Now that we’re through the start of the new year, I’ve had some time to think about the home projects we want to tackle in 2025.
We’re just about finished with our largest project to date. We had the house resided and new windows and gutters installed. They still have a few things to finish up but this coupled with the family room reno has gotten the ball rolling again for us.
This year, I’m hoping to tackle some of the home projects we’ve started but have yet to finish. Most of these spaces are so close to being done. It will feel great to finally check them off the list.
I do have one big project listed that I know Mike and I would love to get done this year. We’ll see if it’s in the cards or if it makes sense to break it up in stages.
Keep reading for the full list of home projects and the details on what needs to happen in each. I’m excited to get started and for you to follow along this year as we tackle each one. So, let’s go!
Finish the Family Room
Our family room has come a long way since we first moved in. But it’s only over the last year that it’s really started to take shape design-wise. We made a ton of progress on this home project in 2024. We pushed hard to try and finish up the space before Christmas. In the end, we decided not to kill ourselves with all the family and holiday events coming up and to finish in the new year.
We’re almost done with the painting. The walls and the trim around the top need one more coat and we need to finish painting the base. Also, we need to make some small tweaks to the built-ins we installed in 2024. Currently, we have two open shelves on either side on the bottom. When adding the stair back in though, we determined that we needed to close up the bottom opening so the design made sense. And because we both like symmetry, we need to do this on the other side as well. Once complete, then the fun can begin!
Furniture, curtains, pillows, and lighting all need to be added to the space. And because I’m me and impatient to get to the fun, I’ve already started to play around and dream about what this all looks like. I did the same with our built-ins. They were barely dry and the finishing details needed to be added but I couldn’t wait to get started styling them. I’m super excited to see which design direction I end up going in. All I know is the goal for the space is cozy, warm, and inviting.
Add Functional Storage
Adding more functional storage has been on my list for the last couple of years. We’ve been able to do a few things and this year I want to tackle more small home projects.
Adding the built-ins in the family room was huge. I haven’t quite figured out what we want to store in the bottom cabinets. It’s been great as an overflow space for kitchen and bathroom essentials for now. We lost a small vanity cabinet when we remodeled our half bath. Having a place to store extra toilet paper, towels, etc has been great. It’s also been perfect for storing extra paper towels for the kitchen. Right now we have an open wire rack in our kitchen that provides extra storage for all kinds of things. Eventually, I would like to replace it with a prettier freestanding piece or additional cabinetry.
Shoe storage is a big issue in our house. We have a small front closet in our entryway that isn’t ideal for storing everyday shoes. I talk more in-depth about the flaws and design plans I have here and here. I’m hoping this year that we can finally check this one off the list.
The two other areas of our home that I’m hoping to add storage to are our garage and basement. I would love to get some cabinets for the garage. Not only to organize the space but also to store extra paper products for the house. As for our basement, I’d love to move that open-wire shelf currently in our kitchen to the basement. I would also grab a couple more to add even more organization down there. I think this would help better organize the bins we have and give me a place to store home decor.
Complete the Upstairs Hallway
Another home project I’m hoping to complete in 2025 is the moulding in our upstairs hallway that we started a few years ago. After a few different mockups, I finally figured out the style and layout of the moulding for the walls and we got most of it hung. You can see progress photos of the hallway here.
This past year I jumped back in and started my least favorite part of any home project, the caulking, wood filling, and sanding. I also started testing out paint colors which is turning out to be a bit trickier than I thought. This year, we need to finish the prep work so we can paint, fix a couple of boxes, and add a few more to the top of the doorways to complete the look.
This has been and remains one of my most popular posts/projects on the blog. I know there are people who have had questions about how we’ve addressed certain parts of the design so they know what to do in their own home. I’m excited to get this one checked off the list and share the final reveal with you all. My hope is that it offers some inspiration and guidance if you are trying to tackle this in your own home and are struggling.
Refresh the Upstairs Bathroom
Our upstairs bathroom is one of the first big renovations we did in our home. I’m still happy with the space but the overall design vision I had never really came to life. I’ve been scheming some small design tweaks to help boost the character and charm in this space.
One of the ways I’m hoping to bring in the character and charm is by adding a small print wallpaper or stencil design to the upper portion of the walls. Also, I’d love to add some artwork, swap out the hardware on the vanity, add some new bath mats, and bring in more patterns with a roman shade on the window. I really think with these small tweaks, the space will feel more finished and be more in line with the design I had in mind.
Finalize the Design of Our Guest Bedroom
Like our upstairs hallway project, this room has also been in the works for a while. We did some small updates when we first moved in 15+ years ago. We painted the space and added some board and batten moulding along with a shelf to one of the walls. You can see what our guest bedroom looked like after the updates here.
In 2021 I started putting together a new design mood board for the space and made plans for a refresh. Since then, the walls have been painted and I’ve been sourcing furniture and bedding for the space.
When redesigning the room, I knew pattern play would be one of the key design elements in the room. I have a specific way I want the space to feel when you’re in it but the view into the space from the hallway is important to me as well.
In my original design, I was planning to use this Emperor’s Garden wallpaper by GP & J Baker but I’m getting cold feet about it and wondering if it will bring the feels I want for the space. This year, I need to nail down the wallpaper or stencil design I want for the walls so I can move on and finalize the design.
Kitchen Refresh
We have two really big home projects left to tackle and this is one of them. A new kitchen isn’t on our radar for this year but I would love to do a small update. When we moved in, we painted, swapped out the linoleum flooring for porcelain tile, updated the base moulding, and the overhead light fixture. We also recently updated some of the appliances when our current ones failed.
As we’ve worked on other projects in the house though, this room has become a casualty of these other spaces. We had to remove the upper cabinet doors and trim to repair the ceiling that Mike came through when redoing the bathroom upstairs. He also got the itch to remove the backsplash tile while I was out of town one year and we had a dumpster on hand. In his defense, I did give the green light :).
This room has become quite the eyesore and I think with a little bit of work, we can make her look more presentable while we save up for a big remodel.
Regrade and Add Sod to the Front and Backyard
The other big home project we’ve been talking about doing the past couple of years is our yard. While the front yard needs a little work, our backyard needs an overhaul.
We’ve done some work in our front and side yards since moving in. We removed giant bushes that blocked the front windows. We also created and defined flower beds along the front of the house and the side of our garage. We’ve also tested different flowers and plants to see what grew best where.
In the fall of 2023, we decided to bite the bullet and have the clay piping that ran from our house to the street replaced. To do this, the plumbers had to dig up a big portion of our yard and remove our only tree. This broke my heart but was necessary to prevent further backups in our basement.
The plan was to add sod in the fall of 2024. We wanted to wait until the ground settled and the cooler temps set in. When we decided to move forward with residing the house, we put this on hold until 2025. I’ve read spring is the best time to plant new sod so I’m hoping we can tackle this project soon.
Our backyard needs a ton of work and will be the biggest part of this project. When we moved in, there was a metal-enclosed screened-in porch on the back of the house. We decided to remove the structure but left the concrete pad and haven’t done much else.
One of our biggest issues is the yard slopes toward the house . When we get a ton of rain, the water tends to collect and sit on that slab. Also, the grass back there is pretty non-existent, with the dogs digging and running zoomies. This doesn’t provide much help to absorb or slow the flow of the water. We plan to regrade the yard to help redirect the flow of water and prevent this from continuing to happen.
Also, we’d love to remove the concrete slab and put in a nice patio. Creating an inviting outdoor space to entertain friends and family. We have grand plans and ideas on how we want it to look but nothing is finalized yet.
With the dogs, I’d also love to fence in our yard. We have a white picketed fence along the back but you can get through on either side. Lily is quite the escape artist and can get out of our backdoor if we’re not careful. Roland has also been curious at times and slipped through the sides to visit the dogs on the other side.
Not only would the fence keep them safe but it would allow us to spend more time out there. Lily loves chasing the ball or playing with the neighbor’s dog. Roland would be happy lying in the sun all day. It’s hard to have them both out at the same time and give them freedom to play.
Home Projects in the New Year
These are all the home projects we are hoping to tackle this year.I have high hopes that we’ll be able to check most of this off the list if not all. Check back to see the progress we make!
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