House To-Do List

Note: This list was originally published in a post, but I decided to make it a dedicated page so that I can link back to posts, photos, and updates as they progress.

Welcome to our crazy remodel! My grandmother decided that living alone in her late 70s was no longer desirable, so we are taking over and updating her small 1960s ranch to help build up resale value and learn more about remodeling houses ourselves. I already know that I’m obsessed and excited with our little “project”, but will my family feel the same way? Ha, I doubt it

Update: now that we have lived here for a few months, we have started talking with my grandmother about possibly buying the house in the next year or so since we realize that this is the perfect place for us to be for a few years. So I’m going to add items to each list in teal that are to-do projects after we buy the house since they are mostly big items that wouldn’t be smart to add before we bought the place.

When you look over this list, you may wonder why we would want to purchase a house that needs so much work. There are three major reasons: one, we won’t have to move again until we choose to; two, the house will be very reasonably priced even with all the work needed and the neighborhood is just starting to turn over from original owners so there is enough room for us to do all of these updates and still be able to resell at a profit later; and three, the house’s foundation has already been stabilized and repaired, which means that we have a completely usable, non-leaking basement. That last point is very, very rare for newer houses in our area, let alone one of this age and character. All of the updates we can do just don’t compare to the difficulty or costliness of repairing a damaged foundation. And did I mention that this house sits on an acre of land, most of it fairly usable? Pretty awesome if you ask me.

Clark’s Bedroom (aka Rainbow Room)

• Paint ceiling
• Prime and paint walls
• Prime and paint trim & closet doors
• Add details to door and paint
• Rip up orange shag carpet
• Refinish hardwood floors
• Change out ceiling fan
• Change out or paint doorknob
• Paint radiators
• Replace windows

Living Room

• Paint ceiling
• Square out archways and add drywall
• Prime and paint walls
• Prime and paint trim and inside of door
• Rip up green shag carpet
• Mount flatscreen above fireplace
• Refinish hardwood floors
• Change out ceiling fan (move ceiling fan?)
• Change out or paint fixtures
• Add light in “entry” area
• Rip out barnwood wall or stain? (Reader Poll?)
• Change wiring and add new electric fireplace insert (that isn’t 40 years old and a fire hazard)
• Stain fireplace mantel? Add more prominent mantelpiece?
• Paint radiators
• Add “built-in” bookcases on risers
• Add trim to bookcases for custom look
• Add crown moulding
• Replace windows
• Replace front door

Office (Formal Dining)

• Paint ceiling
• Square out doorway and add drywall
• Remove American Colonial paneling
• Repair paneling wall with spackle and sand
• Prime and paint walls
• Prime and paint trim
• Paint radiators
• Rip out green shag carpet
• Refinish hardwood
• Change out or paint fixtures
• What to do with phone box?
• Add crown moulding
• Light fixture?
• Replace window

Master Bedroom

• Paint ceiling
• Temporarily paint paneling
• Rip out paneling in main area
• Prime paneling in closet area
• Take out old-fashioned decorative accents
• Prime and paint walls/paneling
• Replace ceiling fan
• Separate closet lights from ceiling fan
• Remove dimmer switch
• Add closet rods
• Prime and paint trim and pocket door
• Paint radiators
• Turn 2nd pantry into half-bath attached to master?
• Replace windows

Kitchen/Informal Dining

• Replace industrial light fixture and patch surrounding area
• Paint ceiling
• Take down border
• Temporarily paint paneling (replace with fresh drywall later)
• Paint kitchen door with oil-based paint
• Change out/paint hardware/fixtures
• Replace faucet
• Paint trim and beam
• Paint radiators
• Add peel and stick vinyl tiles on floor
• Tear out bay window and add in sliding doors/French doors (see deck project)
• Block up side door and convert to a small pantry
• Fireplace/mantel remodel (not sure what yet)
• Move fridge to bar wall
• Install new flooring
• Install new cabinets
• Change range/oven separates to all-in-one stove and add in new range hood
• New sink
• Move dishwasher next to sink
• Replace window
• New flooring
• Separate ceiling fan from main kitchen light in electrical switches

Bathroom

• Replace faucet/plumbing/shower head
• Reporceline bathtub in white or replace bathtub?
• Remove medicine cabinet over toilet – add metal wine rack as towel holder
• Replace toilet!!!
• Paint tile? Replace pink tiles? Remove tile from non-shower spaces and put in bathroom-grade drywall?
• Stain vanity and update hardware
• Replace seashell-shaped counter/sink and faucet
• Replace floor tile
• Update medicine cabinet stain/knobs
• Update vanity light fixture
• Update industrial light fixture/fan and patch surrounding area
• Paint ceiling
• Take down wallpaper and paint bathroom
• Paint trim and pocket door
• Replace window
• Possibly elongate bathroom and add in current pantry space for complete remodel

Colin’s Bedroom

• Paint ceiling
• Tear out paneling and patch with spackle
• Paint walls and trim
• Paint closet and pocket doors
• Add crown moulding
• Paint radiators
• Remove brown shag carpet
• Refinish hardwood

Basement

• Paint everything (rafters and underside of main-level floor included) bright white
• Section off laundry area and furnace area
• Replace back room door
• Add better lighting in cistern
• Replace broken window in back room – glass blocks?
• Update bar in back room
• Replace basement door (something with a frosted glass panel?)
• Add full panels and banisters to stair rails
• Concrete stain on floor?

Exterior

• Replace rotted wood trim/paint other wood trim
• Paint porch ceiling
• Power wash siding
• Add permanent step to front door (steps?)
• Replace porch railing – change porch railing setup
• Add front path to porch
• Box off gas meter from view
• Update house number and wood paneling
• Take out backyard flower boxes
• Add a backyard stone patio
• Add a firepit
• Add a large garden
• Stain concrete floor
• Repair gutters in back
• Replace lamp post
• Remove flag pole
• Prettify the front with flowers, etc.
• Replace messed up water spigot
• Fix driveway and seal
• Add back deck that wraps around to side patio with walk down to yard
• Fence off side patio and add access door for trash cans
• Add new water spigots on the back of the house (on deck level and yard level)

The Big Stuff

• Remove old boiler, pipes, and radiators, and add in duct work
• Install furnace and HVAC
• Replace gutters
• Update electrical throughout house
• Update plumbing throughout house (there isn’t much, but what plumbing there is leaks)
• Replace all the windows
• Kitchen remodel
• Back porch addition
• Highly unlikely but possible – extend the master bedroom forward by eight feet (to match porch and seriously change the size, adding resale value and making another full bath on first floor)