Before & Afters Home Improvement

2013 Home Improvement Goals Revisited

27 December, 2013
home goals revisited

Hey hey!  How is everyone doing???  I truly hope that everyone had a fantastic Christmas filled with God’s love!  2013 is wrapping up and I always like to share some posts about how the year went…starting off with our home improvement projects.  Everyone loves a good before and after right?

At the beginning of this year (that has truly flown by) I shared a list of our home improvement goals.  The list was a bit long and lofty, but I am happy to say that we acheived HALF of the goals and then some!  Hooray!  Admittedly, the little munchkin that will be arriving soon truly lit a fire under our…errr…feet.

home goals revisited

If you are suuuuper bored then feel free to take a closer look at our goals here.

In summary, they are as follows:

list

 

I know…I should have just said demolish and redo entire house.  Haha!

As you may have guessed, the checkmarks indicate projects completed…sort of.  Technically, numbers 2, 3, and 12 didn’t really get completed.  Instead, those projects ended up turning into something else.

I changed my mind about the #2 project.  Once we moved the (too small for space) bookshelves that surrounded the sunroom entry, I decided that I really liked how much more open it felt…not as crowded as before.  I decided to hang a gallery of frames instead.

SONY DSC

Pic from last December.

#3 didn’t really get completed either.  Instead of building a built in entertainment center, we opted for a less expensive and less laborious route by buying a new media console.  We found a super cute one at Homegoods.  (Love that place!)  You can barely see the tiny old one in the above pic, but it looks way better now.

gallery

New frames. No bookshelves.

entertainment center

More appropriate sized media console.

Finally, #12: Turn our grass green, we didn’t even have to worry about!  We got so much rain this year that our grass…well…weeds…stayed green all summer long!

Moving right along to our “for real” completed projects.

#1 the sunroom.  Halleluajah we finished the sunroom!!  This project was most definitely a labor of love and it was completed almost entirely all by myself.  You can read more about this project here…or you can click the “after” picture below.

sunroombeforechristmas

Sunroom before.

 

sunroom

Sunroom after.

The kitchen reno, #8 on the list, was the main project that we wanted to get finished before our baby arrives.  It wasn’t a DIY, but we did manage to save some money by having our brother-in-law complete it AND we traded our old boat for his labor.  See full reno here…or click “after” pic below.

kitchen before

Kitchen before.

Kitchen after.

Kitchen after.

Not only did we redo the kitchen, but we also managed to put a big hole in the wall.  Totally changed up the space…for the better!

Before and after

Shared on Instagram @luchandler.

This leads us to the breakfast area,  #9 on our list.  I haven’t shared the details of this project, but you may have seen the finished product in a few Christmas pics.  We basically got rid of the old hutch and added cabinets and some open shelving.  This area has become our coffee station.

 

Breakfast area before.

Breakfast area before.

Breakfast area after.

Breakfast area after.

How much fun are those shelves going to be to decorate throughout the seasons?

Moving right along to #10…the office/craft room.  This space was so fun to finish and included a ton of DIY projects.  You can read more of the details here…or…you guessed it…click on the after pic below!

Craft room before...yes...this pic is for real!

Craft room before…yes…this pic is for real!

Craft room after.

Craft room after.

Hate to say this…but the craft room kind of looks more like the before pic right now with all of my Christmas stuff strewn all over the place!

That pretty much completes all of our “goal” projects…butttttt…there is more!

I will soon be sharing our mini guest bath reno.  It’s been complete for months…but someone had to become obsessed with blogging about Christmas.   Hmmm…

I also managed to build a few garden beds and guess what?  Some veggies actually survived…and…we even ate them!

Retainer block steps

We (I really hope you guys realize that every…single…time that I say “we” it really means “I”) also repainted the dining room.

Dining room before painted in Cinnamon.

Dining room before painted in Cinnamon.

Dining room after painted Liveable Green by SW.

Dining room after painted Liveable Green by SW.

I do believe that ends this years addition of the 2013 Home Improvements at the Chandlers!

I haven’t made a 2014 list of goals yet.  Those may or may not be coming soon.  It really is nice to make the goals and then see what was actually achieved.  Home improvement projects really are neverending aren’t they?

I was really excited about finishing up the nursery after the holidays, but sadly, that will be put on hold due to a major leak that we had last weekend.  Booooo!  Oh well…thanking my lucky stars that we have home owners insurance and so thankful to still have a roof over our heads.

Do you make a wishlist of goals and to-dos or do you just go with the flow and get done what  you get done?

Thanks so much for visiting!!

signew

 

 

I often share with these amazing peeps…

SUNDAY
DIY Project Parade @DIY Showoff
Overflowing With Creativity @It’s Overflowing
Think Pink Sunday @Flamingo Toes
Nifty Thrifty Sunday @Nifty Thrifty Things
MONDAY
Funday Monday @ Still Being Molly
Give Me the Goods @ Better With Age
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple Crafts
Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Tutorial and Tips @ Home Stories A to Z
Make The Scene Monday @ Alderberry Hill
The Scoop @ Confessions of a Plate Addict
Project Inspired @ Yesterday on Tuesday
TUESDAY
Tuesdays Treasures @ Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House
From Dream to Reality @ The DIY Dreamer
WEDNESDAY
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
A Little Birdie Told Me Link Party @ The Life of Jennifer Dawn
Down Home Bloghop @ Tilly’s Nest
Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts
Whimsy Wednesday
Fall into fall Wednesday @ DIY by Design
Work It Wednesday @ Place of My Taste
THURSDAY
The 36th Avenue Party Time @ 36th Avenue
Inspiration Gallery @ Craftberry Bush
Inspire Me Please @  Liz Marie Blog 
Grace at Home @ Imparting Grace
FRIDAY
Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now Blog
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Fabulously Creative Friday @ Jennifer Rizzo
Feathered Nest Friday @ The French Country Cottage
Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Fertilizer Friday @ Tootsie Time
Link Party Palooza @ Lil’ Luna
SATURDAY
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different Act

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14 Comments

  • Reply Lisa at Texas Decor 27 December, 2013 at 11:52 am

    Wow! Y’all achieved a lot this year! I’m new to your blog, so I plan on going back through some of these older posts to check them out. I love how you opened up the kitchen with the big hole in the wall. :) Also, that sunroom is gorgeous! I love the new tufted coffee table in there. Such a pretty house!

    • Reply Luisa 1 January, 2014 at 8:20 am

      Thank you so very much Lisa! Feels so good to look back and actually see progress…especially when there is still so much to do! Happy New Year to you!

  • Reply Jesse 28 December, 2013 at 4:23 pm

    Love it! Such a wonderful year of accomplishments!!!

    • Reply Luisa 1 January, 2014 at 8:21 am

      Woop woop!

  • Reply melissa@joyineveryseason 28 December, 2013 at 5:51 pm

    fantastic!! gorgeous sunroom, beautiful kitchen, love the hole in the wall, the coffee bar and the “Be Merry and Stay That Way” sign! Way to go “we”!!
    melissa@joyineveryseason recently posted…A Year’s WorthMy Profile

    • Reply Luisa 1 January, 2014 at 8:21 am

      Haha! Thanks Melissa! “We” appreciate you visiting :-)

  • Reply christy 29 December, 2013 at 9:50 am

    Your craft room redo is how I first found your blog! So glad I did! Looks like you accomplished way more from your list than I did from mine lol! You’ll have the perfect excuse not to get too much done this year very soon :)
    christy recently posted…Get Your DIY on: Stars {& Features + an Announcement!}My Profile

    • Reply Luisa 1 January, 2014 at 8:23 am

      Oh my goodness…I know that’s the truth Christy!

  • Reply pam 30 December, 2013 at 5:35 am

    Wow, Luisa, you did great! That is a LOT to do, particularly on your own and extra particularly when expecting! Kudos to you. Everything looks lovely. Funny how babies will inspire you, hunh? Good thing you did it now, too, because once that little bundle arrives you won’t want to put him or her down, lol.

    I smiled at your Christmasy kitchen coffee station. :) I love Christmas decorations, but I’m just amazed you have so many for being so young! 😮 It looks like you’ve been collecting for years. And I’m so impressed you built the garden beds. I plan to do that this year. 😉 Everything looks great. The drapes made such a difference in warming up the look of the sunroom, didn’t they? And I love the frames around the doorway. It all looks so pretty and welcoming. Oops, look at the hour! Stuff to do.

    Wishing you a Happy, Happy, Happy New Year! See you in 2014.

    • Reply Luisa 1 January, 2014 at 8:27 am

      Thank you Pam! Just a few steps closer to making our house more of a home! Good luch with your garden beds! I never knew how difficult it was to grow your own food…lesson learned! Especially during the hot GA summers!
      Hope you are having a happy new year!
      P.S, I am 32 and consider that plenty to time to have a nice collection of Christmas stuff!!! 😉

  • Reply marie 30 December, 2013 at 12:13 pm

    Love the kitchen wall color, such a pretty home.

    Marie @ In Our Happy Place
    marie recently posted…black eyed peas on new year’s (sorta)My Profile

    • Reply Luisa 1 January, 2014 at 8:27 am

      Thanks so much Marie!

  • Reply Stacey 30 December, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    So many great posts! You’ve been a busy girl. Thanks for all the inspiration.

    • Reply Luisa 1 January, 2014 at 8:28 am

      Thank you Stacey!

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