Hello friends! I am just taking a break from the holiday posts today to put together a little home improvement “wish list” for the new year. Some of these things were on the list last year, but we just didn’t get around to them. I think we are on budget and target time wise for some of these projects for 2020, so I am getting excited!
Kitchen Updates
Our kitchen has only had some cosmetic updates since we moved here five years ago. The floor tile, counter tops, cabinets and sink are from the 1980’s and early 90’s but we have made them work because they were in decent shape.
New Countertops
Our faux wood laminate butcher block countertops are not hideous, but they are starting to show major wear and tear and it is time to replace them. We are also planning to shorten our island to make the kitchen flow a little better so it will need a smaller counterop.
After much research we have decided on Formica “wood” laminate countertops. They look exactly like real wood without the maintenance and upkeep of wood or butcher block.
New Brick Flooring
My absolute dream has been to have brick flooring in the kitchen. Earlier this fall I scored enough brick pavers on clearance at Lowes to do our entire kitchen! Not sure when that will happen, but it will someday!
I love this DIY brick tile floor tutorial from Cedar Lane Farmhouse. I showed my husband he said he liked it too. We are hoping our floor will look similar.
I also want to fill in the gaps above our cabinets by extending all the way to the ceiling and adding beautiful crown molding.
Bathroom
The upstairs bathroom needs a complete overhaul, but for now we are going to repaint over the dirty white tile and grout.
I am a little skeptical about this but I have read several positive tutorials. It would definitely be easier and cheaper than replacing the tile. Due to health issues and sensitivities to chemicals I will probably have to hire someone to paint it while we are on vacation and out of the house for a few days.
New Bathroom Flooring Upstairs
If you are a regular reader then you know that we just gave our downstairs tiny powder room a makeover for the Official fall 2019 One Room Challenge. We restored the original 1921 hex tile and I am loving it!
One Room Challenge Week 6 Reveal: 1920’s Tiny Powder Room Revival
Our upstairs bathroom is in pretty bad shape so I would love to tackle it in 2020.
There are many new hex tile reproductions that look similar to the tile in our powder room so I would like to continue the same style of flooring in the upstairs bathroom. Our tub needs to be replaced, but that will have to wait. I would love to have a claw foot tub, but then again I like the idea of installing a rainforest shower. More thought will need to go into this before making any changes to the floor.
New Landscaping
Improving our home’s curb appeal is a big priority in 2020. Next spring we definitely want to finish up the landscaping we started on the left side of our house earlier this summer. I am not sure what has happened but our grass is looking terrible all over our lawn too! We are are definitely going to have to buy quality grass seed.I would love for our lawn to look lush and green without using chemicals!
Vinyl Shakes Shingles
Part of improving the curb appeal of our home will include replacing a few small areas of white vinyl siding around the porch that doesn’t really enhance the yellow bricks and replacing it with green vinyl shakes. We have a newer dark green asphalt shingle roof that looks so pretty with yellow bricks, so I think the vintage green vinyl shakes would look great.
Well this is just “Part 1” of the wish list. Of course there are lots of other little improvements that really include deep cleaning, paint touch ups and small repairs. I also want to make sure we are saving money wherever possible, such as updating our programmable thermostat or checking out any of the other products and smart devices and gadgets for your home.
The kitchen is definitely our main goal for 2020 however. I did a similar post in January of last year of hopeful goals. Even though we didn’t get around to all of them, there were definitely a lot of little improvements made throughout the year. Do you make a similar wish list of home improvement goals for the new year? I love hearing from you dear readers!
Thanks for visiting today!
Amber
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