While I enjoy looking forward to the coming year in January, I think it’s also important to look back.  It can be easy to focus on the to-do list and ways we want to improve, but, even if the previous year has been difficult or hasn’t been everything one hoped, there are always things we’ve learned, things we’ve accomplished, and things to celebrate.  Since the main things I write about on this blog are projects I’m working on, I figured I would share my favorite projects from 2023.  When I still feel like so many projects need to be done on our home specifically, it’s a good reminder to see how much we’ve accomplished in just over a year since we’ve lived here!  And, 2023 was a huge year because we tackled the two biggest projects on our to-do list when we bought the house.

As I’ve shared before, we purchased this house knowing it would need some renovations that were bigger than any we’ve ever tackled before.  When we weighed out the option of paying more for a house that had already been renovated or doing the renovations ourselves, we opted for the latter.  We would be able to choose where our renovation dollars were spent and we would be able to do it all in our taste.  While there has been a flurry of big projects in our first year here, we are definitely at the point where we’re slowing down and focusing on smaller projects we can chip away at ourselves before we dive into any bigger projects like bathroom renovations.  I’ll share a post of some upcoming projects, but here are my favorites from last year…

kitchen renovation

Of course, this is at the top of the list!  The kitchen renovation was a huge project and it turned out great.  When we were first looking at homes, I told the realtor I was hoping to find a kitchen that needed to be gutted.  All of the homes we’ve lived in have had kitchens that were too nice to rip out, so we painted the cabinets and did some other cosmetic upgrades.  I was ready to make a kitchen completely mine, though, and the house we purchased had just the kitchen I was looking for!  It was original and really needed an update.

I still need to give a full tour of the kitchen and cabinets, which I’ll do soon! You can read all about the kitchen renovation HERE.

pool renovation

The pool renovation was another big project that needed to be done within the first year.  The neighbors shared with us that it hadn’t been used as a pool for over 15 years, but we had it inspected before we purchased the house to make sure it could be a functioning pool again.  It needed all new pumps and filters, new concrete around the deck, new coping and tile, resurfaced plaster, a new skimmer line, and a new cover, but it is back in working order.

(The white PVC pipe was temporary until we had the new skimmer line replaced.)

I’ve never owned a pool, but I really loved getting in it most days during the summer.  I would just float and relax until the sun went down behind the trees.  It was also a great treat after doing yard work.  We had a few pool parties, too, which was the whole idea when we looked at a house with a pool.

We still have more work to do in the backyard and along the back of the house, but I’ll share those plans in a future post.

See the pool & patio renovation results HERE.  Also, after using it for a season, I’ll share some things I’ve learned as a new pool owner!

spring sky challenge

This wasn’t a home project, but I joined in on the Spring Sky Challenge and painted an 8 x 10 landscape each day in May.  I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge, what I learned, and many of the pieces I produced.  It also gave me something creative to focus on during the chaos of the kitchen renovation, which was a good thing.  I plan to do more painting challenges this year and schedule more art sales.

You can see all of the Spring Sky Challenge paintings HERE.

painting the exterior

I had never really considered buying a one-story home.  I love staircases and, after growing up in military-issued apartments, I didn’t have any desire to go back to one-story living.  But, having a broken foot that didn’t heal for six months made me open to the ease and longevity of a one-story home.  And, I might be the only person who gets excited about this kind of thing, but I was looking forward to being able to paint the exterior of our home!  So, right from the beginning, I planned on giving the siding, trim, shutters, porch, and doors a fresh coat of paint.  We started on it in early fall and chipped away at it for a few weeks.  My parents would come to help on some of the big painting days and Jeff did the ladder work.  We still need to paint the trim on the back and left side of the house, but we got the two hardest (and most visible) sides done.

You can read all about painting the exterior of the house HERE.

wallpaper removal

This was not a glamorous job at all, but it made my list because old wallpaper was a limitation from putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls and making other cosmetic changes.  My mom and I removed wallpaper in Calvin’s room, the primary bedroom, the boys’ bathroom, and the kitchen, and I hired out the wallpaper removal in the dining room, hall/foyer, and Marshall’s room.  There are still two rooms left to work on, but we made huge progress this year.

Once the wallpaper removal was done and the walls were primed, I was able to install chair rail and picture frame molding in the hall and paint the ceiling and walls in Marshall and Calvin’s room.  I still need to paint the dining room, but that’s next on my list.

You can read my tips on DIY wallpaper removal HERE.

living room mantel & fresh paint

Building a new, more traditional mantel was our last home project of the year and another favorite.  I really wanted it to be done before decorating for Christmas and we just eeked it in.  Removing the mid-century mantel made a big difference in making this room feel more my style.  We also gave the ceiling a fresh coat of paint and I put some new color on the walls, trim, beams, and built-ins.  Everything was painted in Card Room Green by Farrow & Ball.

I love how the color makes the room look rich and cozy.

You can read more about the living room makeover HERE.