If you didn’t burst out into a Blink 182 song when you read that title, you need a little fun in your life.
Now that Matthew and I are actually living in our new home, I figured it was time for an update. We made a ton of progress the first weekend with squaring away furniture and unpacking boxes and such. Unfortunately, most of the progress was the small, not-so-fun-and-exciting things. You know, those things that have to be done but aren’t exactly glamorous. Here’s a list of some of the small things we’ve been working on lately:
Now that Matthew and I are actually living in our new home, I figured it was time for an update. We made a ton of progress the first weekend with squaring away furniture and unpacking boxes and such. Unfortunately, most of the progress was the small, not-so-fun-and-exciting things. You know, those things that have to be done but aren’t exactly glamorous. Here’s a list of some of the small things we’ve been working on lately:1. Cabinet knobs and hinges: We had to replace most of the cabinet hardware. There were 7 different knobs in the kitchen alone! I’m still looking for the perfect knobs for some rooms.
2. Door knobs: We replaced all of the exterior and interior knobs in the house. While it’s a relatively easy update, it can certainly cost more than you might think. If you only have one or two to replace, you could always consider spray painting them. Since we replaced all of the knobs, we decide to go ahead and buy new ones. It cost us over $300 though, so be sure to budget accordingly!
3. Kitchen plumbing: We had to replace the plumbing under the sink and install a water valve for the refrigerator. Like I said, we’ve been working on the not-so-glamorous projects.
4. Hanging blinds: We kept the blinds that came with the house, but we had them taken down and cleaned. When the painters re-installed the brackets, they weren’t quite in the right spots, so Matthew had to go back and move them all. What we thought would be a quick and easy project ended up taking much longer.
5. Installing new toilets: We weren’t originally planning to replace both toilets, but as our renovation progressed, we ended up needing to. My video of the soft-close lid cracks me up a little bit.
2. Door knobs: We replaced all of the exterior and interior knobs in the house. While it’s a relatively easy update, it can certainly cost more than you might think. If you only have one or two to replace, you could always consider spray painting them. Since we replaced all of the knobs, we decide to go ahead and buy new ones. It cost us over $300 though, so be sure to budget accordingly!
3. Kitchen plumbing: We had to replace the plumbing under the sink and install a water valve for the refrigerator. Like I said, we’ve been working on the not-so-glamorous projects.4. Hanging blinds: We kept the blinds that came with the house, but we had them taken down and cleaned. When the painters re-installed the brackets, they weren’t quite in the right spots, so Matthew had to go back and move them all. What we thought would be a quick and easy project ended up taking much longer.
5. Installing new toilets: We weren’t originally planning to replace both toilets, but as our renovation progressed, we ended up needing to. My video of the soft-close lid cracks me up a little bit.
6. Closet rods and shelving: I totally underestimated how much it would cost to add shelves and new rods to most of our closets. It also took quite a bit more time than I expected. Again, these are simple updates when making a home your own, but you want to be sure to plan accordingly.
7. Mopping and other cleaning: The amount of mopping that I’ve done in this house is simply mind-boggling (especially when I HATE to mop). I have never seen so much lingering dust in my entire life. I spent pretty much an entire day mopping, over and over again, and I still don’t feel like they’re clean. (By the way, I still stand by my statement that this is the best mop in the world. Hands down!)8. Hauling off garbage: Matthew spent one morning hauling all of the leftover materials to the dump. We had molding, scrap pieces of Sheetrock and wood…you name it. I think he underestimated the amount of trash we’d accumulated so far. We had 0.4 TONS of stuff to drop off at the landfill…that’s almost 1,000 pounds!
9. Laundry repairs: We had to install new shut off valves for the washer because one of them had a slow leak. This was another one of those items that we weren’t planning to do. We also added a new dryer vent because the other one wasn’t sealing off properly. I can’t wait to show off my new dryer vent….said no one ever.
10. Cable outlets: We had to install new cable outlets because we are planning to put our TV and router in different places from where the previous owners had them. You should ask Matthew how much he enjoyed hanging out in our attic mid-August in Louisiana. Doesn’t that sound fun??
11. New shower heads: This one is something that you’re likely to not think about until you’re living in a new home. The shower heads in our new house looked fine. However, after taking our first showers, we quickly realized the current shower heads didn’t provide enough pressure. It took FOREVER to get the shampoo out of my hair! I absolutely love the new waterfall shower head that Matthew got at TP Outdoors.
(By the way, if you’re local, you can order things from the True Value website and have them shipped to either the Monroe or West Monroe stores for free! We also got our door knobs (and practically every other supply) from there. This is a super easy and convenient way to shop local!)
This list is just a few of the things we’ve been working on since moving in. It’s important to keep these sorts of things in mind when you’re renovating because they’ll not only cost money, but they’ll also take up a lot of your time. I must say that I’m very thankful for such a handy husband. He’s done all of these projects himself and done a fantastic job…with my supervision of course. JNow that we’re through with most of the small/boring things, we can move on to the fun parts! Like looking for new rugs. And hanging things on my freshly painted walls. I’m getting excited just thinking about it! I’m pinning quite a bit of inspiration on Pinterest lately. If you’re up for seeing all of my crazy ideas, go follow me!
