Our 2018 Project Report Card

We're back from the holiday whirlwind (we'll share more about that later this week) but wanted to look back at our goals from last year to gauge how 2018 shaped up. At the beginning of every year, we share a list of projects we hope to tackle, and looking back just one year it's always so incredible to see how far we have come and what we have accomplished.

January 3, 2018 (in this post) we listed the 6 projects we wanted to check off last year, here's what they were:

1. Master Bathroom. 

Check! Part of me is disappointed that we waited 5 years to renovate our sad master bathroom only because every single day since has been just...easier. More pleasant. More organized. It's like all of the necessities I use every morning and night were in Limbo for 5 years and now they have a permanent place. It wasn't without major headaches along the way, or a very high price tag or unexpected twists or setbacks. But besides that one thing, we love our bathroom. And although part of me is disappointed we waited so long, I really feel like that extra waiting period allowed us to get it right! See all the afters and posts about the bathroom here.

Here's how our bathroom looked at the beginning of 2018:

And at the end!:

2. Master Closet

Overhauling the bathroom naturally meant that our closet also needed a facelift, since they were connected but also it was possibly worse than our bathroom. I remember at the beginning of the year we weren't even sure what the plan was or what it would look like after. We went through a lot of versions before landing on a galley style and since we spent a pretty penny on the bathroom, we kept it budget friendly by going the Ikea Pax route. We have zero regrets and absolutely love our closet. It has been a life changer. See all the before and afters and posts about the closethere.

Beginning of 2018:

End of 2018:

3. Master Bedroom

At the beginning of the year, we confessed that we had done our master bedroom, but never really completed it fully. And sadly, I can say it still doesn't feel done done. I give us a B+! I still haven't ordered window treatments, and the floor mirror that we've had for years is really too small for the wall it's on. Weirdly, the two different lamps we have been rocking that were supposed to be temporary have grown on me. But! We did make some major changes in our bedroom, finally addressed the weird insert where our TV is and added an electric fireplace (it was so easy!) and overall have been enjoying the lighter, more mature feel to the space.

Here's how it looked at the beginning of 2018:

Here's how it looks now:

See the master bedroom sources here!

4. The Garage

Our garage is an ongoing joke with us because, not kidding, every year we say, "This is the year we tackle the garage." And every year we do clean it out but this is the year it stuck because this is the year we made sure every thing had a place. I learned that if you organize your stuff--even the boring stuff like nails or paint roller cages or coolers!--if you give it all a place, THAT'S how things stay clean. We organized the crap out of our garage. We got new doors. We epoxied the floor and now, all winter, we are reaping the benefits by parking in the garage. Both of us! It was all worth it.

5. Landscaping

In 2017, we did a lot of landscaping to one side of our yard, but in 2018, we finished the other side and then some. Although it's not technically landscaping (although there was definitely that!), painting our swingset this summer was one of my favorite before and afters of the year! We also dabbled in landscaping in our friends' backyard over a weekend and although I've always been pretty afraid of the task--this year I gained confidence in it!

6. The Cabin. 

That was the 6th project on our list at the beginning of 2018 and it kind of makes me laugh. Because, oh yeah!, among everything else--we have been renovating our A-frame! I have so much to update you on that happened in December (it's exhausting!) But I'm so happy with the progress we've made up there in 2018. Our cabin is an hour away from our house. So while it's nothing like the ease of renovating your own home, it's not a terrible commute. In 2018, we painted the exterior black. We updated the fireplaces. We installed all new light wood floors. We built an amazing reading nook and decked out one of the bedrooms and recently started on another. For 2019 project goals, I'm going to be more specific about the cabin projects we'd like to complete.

2018 was our biggest year yet and 2019 is already almost completely booked with projects. We're excited. We're refreshed. We're ready. We'd love to hear if there's something in particular that you'd like to see more of or would like to see us tackle in 2019! Sound off in the comments.