When we first bought our home, we had so many grand plans and had so many projects that we wanted to tackle. We have managed a lot, but 5 years later we still have a lot of them on our to-do list.
At the beginning of each year we like to set ourselves 10 home improvement goals that we’d like to complete. Our motivation tends to come in waves and has never quite been able to reach the heights of the first few months after moving in, so it’s our way of staying on track and keeping motivated. 10 project always seem achievable, but time has a way of passing by very quickly!
This is how we got on with our 2015 goals:
#1 Loft
Arrg. A definite no. Needless to say this is turning out to be a bit of a disaster project and it’s not even started yet! It’s mainly our own fault for not being on top of things as much as we should have been and we got let down by a builder, too.
#2 En-Suite
Well, with no loft conversion, we inevitably weren’t able to install a new en-suite either. A second bathroom in our home is so high on my wishlist, but I guess I’m just going to have to wait a little while longer.
#3 Bedroom 4
Yay. Finally a box we can tick although it’s still not quite finished. We still need to box in the steel over the window (which is in preparation for the loft), but the room is definitely looking more finished than ever before.
We repaired the ceiling, had a new window installed, plastered the walls, laid a new floor and painted the whole room. We still need to finish off a few things and then add all of the finishing touches to the room.
#4 Dampproof cellar
Done! This was a big and dirty project and we’re so happy to be able to tick it off our to-do list. We took up the whole existing floor, laid a damp proof membrane and had a new concrete floor laid.
Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s still not a completely dry space and it probably never will be, but we can now use it for storage, which was the overall aim. There are a few things to finish off. We still need to paint the floor, add storage and finish some of the painting, but the space is so much better than it used to be.
#5 Log Store
Completed! This was admittedly only a little project, but it is great to have somewhere to store all of the wood for our wood burner.
I positive side effect of having built the log store is that the corner of our garden where the log store now is is also much tidier!
#6 Driveway
Well, no. We have started and have already removed the tarmac and have already taken up two full large skips worth of dirt and clay, but it looks like we’ve not actually done anything.
#7 Driveway Gate
Nope. Replacing the driveway and adding a driveway gate are projects that belong together, but having not managed to replace the driveway we kind of got sidetracked and also didn’t bother to add a gate.
Outdoor projects just never seem as important to us as getting things done inside of the house. We did build a new garden fence though.
#8 Garden Path
Uff, no. Back in October we decided on the type of path we would like, spoke to a builder and decided to go ahead with the project. Now, you’d think that 3 months would be enough time to get a path laid, right?
We’ll I’m sure it would be if he’d actually ever got back to us and started the work. It’s still a project we’d like to get done, but we might as well now wait till it’s a bit warmer again.
#9 Repoint Rear Wall
Yes – it’s done! Repointing the wall had been on our list of “must-do” projects since we moved in over 5 years ago, so it was definitely about time that we got it done. Keeping your pointing well maintained is not exactly exciting, but it is really important.
#10 Install New Bathroom
Nooo. This is another project that really depended on us converting the loft.
Our current bathroom is the only one in the house, so ripping it out without having built another bathroom in the loft first would make rather difficult to say the least. Replacing the bathroom is one of the projects that I’m most keen on doing, so it’s super annoying that we didn’t manage to get it done.
4 out of 10 isn’t exactly a good result.
We’ve obviously not managed to achieve as much as we would have liked, but as always we did work on other projects like build our garden fence. For us the most difficult part of improving our home is waiting. Waiting for builders, waiting for quotes, waiting for planning permissions and waiting till we’ve saved enough money to be able to afford home improvements.
Having not been overly successful with our projects in 2015, we’re going to go all out and try to get as much done as we possibly can next year and we’re aiming for a solid 10 out of 10 projects. I have a feeling it’s going to be a busy year!
Did you manage to complete any projects on your to-do list? What do you have planned for 2016? Do you have any home improvement projects that you’d like to complete?
Well I have to say your list for 2015 was incredibly ambitious and to me it still feels like you achieved so much! I share you frustration on having to wait for things, mainly finance in our case, boo. I’m not sure what our plans are for 2016 since the first project (finally the front door) has disintegrated since the company who patented the door design we liked – the ONLY door design we liked after 2 years of looking – have gone bust!! I’d also really like to do the living room and hallway floor but the front door should probably come first. Grrr. Good luck with 2016 and have a lovely Christmas and New Year Xx
I know, it was an almost impossible list and we are overall happy with what we did manage. This is also the fist year where we’ve really started to enjoy the house and life outside of diy again!
A front door is so important and I totally feel for you! Could you not “just” have one made?
Hope you have a lovely Christmas & a fab New Year, too!
Cx
I think you shouldn’t be hard on yourselves – its not like you aren’t getting anything done:). Waiting is good as it helps you clarify just what you want.
If you do your front path now, will it be affected by the porch fix up in the future?
Thanks Kerrie! You’re right about waiting and I think that it’s a good way to force you to clearly think about your plans.
You’re totally right about the path and the porch – that’s the main reason that we kept putting it off. I’m just so sick of seeing the path (and the fact that we end up dragging a million little stones into the house every time we walk on it) that I want it done – now! We could do the path now, it just means that we’ll have to slightly adjust the two steps up to it when we do the porch. Apparently it’s not a big deal.
Having said that, I don’t think replacing the path has even made it onto this list of projects that we’re planning for next year. We have one huge project that we’d like to get done, so everything on top of that is a bonus.
Cx
You also did the garage, which was a big project. Don’t be too down on yourselves.
I guess we’re always a bit too hard on ourselves and overall we are happy with what we managed to achieve… just a bit more would have been nice ;)
Cx