2025 Master List of Home Goals
Happy New Year, y’all! The beginning of a new year means that it’s time for another list of home goals for the new year. I’ve been making these lists for a few years now, and I think that last year was the worst that I’ve ever done on accomplishing the items on my list (which you can see here), but there was a good reason for it. That reason is because halfway through the year, Matt and I completely changed our plans for a good portion of our house.
It all started with some pretty major flooring issues that resulted in us having to have the floor and subfloor replaced in the home gym, a room that I had only finished 17 months before. We got a ton of use out of that room in those 17 months, but that setback of having to completely tear out the floor and subfloor sent me into a bit of a tailspin for a bit, and the need for those extensive repairs led to a complete change of plans that, when all is said and done, will result in the home gym becoming our bedroom, the guest bedroom becoming our walk-in closet and laundry room combo, and a new addition that will include a new home gym, guest bedroom, and family room.
And somewhere along the way, we also plan to turn the current kitchen into a dining room, and the current breakfast room and pantry into a new kitchen. So in the end, our house that looked like this just a few months ago…
…will end up looking like this when all is said and done…
But I seriously doubt that all of that will happen this year, so I’m kind of getting ahead of myself. For now, let me concentrate on my plans for 2025, starting with what I believe will be my biggest project of the year, and that’s our master bedroom suite. That project will be divided into three separate parts, starting with…
The Master Bedroom:
As I mentioned, the room that used to be our home gym is now going to be our master bedroom. The good news is that a lot of work has already been done in this room. The hardwood flooring that was destroyed and the old (and inadequate) subfloor have been removed. New vapor barrier, insulation, and subfloor has been installed. The walls that used to form the big closet in the room have been removed to make the new bedroom as big as possible.
But this project is still in the very beginning stages, and there’s a ton of work to be done to turn this into a pretty, inviting, comfortable bedroom. Here’s what it looks like now…
Things are a real mess right now, but I think it’s going to be beautiful when it’s finished. There’s a lot to do, though! In order to turn this current mess into an inviting, cozy, and beautiful bedroom, I need to:
- Install hardwood flooring,
- Sand, stain, and seal hardwood flooring,
- Close up scuttle hole in ceiling,
- Paint ceiling,
- Repair and prime walls,
- Install wainscoting,
- Install crown molding,
- Hang grasscloth wallpaper,
- Install wall and ceiling trim in the bedroom entrance,
- Make an upholstered headboard,
- Build a pretty bed frame to cover the not-so-pretty frame of our adjustable bed,
- Build two bedside tables,
- Sew velvet curtains,
- Make or find artwork,
- Create a reading corner (which may include reupholstering a chair),
- Accessorize to finish.
Closet and Laundry Room:
I have to admit that I’m even more excited about this room than I am about our new bedroom. In my entire adult life, I’ve lived in nine different apartments and houses, and yet I’ve never had an adequate closet. So once this room is finished, it will be a dream closet for me.
Right now, the room looks like this…
To turn this into a walk-in closet and laundry room, I’ll need to:
- Install hardwood flooring,
- Sand, stain, and seal hardwood flooring,
- Install a dryer vent,
- Install an outlet for the dryer (the wiring is already there),
- Build cabinets or shelves above the washer and dryer,
- Build closet cabinets/shelves/organization,
- Build an island,
- Prime and paint cabinets and island,
- Install wallpaper,
- Install a pretty chandelier or pendant light,
- Install a lot more lights for specific areas.
Hallway:
I’m not quite sure what to call this area. I’ve been calling it the hallway since we bought the house because it was an actual hallway in which the three original bedrooms and the guest bedroom were located. But now that this whole area is going to be the master bedroom suite, it seems strange to call it the hallway. I’ve flirted with calling it an anteroom a few times, but that seems a bit too formal for our house. So if you have an idea of what I can call this area, please let me know.
In the end, when it’s all finished, it will not only be the entrance into the master bedroom suite, but it’ll also be an extension of the closet with a full-length mirror and a place for me to sit down to put my shoes on (since I couldn’t fit either of those things in the actual closet design). And of course, the doorway into the guest bedroom will eventually be relocated so that it’s no longer in the bedroom suite.
But for now, we’ll have to live with this somewhat awkward design where the guest bathroom is accessible inside the bedroom suite. We’re used to living with awkward layouts, though. That’s all part of the process when you’re customizing an old, existing house rather than building a new, custom house from scratch.
So in the meantime, it’s still the hallway, and this is what it looks like right now…
I haven’t decided yet if I want to keep the striped walls, or if I want to do something different. I may keep the stripes for now, and then do something more dramatic (like a wallpaper mural) after we build the addition, and after the guest bathroom entrance has been moved out of this area and the current bathroom doorway has been closed up. But either way, the walls clearly need some work. So to finish this area, I’ll need to:
- Install hardwood flooring,
- Sand, stain, and seal hardwood flooring,
- Finish the French doors to bedroom suite,
- Install crown molding,
- Paint the walls,
- Paint or the gold leaf full-length mirror,
- Build an upholstered storage bench,
- Create a new scuttle hole to the attic,
- Create a new scuttle hole to the crawl space,
- Make or buy artwork.
My Workshop:
I’m still a bit surprised that I actually have a workshop. At the beginning of last year, building a workshop for me wasn’t even in our plans for the year. And while I’m so thankful to have it, it’s not yet functional, and it looks pretty plain.
I have some plans for the outside to make it look like a little cottage and to match our house. I need to:
Make and install shutters, Done! See them here.Paint the front door, Done! See it here.Install a touch pad lock, Done! See it here.Install skirting, Done! See it here.Build steps, Done! See them here.- Build flower boxes,
- Do something to make the garage door look interesting,
- Build pergola above front door,
- Build pergola above garage door,
- Add lighting.
As far as the inside goes, I don’t yet know exactly what I’ll be doing. I need to really think through how I want the whole thing designed, and as of right now, I haven’t even given the layout any thought at all. I’ve given way more thought to how I want to outside to look than how I want the inside designed. But obviously, at the very minimum, getting the inside finished and usable will require me to…
- Run electricity to the building,
- Install plywood (or another solid material that isn’t drywall) to the walls,
- Add flooring (I haven’t decided which flooring to use yet),
- Build a rolling scrap lumber storage cart,
- Build a large work table (or tables),
- Build tables for each one of my large saws/tools,
- Build or buy tool organization,
- Install a garage door opener.
I’m sure there will be a whole lot more to that project once I get it completely planned. But first, I’ll get the fun projects done on the outside to make the building look cute. The outside was easier to plan since I want the building to match our house.
The Front & Side of the House:
Another huge and unexpected thing we did last year was finally have our concrete driveway poured. I have LOVED being able to pull into the driveway, park under the carport, and go into the house through the back door. And now that we finally have our driveway, I’m really feeling motivated to get some projects done in the front of the house.
I’m not going to lie to myself and tell myself that I can get everything, including landscaping, done this year. But at the very least, I’d like to…
- Redo (and finish!) the skirting on the front porch,
- Re-install the shutters that came down,
- Re-install the front porch tape lights that fell down,
- Mark off planting beds and add borders,
- Add lighting to driveway and sidewalk,
- Build the steps to the side studio door.
The Sunroom:
Y’all, I feel like this is the year that I’ll finally be able to say goodbye to the sunroom.
I have been wanting to tear this room down for years, but it’s where my washer and dryer hookups have been all these years, and it’s also where our hot water heater is located. But once our closet/laundry room combo is finished, I’ll no longer need this room for a laundry room. And once my workshop is organized, I’ll no longer need to store tools and supplies in the sunroom. That just leaves the hot water heater. And I would be absolutely ecstatic if I could…
- Have a tankless water heater installed,
- Have French doors installed at the back of the music room (which we’d have to do anyway, temporarily, while the addition is being framed, so why not do that sooner than later?), and then
- TEAR DOWN THE SUNROOM!!!!!
Y’all, I want to make that happen so badly!!! I want that room gone. I feel like the back of our house is really starting to shape up now that the carport is finished and usable, the driveway is poured, and the workshop will soon look very cute. But this sunroom is such an eyesore. Even if we can’t build the addition this year, I still want the sunroom gone. I have been anxious to tear that room down for so long now, and it would be such a momentous occasion if I could make that happen this year.
And that’s it. That’s all I’m going to add to my list for this year. That doesn’t mean that’s all I’m going to do. I’m sure I’ll veer off path along the way and do some random projects, some fun and unrelated projects as inspiration strikes, a few fun art projects, etc. But I’d like to end the year by getting these things done. Anything else will just be the cherry on top.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
![The Current State Of My Studio (The Reason For My Procrastination) [VIDEO]](https://www.addicted2decorating.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/video-thumbail-1.jpg)
Excited to see all that you accomplish this year. You are an inspiration to so many of us. For me, you give me the motivation to just start somewhere. I tend to be the type of person who doesn’t start for fear it won’t turn out perfect, need to let some of that go and just start!
Happy New Year to you and Matt!
That’s quite a list you have going there – I’m exhausted just reading it. I would be inclined to leave the stripes in your anteroom for now – it would be easy to finish and serve as a quiet space while you concentrate on the bigger aesthetic challenges of the other two spaces. Once they are done you can change it up at your leisure. LOL – I know. With plenty of other stuff on the horizon “leisure” is something of an elastic concept, but there may be some lulls.
Getting your workshop sorted at least to the point you can use it would be a good idea since you intend on building your bedroom furniture.
Anyway – you go girl. I always enjoy coming along vicariously for the ride.
Happy New Year! I certainly hope you can accomplish as much as possible this year. Having followed you for a few years now, I wonder how many of the hopes are repeated, and for how long? I think your lists are very ambitious, which is a good motivator if it helps you accomplish goals. But I find if I make lofty goals, I only get bogged down with an overwhelming dread that causes me to give up! So I never make “resolutions” or set goals for the year. I think that’s the Capricorn in me that is being stubborn and negative (my downfall!) Good on you for being positive about the coming year! I look forward to seeing the sunroom gone too!
My front porch projects have been on repeat for a couple of years now. 🙁 Hopefully, this will be the year I can get them done!
Your list is extensive … whew! I know you want to start on the master suite but does it make sense to complete the inside of your workshop first so that you can use it when working on everything else? I must admit it breaks my heart to see the hand painted mural in the former master bedroom go away but am excited to see what you are going to do with the new floor plan.
I’m actually going to take advantage of the beautiful weather we’re having right now and work on some of the exterior projects on the workshop first. As soon as the weather changes (IF we get an actual winter this year), I’ll switch my focus to something else. But the workshop exterior is what I feel the most motivated to do right now, and I figure if I start the year off feeling super motivated and can get some projects checked off rather quickly, that’ll get my year started off right and make me feel super motivated to continue.
I know how much you hate the sun room and want to get rid of it – for good reasons! As I was reading the post, though, I wondered if it could be a covered patio if you removed the outside wall? This would be after you found new homes for everything now out there. Always so impressed with your skills and great planning – and courage!
That’s an interesting idea! It might be a good idea to remove the walls and keep the roof as a temporary covered porch until we do the addition. I’ll give that some thought!
Happy New Year to you and your family. Yes, looks like a great list…and BIG, but even if you get part way through, it will be a tremendous change for the GREAT! It must be daunting, but also exciting for you. One step at a time…while still taking time to enjoy Matt, the fur-kids, and your family as well as your church family. You have a full life going…enjoy! I DID miss your posts during the end of December, but I’m hoping you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday…now onward for all of us! Admiring you from here!
Ok, you’ve put it out there for all to see, however, remember, I think most of us follow you due to the way you express yourself, your thoughts and of course your drive to succeed. Give yourself time and respect yourself to remember to rest and enjoy your life outside of constantly doing DIY. Can’t wait to see what you do! Happy New Year to you and Matt.
Oh Heaven’s, how I have missed your blog over the holidays. Not that I would have had time to read them, it’s just I have lunch with you so to speak every day and I missed that. You sure did a ton of work last year young lady and it looks like 2025 will bring even more. I love everything you have planned and cannot wait to see how you wave your magic wand and make it all so beautiful. Remember to keep a piece of the sunroom, make an art piece from it, and it will be one of those reminders that will make you smile every time you see it. They have come a long way with tankless water heaters in the past few years, so you should be good to go, and remember, you can get more than one if you think your demand for hot water will greater than what the device claims it can handle. Sending you all the best wishes for a fabulous New Year, and all the energy that I can so that your projects will run as smoothly as they possibly can, we all know that what briefs well and what really happens is often poles apart.
Cheers,
Happy New Year to you and Matt. I truly missed your posts durirng the holidays. Your list is quite extensive and I was exhausted just reading it. I know you will try to accomplish as much as you can and I do think your idea of working outside is a great idea. You’ve been inside so much this past year that being able to work on some of your outside projects is a nice change. Looking forward to following you for another year.
That’s an impressive list! Wishing you smooth sailing and lots of progress. I have a question. What did you decide to do with the electrical box?
I decided to leave it where it is. It’s handy and easy to access in an emergency, and I’m 100% confident I can disguise it so it doesn’t show.
Don’t see steps into studio anywhere.
Oh, you’re right! That’s definitely on my to do list, and I hope to do it soon if our nice weather holds. If we actually get a winter this year, I plan to tackle that as soon as spring hits.
Love the whole project and the new floor plan.
I only have a question. How will configure the “new” guest bathroom when changing the entrance. Thinking too far ahead…..it’s what I do to the chagrin and face plant of my hubby 🤦🏼♀️. Yup…in a new construction build right now.
Happy New Year
I’ve only given that a very little thought, and I haven’t come up with a definite floor plan yet. I’ll tackle that when we get closer to that project.
Happy New Year! Looking forward to the year and whatever you’ll take on!
We have a similar set up and we refer to it as “the bedroom foyer”. For sure not sexy but it’s straightforward and self-explanatory!
Your “hallway” is actually a vestibule. Best of luck getting things finished this year. I’m hoping to do the same here getting things finished. I have several upholstery pieces I need to get done, and a million more little ones. My rule is start with the oldest ones first, then work on the rest. Hope that helps.
When you moved onto the hallway, my brain went: ahhh, the antechamber! So when you went anteroom and it’s too posh a word, I laughed. I’ve been in Britain too much lately! We have had on-demand water heating and loved it. My husband especially as he could turn it off at the control panel, in the kitchen, and get teenagers out of their endless showers fast! LPG gas is very expensive in Australia so we have changed to a heat pump which is very economical. It too is wonderful and lives outside doing its thing. Have fun!
I have missed you so much. So glad to hear from you today. I love your lists, but they seem to have more than a year’s worth of work on them. However you are Super Woman so I’m sure you will surprise all of us blog readers.
My prayer for you and Matt is to be as healthy as possible. Also to have your home projects to go smoothly and that this is the year the sunroom is torn down and hauled away!
I’ve been looking forward to hearing your plan for the year! It’s giving me the motivation to declutter our house. Staying on the kitchen, and then our guest room and then the basement.
OMG Kristi ….. I’m exhausted just reading your list. I’m afraid I’d be overwhelmed if that was my list. But you … you’re just a “machine” with all your energy and “can do” attitude. So you go, girl !!
And a happy, healthy and productive 2025 to you and Matt.
I’m greatly looking forward to all your updates this year.
In the UK it would be called the lobby.
I think the word you are looking for could be “vestibule”, instead of “hallway”, which may inspire you. There are so many possibilities for what you could do with a “Vestibule”. Houzz has some nice inspiration for you: https://www.houzz.com/photos/query/master-bedroom-vestibule
Also Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolinebrackettdesign/p/Cn7fv6eO8r1/
I look forward to the next year of your blog and the transformation of your home.
Happy New Year!
Awesome, girl! Sounds like a reasonable list, even though *I* can’t wait for the addition/kitchen update to happen NOW!
I’d call the former hallway the vestibule, or to be really plain about it, the between room 😉
We turned a little bedroom tucked around a corner into a closet and refer to the hallway entry as the “dressing room” since that’s where we have the mirror, chair, and coat hooks.
I must have missed a post – did you decide against doing cute tile in the laundry area?
I haven’t decided against it, but I haven’t decided for it, either. 😃 I’m still mulling over the possibilities.
Your lists always seem so ambitious but, somehow you always make them happen and, if there’s a “glitch” you pivot and keep on going! As for what to call the “hallway”, what about the “master entry”? as it seems like an entry area into your sanctuary.
Your lists always seem so daunting but somehow you manage to get them done. If there is a “glitch” you pivot and keep on going! As for what to call the “hallway”, what about “master entry” ? since it feels like an entry into your sanctuary!
While you’ve recently purchased a washer and dryer, please check out the new GE heat-pump combo washer/dryer. It is ventless, so imagine not having to cut another hole in an exterior wall or clean out the vent of dryer lint. Or, imagine never having to shift the wet clothes from the washer into the dryer. And, once the clothes are loaded into the full-size drum, imagine being able to set a start time so that the load of clothes is dry at a time that is convenient for you to fold them. Just imagine having the additional storage closet space in your new laundry room, if you only had one large appliance instead of two. Perhaps you have a family member that would love to inherit your almost new washer and dryer set?
Would you post the link to the wallpaper in your studio on Spoonflower? I cannot seem to locate it on their site.
Thanks in advance.
Hi again, Kristi,
I posted this a few minutes ago only to realize I was on a date in early December. I’m not very good at this and rarely post anything. Please forgive me. I just wanted someone to find it. Thank you.
Gayla says:
January 5, 2025 at 4:12 pm
Hi Kristi,
I have followed your talent for a long time (losing contact with you once & recently finding you again) and admire everything you have done to your homes, your Mother’s and I believe a niece’s room. You have great vision…it is amazing.
I was on facebook and an advertisement appeared with a before and after photo of the interior of your home. I know your photos well enough to recognize that it is your photos.
I took photos for the name, business name and “address” but am not sure how to get them to you. Does the name Tawbat Hakim ring a bell? If this is something you have approved, that’s great and I apologize for butting in. If not, I just wanted you to be aware of it. Please let me know how to forward the info from my phone to someone that could help.
I’m tired just thinking about your to-do list!!!