The List

It's official - we have started our massive remodel project.. And when I say massive, what I really mean is titanic. Here's our list of to-do's - in no particular order:

• Tear out every last stitch of paneling & replace it with drywall (in the spare bedroom, 2 hallways, the stairway, the pantry, and the laundry room)
• Get & paint new baseboards
• Paint all doors, trim, and window casings
• Paint for all rooms (except the girls' room)
• Total kitchen reno
• Major bathroom overhaul
• New flooring everywhere except the girls' room
• Lots of new light fixtures (yay!)
• Build and install a banister for the stairway (which really should be at the top of the list, now that Sadie finds amusement in climbing the stairs as fast as she can)
• Give the front porch a big facelift
• Box in exposed beams in the living room
• Create a built-in hutch around a wall that will eventually come down
• Lots of furniture painting/refinishing
• Possibly some furniture reupholstering (though I'm hoping to avoid this daunting task)
• Cover our brick porch with stone facade
• Paint the foundation & shutters
• Work our some nicer year-around landscaping
• And just because Josh loves it so much - bleaching the fence. ;) Haha..

Yeah. That's a huge list.. Which feels even longer when I stop to realize that we have 2 babies to take care of.. And the puniest of budgets. But, DIYing is something we both love (not that we are all too skilled at it - yet) and we are lucky to have a couple great home improvement surplus stores within reasonable driving distance. :) Plus, this will provide plenty of blog posts with tons of before & afters! And even if nobody on earth cares enough to read this, it'll be fun for us to look back on. So, mark it down - March 7, 2012 - DIY renovation start date... Let's see how long this takes.. haha. :)