Kitchen Sink, Lifestyle

Chelsea Shares Her Home Story

chelseahome

What home improvement projects have you done on your home?

Our home was pretty much move-in ready when we bought it. We did that on purpose because my husband and I were working full-time and he was in graduate school full-time. We just didn’t have the time to put into a fixer upper. However, the first spring we lived in our home my in-laws came up and helped us drywall our garage. The walls have been primed, but we still need to get around to painting. Before moving into the house, I painted four rooms– kitchen, my home office, master bathroom, and guest bathroom. We’ve done some smaller projects like installing new toilets, adding plywood in our attic for extra storage space, and building a fire pit and raised garden bed in our backyard. We’ve also spruced up the outdoor landscaping over the years by adding flowering plants and trees.

one story house 1 smaller

If money were no issue, what improvements would you make on your home?

I’d get new flooring and carpeting throughout the house. The carpet and padding the previous owners installed was pretty low grade. I’d also like to add a built-in shelving unit to this awkward space we have next to the garden tub in our master bathroom. We’re actually going to start working on our low budget kitchen makeover soon. But if money were no issue I’d get new, taller kitchen cabinets, new countertops, and stainless steel appliances.

bathroom makeover

Do you consider your home’s value when deciding on what projects to tackle?

Yes and no. You’ll never see me put granite countertops in our current home (unless they’re free) because our neighborhood isn’t a granite countertop kind of neighborhood. So we wouldn’t really see a big return on that investment. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to have granite countertops one day… in a different house. I think you have to be practical about what projects you tackle. If you’re willing to make a major upgrade in your home and risk not getting a return on your investment more power to you. If that’s something you can handle financially, then go for it. We make decisions based on what will work best for our personal style and budget.

sherwin williams mint condition

What home projects do you have planned for 2013?

I wanted to get my home office complete, and I finished it last month. Woot! Our kitchen makeover is next up on our list. I want to paint the cabinets, add a bookcase to our island, add a backsplash, and possibly paint the countertops. I have some smaller projects on my to-do list: redoing a 7 piece dining set, revamping our bedroom, painting our front door and shutters, and some more random things I’d like to accomplish.

home office makeover 3

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