Look How Close I Am To Being “Finished”!
Matt and I have been in our current house since late 2013, so roughly 12.5 years (if I did my math right, which is always questionable). In those years, this house has been part home, part project. If I were to plot that on a continuum, with the left extreme of that continuum being 100% project, and the right extreme of that continuum being 100% home, I’d say we started out on that extreme left end of the continuum. It was our house just because it was ours. We saved up for the downpayment, we signed the papers, we had the mortgage, we had the keys, and we moved in. But let’s face it. Nothing about this actually felt like “home” to us.
This was very clearly someone else’s home. And after it was no longer their home, it sat vacant for a few years. So while we held the keys and the mortgage, this was most definitely not “home” for us. I’m sure that anyone who buys a house, whether it’s new construction or an old fixer upper, feels the same way. It takes a while for a house to really start feeling like a home.
Those first few years were pretty slow going. As I’ve explained in a previous post, I really had a hard time finding my decorating footing in this house in those early years. (You can read more about that here.) But before I could even get to the decorating, I had to start with the basics, and I had to do so on a very limited budget. Every room was torn down to the studs. Every room needed new electrical wiring, new plumbing, new everything. The house needed a new HVAC system and so much more before I could even get to the fun decorating part.
The big projects that I did early on — the kitchen remodel and the hallway bathroom remodel — definitely helped us to move further right on that continuum. After those remodels, I started to feel like this house was about 15% home and 85% project. It wasn’t until around 2021, when I finally finished the living room and music room, and finally found my decorating style, that I moved past that 50% point on the continuum. And every room I’ve finished after that has helped push me further along to this house truly feeling like home.
Obviously, the thing that pushed me the closest to the right end of that continuum was finishing our bedroom suite. Once we finally had a proper master bedroom that I truly love, a large bathroom that is customized specifically to make life easier for Matt, and a proper place for the washer and dryer, which just happens to be in a walk-in closet of my dreams, it really clicked in my mind that this is our home. This house isn’t just a massive DIY project anymore. It really is our home. And it feels like home.
I’m still not quite at the extreme right end of that continuum. I won’t be there until all of the rooms are finished. I’m not talking about the small decorating changes that I might want to make along the way (some of which I pointed out in yesterday’s post). Making small decorating changes along the way is just a normal part of having a home. I’m talking about the big stuff. I’m talking about every room having a purpose, and everything having a place.
We’re not quite there yet, so right now, so right now I’m feeling like this house is about 90% home and 10% project. So yesterday evening, when I finally had a chance to sit at my desk with my computer, I decided to look over my 2026 Home Goals list again to get refocused on my goals. And as I read through those, I realized just how close I am to being done. So I decided to make another color-coded floor plan so that I could visually see just how far I’ve come, and just how far I still have to go.
And let me tell you, this was incredibly motivating! All of the finished areas of our house are in the pink. Just look how much pink there is now! You’ll notice that there are two rooms that are a little darker pink than the rest — the kitchen and the pantry. Those are two rooms that are technically “finished”, but I do have plans to make changes in those. Now that I’ve lived with them as they are for a while (over ten years for the kitchen, and not quite so long for the pantry), there are changes I want to make to make those areas work better for me. But I still put them in pink because, for right now, they look finished. And if I never get to make those changes I want to make, I can live with what I have and be perfectly happy.
But as far as the areas that need significant work to be finished, there are only three. ONLY THREE, Y’ALL!!! Look how close I am!
Of those three areas, the dining room (yes, I’m calling it the dining room now 😀 ) will be the easiest. As I’ve mentioned before, I poached so much from this room to use in other areas of the house, so it’s very bare right now. And it’s still set up as a sitting room with two recliners. I want this room to be converted back into a dining room. But there’s no construction or remodeling needed at all. It’s all just furniture and decor. It would be so easy to get that finished up!
The storage closet is a bit of a bigger project. As you know, it’s currently a bathroom, so everything needs to be taken out. Once that’s done, I have no idea if the drywall will need to be replaced or repaired. The flooring will need to be replaced or filled in, but the tile that’s in there right now isn’t available anymore, so I think all of the flooring will have to be replaced. And then I need storage. I’m still undecided about whether I’ll build from scratch or buy ready-made storage options. That’s one of the main reasons I’m stalled on that project. But I’m constantly thinking through options, so I should be ready to start on it pretty soon.
The biggest project left is the sunroom. It will be the most challenging because (1) it’s being used as a storage room right now, so getting it cleared out is going to be a massive undertaking, and (2) the sheer size of it will make it very challenging to get it looking usable on a very small budget. Since I haven’t given up on the dream of tearing this room down and building an addition in its place, I don’t want to spend much money at all on making this room usable for the near future. But the size of the room will make that very challenging. I’m up for the challenge, though, and I’m feeling very excited about tackling it.
But all that to say…I ONLY HAVE THREE MORE ROOMS!!! I got so excited when I saw that color-coded floor plan. Just three more rooms, y’all. Once those are done, every area inside our home will have a defined purpose and everything will be in its place. It will be a home that is fully functional for us. And at that point, even if I never see my dream of a kitchen remodel or a new addition on the back of our house realized, I will be perfectly content with what I have. And I will finally be at that “100% home” point on the continuum.
I’ll still have plenty to do, though. Don’t forget, I have an entire landscape plan that I still haven’t touched! 😀
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.
Well, if that is not a good motivator, I am not sure what is. What do you need an addition for? It’s just more expense, more to clean and more work. Congrats on all your accomplishments!
Video tour please!
Yes! Great idea!
So proud of you! You are amazing and I love watching you complete your projects. I wish I had your energy. Don’t forget to take care of yourself.
I’m hoping that when you tear out the bathroom, you’ll be able to donate fixtures to Habitat or give away on Craig’s List/ Facebook marketplace.
I will! 🙂 I won’t throw away anything that can be reused.
I can’t believe you have been in the house that long! I started following you when you lived in the condo. It’s incredible what you have accomplished.
I know what you mean! On one hand, I look at those “before” pictures of our house, and it seems like a lifetime ago. But on the other hand, it seems like I blinked, and the last 12.5 years flew by.
I think it’s awesome that you have done all of this mostly by yourself! That house you bought was a disaster, but you had a vision, and you got to work to accomplish that vision! You are so close!!! I think you should use the workshop as storage for the sunroom stuff (since you haven’t yet turned it into a workshop). Then you could tear down the sunroom, and get the storage/bathroom done. Work on the front porch and finish it up as well as the new door area.That would take you through to fall/winter, where you could then turn your attention to the pantry/kitchen if you have the funds. I would put anything you don’t want from the sunroom at the curb, with a sign “free” and get it gone! If it isn’t gone in 3 days, have it hauled away! That would be my plan, if I were you! I recently hired a young man on the local FB page to come clean my gutters. He did a great job! You might try that method to hire day help! (I checked his FB page to see what he posted as an idea of his history and my safety.)
Every time I see the move-in photos from your house, I just think, “Wow, look how far she’s come and what a great job!” I remember your house being a fixer but I didn’t realize that it wasn’t just a cosmetic fixer but a guts and mechanicals as well. I’m 8 months into a mostly cosmetic fixer (popcorn ceilings, orange peel walls, 80s carpet and vinyl tile) with a few plumbing and electrical issues and a roof that will need to be replaced in a couple of years. I’m crossing my fingers that the hot water heater and HVAC will last a few more years. I don’t know how you’ve lasted almost 13 years because I’ve had contractors do part of it and I’m already sick of making decisions.
I think I’ll take your advice and do a house plan that I can mark up as projects are finished. For now I can put the room-by-room to do list on it and color it in as each room is finish. Okay, back to finishing the guest bedroom, I have family arriving in 10 days. Yikes!!
Good luck on finishing your guest bedroom! And remember. This DIY stuff is supposed to be fun! 😀
That color chart IS eye-opening! When you get a few more areas done, you are correct…VERY liveable just as it is…and comfortable for you and Matt. Perhaps that’s a good time to do little things inside and out, and clear out as much as possible, saving for that big room in the back that will give you some additional space for a guest room, exercise room, and guest bath. AND, some room to sit and look out of lots of back windows to your new landscaping plan. Sounds devine.
Please clear a question for me. Where will you have a comfy tv watching space with your recliners? It seems an important thing especially for Matt. Also, does Matt like talking through the plans? That’s almost my favorite part of projects.
Right now, the TV space with the recliners is still the sitting room (dining room) right next to the kitchen. But I will be clearing out the huge sunroom and turning half of that into our home gym and the other half into a new sitting area with recliners and TV.
The ultimate goal is to tear down the sunroom and build an addition with a family room (with lots of comfy seating and a large TV), a new guest bathroom, and a guest bedroom. But I’ll be honest. The economy (both now, and in the next two years as a ripple effect of what’s going on in the Middle East right now) have me pretty on edge. So I’m a bit terrified of spending that much money on an addition. If the world ever calms the heck down, and the economy seems stable, then I’ll feel much better about it. For now, I’m okay being content with what we have.
In the meantime, when we do have people over and we want to watch a movie or something that requires a TV, I have a perfectly sized TV that I bring into the living room and set on the mantle over the fireplace. It works out perfectly, and then when we’re done and everyone is gone, I put it away. Matt and I never watch TV in the living room.
Thank for your reply
You’re welcome! I just realized I missed your second question. Matt never really has input about our house. When we bought our very first house three months after we got married, he handed me the keys and said it was my house to do whatever I wanted to do with it. 🙂 That has pretty much been his attitude since then. I do try to talk through major changes with him and see if he has input, but he rarely does. We’ve been married long enough now that he trusts me to make the best decisions possible, and to keep his needs in mind as I make those changes. If I press, he’ll give input, but he prefers to just stay out of it and let me do what I want to do.
You have done so much and it looks great. I love all of you creativity and color.
I am just brain storming while looking at your house floor plan. I don’t even know if this could be an option, but maybe to save on cost you could extend and gut your old bathroom to hold your equipment and add a bathroom door for company in your sunroom.
I started following you the last few projects of the condo and have faithfully watched you transform a broken down house that most people would have torn down into a beautiful, functional, safe home; one room at a time. So excited for you that the finish line for completing your home is in site. The sunroom is essentially an addition, so in my book you only have two rooms to complete your home 🙂 Then you can start thinking about the workroom, sunroom, outside area and redoing the kitchen and pantry. Enough to keep you busy and your readers engaged but you home will be complete.
The sellers certainly provided you with some of the best “before” pictures I’ve ever seen. 😁
I don’t understand the thinking on the old drapes – especially the living room ones. “Let’s leave up those lovely drapes. They will *definitely* appeal to a potential buyer!”
You know what’s funny? I still, to this day, have some of those old drapes still hanging in the sunroom. 😀 Since we’ve never really used that room, I’ve never made any effort to take them all down. Most of them are gone, but some still remain. I forget about them until I’m in the back yard and can see them through the windows. 😀
You go girl. Only 3 rooms. That is fantastic.
And you have your backyard shed interior to finish. Exciting realization that you only have 3 room projects left!! YAY for YOU!
If you change the Matt’s TV area back to the dining room where will his area be? I must have missed a post or 2. 🤷♀️
I can completely connect with you about the project/home slide. “Feeling” like home, that’s the goal.
You home is gorgeous, Kristi. I love the colors you have chosen.
I do have a question and an observation. My question is, do you plan on doing a guest bedroom in the future and where?
My observation is that this is a fairly large home with several rooms, a few undone. I don’t see a guest room listed anywhere for the sunroom area. What if your circumstances were to drastically change and you had to leave your beautiful home. I would think with such a house the size of yours would be very hard to sell, with only one bedroom. Yes, I know you have said this is your forever home, but sometimes plans abruptly change that we have no control over.
The guest bedroom and a new guest bathroom are part of the addition we hope to build in the future. If that never happens, I still don’t think our house would be hard to sell. My huge studio could be made into at least two bedrooms. The bathroom in the studio could be made into a full bathroom by combining bathroom with the pantry to make a much larger room. Any future owner would have plenty of options.
And then when you finish the house and the garden, you can semi-retire and just putter and tweak! LOL yeah right. Not sure what you will be blogging about in 5 years but I’m sure you’ll be keeping busy!
Thank for your reply