How I will achieve my home goals for 2025

At the beginning of each year, I make a list of home goals for that year. Since I started this a few years ago, I haven’t gone through the entire list once during the year. I always put way too much on the list because I knew it was impossible for me to get through it all.

But I like to use the list as a sort of general guide to keep myself somewhat focused. It’s more like a buffet where I know that I’m not eating everything from the buffet, but what I eat has to come from the buffet. At least that’s the general idea. There were a few years where I deviated quite a bit from that original list, but overall that’s how I see my home goals list.

The only thing I know for sure won’t happen this year is the demolition of the winter garden. At the beginning of the year it looked like this…

Our washer and dryer were still there. And while these have now been moved to their new, permanent home in the walk-in closet, the water heater remains. Even though I know where the new water heater will be installed (in the current guest bathroom that will soon be converted into a storage room), I am still completely undecided about what type of water heater I want to get. Until I make that decision and actually remove the water heater from the conservatory, the conservatory has to stay.

I also have a lot of stuff stored in this sunroom that needs to be moved out. So with less than three months left in the year, I think it’s pretty safe to say that demolition of the conservatory will have to wait until next year. This is disappointing, but at least I see a light at the end of the tunnel in this regard.

I got a lot done in my workshop at the beginning of the year. At the beginning of the year it looked like this…

And today it looks like this…

The four items left on the outdoor list are: (1) edging a planting bed around the building and adding mulch, (2) doing something to make the garage door look interesting, (3) building a pergola over the garage door, and (4) adding outdoor lighting. I know for a fact that I won’t finish the pergola this year or if I even want a pergola over the garage door. But now that the weather is getting cooler outside, I could easily take a day and do the other three things in one day, especially if I want or need a break from bedroom work. I already have the outdoor lights. You’ve been sitting in the studio for months now. I just need to find about an hour to get them up. Of course they won’t have electricity yet, but at least they would look pretty!

I had also put all the insider projects for my workshop on my list. Of course, these too will have to wait until next year. Once I finish the bedroom and then do a quick remodel of the studio bathroom and convert the current guest bathroom into a storage room, the workshop will be my next big project.

The biggest items on my list of the year were of course the different areas of our bedroom suite. I tackled my closet first and so far it’s the only area that’s 100% finished. I still can’t believe it looked like this at the beginning of the year…

And aside from installing the flooring I rented, I turned this room into this…

The only thing I didn’t end up doing on my original list was building cabinets or shelves above the washer and dryer. And so far it has worked quite well since there was no additional storage there.

The foyer has changed significantly compared to the beginning of the year. (Sorry, I don’t have a new picture since I painted the bedroom and added trim. I’ll work on getting new pictures this weekend.)

My original list for this area looked like this, but there were a few changes from the original plan:

1. Lay parquet flooringCompleted! See it here.
2. Sand the parquet floor,
3. Stain and seal parquet floorsSee it here.
4. Completing the French doors to the bedroom suite,
5. Install the trimCompleted!
6. Paint the wallsCompleted!
7. Color or the full-length mirror made of gold leaf I found a mirror to buy instead,
8. Build a padded storage bench I’m going to reupholster a bench I already have.
9. Create a new water hole to the attic This goes into the storage room,
10. Create a new running hole to the crawl space This goes into the storage room,
11. Make or buy artwork I’ll use what I have.

And then I need to add these items to this list:

12. Hang the grasscloth wallpaper
13. Wire wall lights flanking the full-length mirror,
14. Install the new ceiling light,
15. Patch the hole for the old ceiling light.

I think that’s it for the foyer.

And then there is the bedroom. It has also come a long way since the beginning of the year. Again, I will have new pictures by the end of this weekend when all the trim work is complete.

And this is what my original list for the bedroom looked like:

1. Lay parquet flooringCompleted! See it here.
2. Sand the parquet floorCompleted!
3. Stain and seal parquet floorsCompleted! See it here.
4. Seal the hole in the ceiling It remains, but I have to cut it out.
5. Paint the ceilingCompleted!
6. Repair and prime wallsCompleted!
7. Install Paneling (Almost done! I’m still working on the wood fill, sanding, and caulking.)
8. Install the trimCompleted!
9. Hang grasscloth wallpaper,
10. Install wall and ceiling coverings in the bedroom entranceCompleted! But my plan has changed from my original plan at the beginning of the year so there is no ceiling paneling.
11. Make an upholstered headboard,
12. Build a pretty bed frame to cover up the not-so-pretty frame of our adjustable bed.
13. Build two nightstands Instead, I bought nightstands.
14. sew velvet curtains,
15. create or find works of art,
16. Create a reading corner (This can also include reupholstering a chair), I bought a chair instead, which should be delivered in the next few weeks.
17. Finally add accessories.

And the only thing I left off that original list was:

18. Rework the dresser.

UPDATE: I forgot one last category on my home goal list for 2025! I also had a few home exterior projects on this list.

I think this is where I got a little too ambitious. My list included the following:

1. Renew (and finish!) the baseboard on the porch.
2. Reinstall the shutters that have fallen down.
3. Reinstall the fallen porch lights.
4. Delineate planting beds, add borders and mulch,
5. Add lighting to the driveway and walkway.
6. Build the steps to the side studio door.

Obviously I won’t be doing any of those big things like finishing the baseboard on the porch, marking the planting beds and adding mulch, putting lights on the driveway and walkway, or building the steps up to the studio door. They have to wait…again. But I’m hoping I can fix the fallen shutter and the fallen light strips on the porch. Additionally, I hope to be able to paint the new outside door in the bedroom and plant at least a few new plants in the ground in that area by the end of this month.