Swivel Chairs, Ceiling Light, Rug, Sconces, Floor Lamp, Vase, Faux Stems, Tree Art, Fox
Our project list for 2021 no longer looks like a kitchen remodel or complete reconfiguration of the mud room or adding a bunch of box trim to the entry or any of the other projects we’ve mapped out here. Instead, we’ve turned our focus to what we feel we need to do before listing our house. I got a really great question on Instagram yesterday about the topic:
“What types of projects make sense to still go ahead with in a home once you decide to move? In other words what will you get your money back on and what would just be a waste investment. Going through this process as we’re deciding to move….”
This is going to vary state to state and market to market, to be honest. It also depends on what you may have already done in your home! We’ve already invested so much, at this point it doesn’t make sense for us to invest more money that we won’t get back into this home before moving in a few months. We already won’t get back what we’ve put in, although since this is our job, our situation is a little bit different. This is also a seller’s market, so while we have been looking at a new home to purchase, our realtor has explained that a lot of sellers aren’t doing the things that they would need to do to sell their home in a normal market. While you may not need to renovate your entire kitchen, maybe consider swapping out the lighting and faucets! Fresh paint around the house and clean baseboards and floors go a long way (refinish or refresh your floors and shampoo your carpet!). My sister was looking at a house and wanted to buy it based on the front door! And that can be just a couple hundred dollars–an easy swap that will definitely pay off! A lot of times these things will not only improve your sale price, but the speed at which your home will sell.
Our to-do list before we move is below. It’s a little more in depth and definitely specific to our home (since we’re used to taking you along for the ride for our projects). Most of it involves finishing what we started–which is always recommended. Haha
Whole Home
• Fill holes
• Caulk
• Touch up paint
• Add vent registers (I don’t know whyyyyyyyy this is taking so long)
• Install whole home water filter (something we ordered already)
Laundry Room
• Remove wallpaper
• Skim walls
• Limewash walls
• Paint laundry cabinets
Entry/Home Office/Bonus room?
• Add covers to floor outlets
• Check balusters and secure any that may be loose
• Swap out front door handleset
• Finish drywall
• Hang and paint new doors
• Add Flooring to the new closet
• Make sure new Lighting/Electrical is wired
• Add trim and baseboards
• Prime and paint
Fauxdenza, Cabinet Knobs, Ginger Jar, Art
Dining Room
• Rehang credenza and replace the top that’s currently a split piece of plywood.
Kitchen
• Replace faucets & potfiller (we spray-painted these and while we aren’t doing a new kitchen anymore, this feels like something we should update for the sale price of our home).
• Patch tile under arch cabinet where a base cabinet used to be
• Tighten any loose cabinet doors
• Replace window– the only window in the house that isn’t new, so we’re going to replace it to match.
Stools, Pendants, Vase, Stems, Arched Cabinet
Main Bedrooms/Bathroom
• Add pocket door hardware to bathroom doors
• Add vacuum port cover back on central vac system
Greta’s Bedroom
• Paint trim
• Neutralize this space a little bit. We made all of the girls’ rooms for them so they are naturally more girly, but Greta’s room is perhaps the least so–the wallpaper even has some insects! So, I’m going to stage this room a little more gender neutral.
Girls’ Bathroom
• Remove stick-on tile (we tried, here’s the update if you missed it!)
• Deep clean grout
• Silicone base of tub
Basement Bathroom: maybe a room you’ve never seen? It’s fine, but there are a few things I want to do to bring it up to par with the rest of our home.
• Swap out faucet, sink, light, mirror, and towel holder
Garage
• Add trim to windows
• Install seals above doors
• Install new handleset on exterior door
And then clean up, declutter and stage and…I’m sure I’m forgetting something! We’ll continue bringing you along for these projects! So stick around.
I also think the basement bathroom looks good as is, at least what I can see. I think people coming in will want to change some things no matter what you do so probably wouldn’t do anything even if it’s not to your taste. I thought your laundry room was fine also but know you’ve already been working on it.
Good luck with everything! Sherry & John are thrilled with their new home & lifestyle so am sure you’ll find something that works for your health.
You guys have done a lovely job on the renovations, but will the real estate market in Idaho Falls, ID allow you to recoup all the money you have put into this house? I understand you have a lot of sponsored posts in exchange for free/deals on certain things and materials, but the amount of money you have put into this house has got to be staggering. After looking at zillow in your area, I don’t see how this could possibly pencil out financially, even in a sellers market.
Absolutely not. We’re definitely not moving for the money.
You’ve done an amazing job. I’m so sad to see you leave after watching you pour your hearts into this home. Do you think your move will be permanent? If you aren’t sure maybe you could rent it out for awhile, just in case. If it’s permanent move I’m sure you will continue to do amazing things. ❤️ Hope your health improves.
I really appreciate you sharing how selling without recouping renovation costs is different for you because of your profession. While it is your personal family home, it is refreshing to see the acknowledgement that it’s also tied into your business. Following along for this will be so fun! Thanks for the honesty and perspective!
I feel so rude for saying this, and I apologize, but have you considered repainting Polly’s room as part of your pre-move tasks? Purple is such a polarizing color and that shade looks so unexpected and jarring (to me) in comparison to the rest of your house. That room could look pretty gender-neutral if it were painted a cream that coordinated with the papered ceiling and the carpeting, perhaps more so than Gretta’s room.
We considered it, but I think we’ll leave it unless it seems to be an issue when it comes to selling.