the deck until we knock down the Granny Flat and the Patio as the deck will protrude into that space. But before we start any demolition we need to work out the subdivision area and determine how big the backyard of this house is going to be so we then know how far out to build the deck. Once that is determined we can start to progress with these projects which will totally transform the backyard and add so much to our outdoor entertaining .... I can't wait to have BBQs and dinner parties on the new deck!



 

7. Start subdivision process

One of the main reasons we bought this house was that it was a retain and build and we searched for months to find a livable home that needed some serious renovations so we could turn it into a great home that someone would want to live in for many years to come. This means we'll need to have the block essentially chopped in half so the front house will be an A and the back block will be a B.

Once we have started the subdivision process and the land has been cleared, retained and subdivided we have another big decision to make - to build a house on the block or to sell the block as is for someone else to build their dream home on. While I would love to have the practice of building a house I think it would be too hard to build with my head for selling and I'd build with my heart and then not want to sell it! I'm leaning towards selling the block as is, but I will probably change my mind another 20 times before the year is up!

 

So that is the renovation hit list with the 7 projects we want to tackle this year ... our weekends will be filled with lots of planning and demolition hopefully followed by some relaxing evenings admiring the completion of all our hard work!

We are starting on projects sooner rather than later so there's not too much of a rush towards the end of the year. We will have to see how things go .... wish me luck!
 

What are your home goals for 2014?

 

[All images my own]