LauraGB Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Material things, only. I don't know what my deal is - possibly I'm having some sort of unidentifiable issue or maybe it's just "time", but last month I bought new living room and dining room furniture. This month I plan to change the counter tops in my kitchen, change the color scheme in my bedroom, maybe even paint one of my bathrooms. I'd like to rip out the ugly built-in hutch in my dining room, and that would entail new flooring in that room. I just need a massive change in my surroundings, and moving doesn't appear to be a reasonable option. Regardless of my own potentially questionable state of mind, what would you do in your own home to change it if you were going to completely change your home environment? Do you ever look around and feel like you need to completely alter an aspect of your surroundings? What is it and what would you do with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 We are changing everything so it is ready to put on the market. I want NEW. I do not want a house that needs ANYTHING done to it. DH has known from the minute we married that I want NEW so I really do not understand what we are doing here (and we have had new - three times in the past). NEW, NEW, NEW, and BIG! There, I've said it! I feel much better. Thank you for asking!:001_smile: ETA: First day of cymbalta and I think it is making me cranky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I'd really like to rip the whole thing down and start fresh, but I can't do that. Other than that, I'd like a family room, a two car garage and a 4th bedroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Well, lets put it this way...When we finally move, we're taking the kids' beds, our bed frame, and the kitchen set (it originally belonged to Wolf's bmom, or we'd probably not). Thats it as far as furniture goes. It all needs replacing :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 My dream house would be old. One large bedroom for three boys and the five toys I will allow them to keep! (I really don't like nerf ammo and legos!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 I'd really like to rip the whole thing down and start fresh, but I can't do that.. :lol: Me, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I'd love some new bedroom furniture. Not just for me, but for both of my girls, too. And both kids need new mattresses. The only other thing I'd change would be to add another bedroom. I work from home but only have two bedrooms, so my office is now in my bedroom, too. Sometimes I'd like to leave this room! Ironically, I'm getting new floors for the majority of my first floor next week and didn't even want them! My downstairs flooded a couple of weeks ago when a pipe burst while I wasn't home and my wood floors are shot. I've only had them for four years, though, and they were just starting to get that ambered look that they get when the age. I don't want new floors! Sigh. At least I have insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5KidzRUs Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I would have a mud room where the shoes and coats could be outa sight outa mind. The mud room must have a camp type shower too - like the YMCA has; low tile curb and shower curtain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Well, if relocate the whole shebang to a wooded lot is an acceptable answer, that's it. Otherwise I'd say extensive landscaping. I would like to add a screen porch / deck / firepit patio complex. I'd love to redo my kitchen to give more storage space. I'd like to finish the basement and add a full guest suite on the main level. But I'll probably just hang some new curtains in the living room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 A bigger, remodeled kitchen. We're actually looking at houses. We found the perfect house, but it has the same kitchen we have now, so we won't buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Well, if relocate the whole shebang to a wooded lot is an acceptable answer, that's it. Otherwise I'd say extensive landscaping. I would like to add a screen porch / deck / firepit patio complex. Me, too. That's another big thing I hate about my house. I want mature landscaping - with lots of trees. We've got a few, but I want trees that make things I can eat, particularly. And a patio - I don't even have a back door that looks out onto my back yard (it looks out onto the neighbor's side yard and the bedrooms are all on the back wall :glare:). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I would like to see my house completely de-cluttered. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 If I could do anything I wanted to this place, I would gut my kitchen and start fresh in there. I would put in a pantry that allowed you to see what is in it and I would get appliances that worked. Next I would put in all new flooring on all three levels and paint the whole place. Light fixtures and window treatments would also go from early 90's to something more up to date. New living room furniture is also in order. Sadly, not much of this is in the budget. I think this month will bring a new mattress and box spring and a couple of new curtain rods for the living room and dining room. And, if I can manage to find a day to get it done, the kitchen will finally get painted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I would completely re-do the dining room. The table in it is far too large for the room. There is a hutch that matches, but it is nearly empty and just a space waster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 We just moved to a 1920s bungalow that needed work*. My dh has been dazzling and renovated a majority of the house in the last 6 weeks. So I guess we just did the changing. The only thing I would change at this present time is having the hardwood floors redone. It's on the list and will get done soon. Oh and the rest of my stuff from 900 miles away would be nice, but we won't get that stuff until he does the floors. We've been married 18 years and I've seen his handiwork (he's a carpenter) in other homes, but this is the first one where he's done so much work before we moved in. This is the first place that has felt like home right when we moved in. *understatement (Since we started he has patched, textured, and painted all ceilings. Painted all the walls and trim and original doors, including skim coating the kitchen walls which were nasty. We had a furnace installed - the only thing he didn't do. Added the hot water heater, put in a bathroom sink, toilet, added the shower/tub faucet, new bathroom mirror and light fixture. Added kitchen cabinets, leaving one original pantry cabinet, new sink/faucet. Installed dishwasher, fridge and stove. Added light fixtures (we still need two). Added carpet in part of my son's new room- he gets a huge attic dormer. Repaired one garage door opener, added shelving in the garage. Fixed a few plumbing issues, removed all the original doorknobs and we spray painted them to a nice hammered metal finish. Added a new mailbox, hung mini-blinds and new curtain rods for all windows. Yup he's been busy) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraGB Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 *understatement (Since we started he has patched, textured, and painted all ceilings. Painted all the walls and trim and original doors, including skim coating the kitchen walls which were nasty. We had a furnace installed - the only thing he didn't do. Added the hot water heater, put in a bathroom sink, toilet, added the shower/tub faucet, new bathroom mirror and light fixture. Added kitchen cabinets, leaving one original pantry cabinet, new sink/faucet. Installed dishwasher, fridge and stove. Added light fixtures (we still need two). Added carpet in part of my son's new room- he gets a huge attic dormer. Repaired one garage door opener, added shelving in the garage. Fixed a few plumbing issues, removed all the original doorknobs and we spray painted them to a nice hammered metal finish. Added a new mailbox, hung mini-blinds and new curtain rods for all windows. Yup he's been busy) :thumbup1: Very Nice! Congrats on the new house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I would add 1000 sq ft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 If I owned our house (that'd be nice- its worth a lot, but we don't) I would plant lots of fruit trees and extend the vegie garden. We would install a salt water system for the pool and get a pool cover. In the house, most things are great, but I would probably paint some things and get new carpets, or rugs. I would also get evaporative air con instead of the refrigerated one we have now. I love having open windows and doors and the weather here is suited for it. As it is...the best thing I can do is unclutter, and keep uncluttering. Its a beautiful big old house with marble floors and bathrooms, lots of space on a big block. I am blessed, I love my bedroom and my office, and everyone has their own space. We were grateful to be told recently our lease would be extended..we love it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I'd enclosed the back patio and turn it in my office. Totally declutter the garage and turn it into my husband's man cave. Which would open up one bedroom for an actual guest bedroom so people can visit and stay over night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 A new shower for the master bath. We can't use it because it has a cracked pan. It's been on the "to be done" list for several years but something always comes up. (We do have another shower-so we're not the smelly family :)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I want to redo my kitchen and bathrooms. I want new cabinets and countertops. It's too expensive to do anytime soon. All the rest would sound like a gripe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 First order of business is to get rid of the appalling vinyl floor in the entry and kitchen. Floors, I should say, as they're two entirely different patterns abutting one another. I want, I think, either cork or bamboo (any guidance on that choice?). Next, I want to get rid of all the grass and put in raised beds surrounded by gravel. I loathe grass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 A fence so our tiny back yard can turn into a pretty big yard if it includes the side yard, and an extra 1/2 acre (on our city lot) so we can have goats that feed themselves. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Preferably move it out to the country somewhere, but barring that add a few more rooms. At the very least we need new furniture and lots of storage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in TX Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 All electronics out, except the laptop. (This will not happen as long as I live with my current dh and my current children, lol.) All xeriscaping outside, front and back. Native fruits and veggies. No cultivated lawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I would like to see my house completely de-cluttered. Cat :iagree:I dream of this. Although, in my dream a professional declutterer/designer comes over and does it all with me. or without. maybe without me would be better-I could go to a coffee shop and read and eat chocolate. Wow, I am dreaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 If you could change anything about your home environment, what would it be? the doghair. I would not have doghair. and baskets of unmatched socks. And more wine. Perhaps a very large picture of Seal over my mantle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Remove all plastic. Have more plants. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I full 2nd bath instead of a half bath. And the whole house would be clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secular_mom Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 We are renters, so i guess it's a little different for us but I would LOVE to not have ANY carpet in our home. I strongly detest carpet- I hate trying to keep it clean and it always looks worn/shaggy because it's almost never new, and when it is new when we move in somewhere it is CHEAP and looks worn and icky very quickly. I'd rather have linoleum throughout our home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 If you could change anything about your home environment, what would it be?and baskets of unmatched socks. I just changed that last week -- I threw away my stash of unmatched socks. I have a new collection started already, and as soon as I'm caught up on laundry, it is going in the trash, too. So far, doing this has not killed me. It has made me Stronger! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I would like furnishings that match and are complete sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 No more... baskets of unmatched socks. This is my idea of a vacation home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeTea Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I'll just pick the thing that's bugging me the most right now: I'd love to have a ceiling in the basement, instead of the dark floor beams, ductwork, pipes, and a million wires and cobwebs to look at when I'm down there. No ceiling in the near future, so for now I just try to stay on top of the cobwebs...blech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I'd really like to rip the whole thing down and start fresh, but I can't do that. :lol: Me, too! And me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 My house was built in the 1860's and what I want more than anything is closets! :banghead: Oh, and a basement with a ceiling higher than 5 feet. :banghead::banghead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Owl Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 It would be self-cleaning!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I would add a media room. I absolutely hate the TV being at the center of our lives, but we only have one living area, and it's in the center of the house, the TV is there. Dh is the primary TV watcher (though he is always willing to mute it if dd wants to play the piano, which is also in the same room. I would love to have another room for the TV, where I didn't have to hear it. I find it very distracting, even when I'm not watching, even when I'm in the next room (which is all open, really). I can't get anything done when it's on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I'd redo the bathroom. I'd take out that horrid iron tub and take out the worthless cabinet, have that space plumbed for washer/dryer hook ups. I'd take out the stupid medicine cabinet and just have a plain mirror. I'd also get rid of the mauve kitchen counters (gag-o-rific) and put in something else. I'd take out the peninsula in the kitchen and make the kitchen and living room one large room. I'd have floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinets put in. Then I'd paint the whole room robin's egg blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate CA Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Material things, only. I don't know what my deal is - possibly I'm having some sort of unidentifiable issue or maybe it's just "time", but last month I bought new living room and dining room furniture. This month I plan to change the counter tops in my kitchen, change the color scheme in my bedroom, maybe even paint one of my bathrooms. I'd like to rip out the ugly built-in hutch in my dining room, and that would entail new flooring in that room. I just need a massive change in my surroundings, and moving doesn't appear to be a reasonable option. Regardless of my own potentially questionable state of mind, what would you do in your own home to change it if you were going to completely change your home environment? Do you ever look around and feel like you need to completely alter an aspect of your surroundings? What is it and what would you do with it? I start with - what can I afford to change? Last year we changed the flooring in every room but the kitchens and bathroom. We also repainted and added moulding to the walls and new baseboards. That was HUGE. We then bought new furniture in the living room. That was quite a bit of change, but was an exhausting amount of work. We did most of the work ourselves and hired out only to have the flooring alone put in. I recommend you first look at your budget and then go from there. Paint does SO much to a room and is really quite inexpensive overall. I would also consider painting the hutch you dislike rather than rip it out. You might find a nice color that will really make it pop for you (depending, of course, on your color scheme). Think smaller changes too until you really have an idea of what you want the theme or the look of the individual rooms to look like. HTH! Change is fun, but wow, it is a lot of work and doesn't come cheap!! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 We are not handy AT ALL, but we managed to completely redo our learning room - new paint, ripped out ineffective ceiling lighting, put in laminate wood flooring, got a new door for the closet from Restore (Habitat for Humanity), installed TONS of shelving in the closet... I think we only spent about $800 total. Now we're on to the next room (music studio), but the rug is completely, thoroughly glued to the subfloor. IMPOSSIBLE TO PEEL UP! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I want my house to look like the magazine pictures - you know, like no one lives there! Currently we have a two story, but I really want a single story. I'd like lots of trees (we have none- new community) and a kitchen in the center of the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Jen Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I just would love our house to be done. We've been remoeling the "perfect" for us house since May. We're probably half way done. I would love for it to be done. I'm so sick of tools and sawdust everywhere. I know what It will look like at completion and I'm just impatient... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 The ceilings. They're that awful cottage cheese finish. I just hate them. It will be such a mess to have them scraped and refinished, though, that we've been putting it off forever. For now, I just don't look up. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I just changed that last week -- I threw away my stash of unmatched socks. I have a new collection started already, and as soon as I'm caught up on laundry, it is going in the trash, too. So far, doing this has not killed me. It has made me Stronger! :001_smile: I have been offering people cold, hard cash and it's still not done. I'll e following your trail, soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I want to rip out our kitchen and do it RIGHT. I don't know what the people were thinking who designed it. I was ok with it for a decade but it is NOT user friendly and almost impossible to entertain. Step one: we added on a beautiful addition to house our kitchen table and some beautiful rattan furniture. it is our school room/sunroom/dining room when the furniture finally arrives, hopefully next week. Upstairs I want to rip out ALL carpet and replace with hardwood in our room, laminate in the kids. I also want to rip out ALL tile in our bathroom and redo. I'm just NOT a tile person AT ALL. Once we do all of this, I can't see changing our house anymore. The downstairs is all hardwoods and I will never change the wall color as it's a post and beam house and in the main areas I want the walls to remain white. Oh, hold on. WHY did I pick out THOSE ceiling fans years ago? I *HATE* the gold on them. They MUST GO. :001_smile: I have absolutely no desire to move ever. Dh and I will stay here as long as we possibly can. After the above changes I can't see that we're going to want to do anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I really need an area that could handle the mess the guys make when they come in. They enter the house through the garage or through the schoolroom, and neither is ideal. We had a mudroom, but then we added on years ago, and now the mudroom is not the first entry way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Adding on isn't an option for us at this time (financially), so we will have to make do... BUT, this spring I will paint the kitchen, living room and halls... and we will buy new living room furniture. I keep telling the children that they will not sit on it... (son with adhd cannot stop jumping onto it, putting feet with shoes on onto it, flopping down hard on it... and he is 13!)... but, we'll see if that's becomes a hill for me to die on... Outside of that... I am currently working on clearing out as much stuff in the garage as possible. We will empty rafters and re-pack them. We will rent a large storage unit to go in one side of the back yard... a highly unattractive metal one with doors and locks... and dh's tools and "stuff" will go into it (this is great because the boys cannot seem to stop going into the garage and messing with dh's stuff and that really upsets him...)... THEN, we will frame in walls and make two more bedrooms!!!! Goal: by the end of summer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 Ok, in all seriousness (thought the sock part was serious) we live in an old, old house. And it's perfect. These old timers knew the practicality of building rooms that people need. I have an enclosed breezeway from the garages to the pantry/mudroom. There is no open floor plan, so everyone can have some privacy and quiet to do their own activities. There are windows *everywhere*. There is not a wall without windows. I think there are 24 in all. A *itch to clean, yes, but the cross breezes are so amazing that I don't need AC. The doors are thick and there are doors on each room (and some of them are very wide). Want to warm up one area? Close the doors from the pantry, the livingroom, the kitchen. So I guess what I'm saying is that if you are looking for a solution, look to how things were done before you change things up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBG580 Posted January 7, 2011 Share Posted January 7, 2011 I have big landscaping plans for both hardscape and plants and trees that total over 20k to do it all. Not going to happen this year. We are such outside people that I really do feel like our yard is part of our living space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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