The Projects on Deck for 2018!

It's a shiny new year which means we have a fresh list of project dreams we'd like to complete.  We love sharing these lists at the beginning of the year--for 7 years and counting now! Here's the first one we shared way back in 2011--to not only give you a peek into what you can expect from us this year, but it also serves as a rough outline for us as we plan our year out. Spoiler alert, 2018 is shaping up to be the year of the cabin! Besides project resolutions, we have business, financial and personal goals we make, but tend to keep those more private. That being said, we do have some pretty exciting things happening with CLJ this year that we can't wait to spill the beans about. Until then, here are the big projects we have on deck for 2018!

1. Master Bathroom

If you listen to our podcast, you know that a few weeks ago, we found water damage in the girls' bedroom ceiling (that's right below our bathroom!). So it's safe to say, we waited too long to finally tackle our bathroom. It's the first project on our list and we have a goal to have it done in the first quarter. It's going to be a complete gut job. Moving plumbing. Making way for a large steam shower with multiple heads and nixing the tub completely. A vanity and sinks for Chris and me. A window so we can have natural light.

Here's a few inspiration images (via) (check out more on my Bathroom Pinterest board!)

And what it looks like now:

2. Master Closet

Right now you get to our closet through our bathroom and I'm pretty sure it's going to stay that way or similar? All I know is our closet, even after the mini-organizing overhaul we gave it last year, is the worst. There's not a lot of storage systems, just a couple of bars. I have a vision in my head of what I'd like it to look like, but that requires a lot more space (ha!), so we're going to have to get creative to really maximize what we have. Having a functional closet will absolutely be a highlight of the year for me.

Here's where we're starting:

3. Master Bedroom

We've done our master bedroom, but we've never really done it, you know? Actually you probably don't. You probably have no idea that we never fully attached our baseboards or painted the trim because we were always waiting to shift things around with the bathroom reno. There are weird corners and an awkward entrance into the bathroom that is going to be addressed once and for all. And the broken Ikea shoe cabinet hanging out under our tv that holds socks?

We can do better! With all those major changes, I see our bedroom getting a few minor ones. Maybe a new paint color? Additional trim on the walls? Fresh, simplified art? I'm ready for new nightstands and lamps. Smaller things that will hopefully take our room from the almost-there state it has been in for 4 years to gold, solid gold.

4. Garage

This is one that we've been secretly working on behind the scenes. We have a two car garage and we have two cars and we have to somehow figure out how to store all of our tools, too. It's been a challenge, but we're making major headway and can't wait to share our progress. In addition to lots of storage solutions in a tight space, we've also recently added lighting, a heater and are also painting the walls and adding an epoxy to the floors come spring so it'll be a nice place to work.

5. Landscaping

We did a lot of landscaping outside last year, but this year, we'd love to landscape the other side of our yard in front of the fence this year. This is something we should have done years ago, as landscaping takes so much time to mature--but here we are, coming up on year 5 and we're finally like, "LET'S ADD SOME SHRUBS!"

6. The Cabin

I feel like the projects we want to do at our A-frame need so much more than one number, but making them all their own would be too much--so we have a separate post coming. We have dreams of installing new floors, tackling the kitchen, the loft, dining and living room, the downstairs bedrooms! Originally, we wanted to get the whole cabin completed this year, and while it's possible, it's not probable--nor do we really feel it's necessary. While we're anxious to one day have it on Airbnb, we're not going to kill ourselves trying to get it all done in a year. But we are excited to get started. I have a whole post coming for you including how we spent the holidays up there, a first video tour, some problems we've already run into and initial plans (including the floors we're eyeing!) really soon!

Even though we have other projects listed, this will truly be the year of the cabin around here. Hope you're just as excited as we are! 2018 is going to be jam-packed.