It’s been twenty days since my last progress update, and although that might seem like a long time to you, for me it has absolutely flown by with non-stop action at the house. We’re really hitting the home stretch (is that pun? a bad joke? just bad writing?) now, and the whole team has gone into overdrive trying to get everything done. We’re hoping to list the house for sale within the next two weeks, and I’m pretty confident we can do it … if everything goes right. Here’s what we’ve been up to:
Landscaping
The exterior of the house is really starting to look great. We’ve gone from a backyard jungle covered in lillies and hostas, to a space that feels controlled, practical, and pretty. I’m not a huge fan of mowing the lawn (trust me), but in this case, I think the new sod absolutely transformed this yard into a space someone will be able to picture their family hanging out in.
Floors!
Refinishing the floors is a job I was keen to DIY, but in the end we decided to hire it out (short on time, terrified of screwing it up). The first pass of sanding happened yesterday, and the the polyurethane coating will be going on today. Which means we can’t go in the house for a few days! What will I do with myself?!
Closets
I am now a professional closet system installer, just in case you wanted to know. I’ve assembled and installed closets for all the upstairs bedrooms, and although the first one took me a little while to figure out, once I got the hang of it, I was flying.
The systems we got (from Modular Closets) fit perfectly in the closets, and really improve the functionality of the storage available in the bedrooms. Closets are one of those details you might not pay attention to when you walk through a house, but you should, because good closets lead to more organized living, and I’m certain our buyers will be thrilled to have them.
Front Door
We decided to try something new with the front door on this house, and teamed up with a company called Zabitat to add a full glass insert to the existing door. I was a little bit skittish about going this (and especially doing it myself), because it required cutting the entire center panel out of the door. But the install ended up going even smoother than I could have hoped, and the door is unrecognizable (and way, way better).
We also repainted it (with a fresh coat of Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black SW 6258), and the transformation is incredible:
The insert itself is really pretty and very well made (it’s heavy) and the most unexpected benefit is that it lets a ton more light into the entryway at the front of the house, making that space feel more open. Win!
Shutters
We liked the way the paint looked on the door so much that we decided to add some shutters to the windows to match. After searching online, I decided that some simple board-and-batten shutters would be easy to DIY. And I was right!
I just picked up some primed exterior trim boards and cut them to length on my miter saw. Then I painted everything with the same exterior paint (SW 6258), and my shutters are ready to go on the house!
Shed
Jon and I decided a storage shed was a must-have in the backyard, so we had our landscaper leave a nice flat space for it off to the left of the parking pad:
Then we spent a nice (unseasonably hot) weekend day installing a shed. This is definitely a DIYable job for most people, and worth the effort if you don’t have plenty of garage storage. You just need to create a level foundation (we built a floor system out of treated lumber, and set it on leveled concrete blocks), and then put the shed together (ours required nothing more than a drill/driver).
Bathroom
The bathroom floor tile was installed this week, and I love the way it’s turning out. Yesterday Jon and I got the wainscoting and trim put, and it totally transformed the look of the room.
Photography
This project is on a quick timeline, so although it’s kind of weird, we’ve already started photography on several rooms (even though much of the house isn’t done). It’s strange to be working on a perfect, finished, beautifully-styled room while the bathroom floor is getting torn out next door.
So far we have one of the kids’ bedrooms, the master bedroom, and the basement family room completely furnished and photographed. Yes, I would love to share those pictures with you right now, but I’m worried you’ll stop reading my updates if I do that, so you’ll just have to wait.
In the meantime, here are a few teasers:
In conclusion
We’re so close to wrapping this project up! I can’t believe how much has happened in the last six weeks. Kitchen cabinets and countertops are coming first thing next week, and then we have an arms-length list of little touch-ups and finishing things to get done before we move all the furniture in and take the rest of the pictures.
Its looking great! Can’t wait to see it.
Looking forward to the complete reveal! I hope the buyer appreciates the thought that went into adding the shed. Such a nice touch that no one else would have thought of.