Matt and I have been in our current house since late 2013, so roughly 12.5 years (if I did my math right, which is always questionable). In those years, this house has been part home, part project. If I were to plot that on a continuum, with the left extreme of that continuum being 100% project, and the right extreme of that continuum being 100% home, I’d say we started out on that extreme left end of the continuum. It was our house just because it was ours. We saved up for the downpayment, we signed the papers, we had the mortgage, we had the keys, and we moved in. But let’s face it. Nothing about this actually felt like “home” to us.
This was very clearly someone else’s home. And after it was no longer their home, it sat vacant for a few years. So while we held the keys and the mortgage, this was most definitely not “home” for us. I’m sure that anyone who buys a house, whether it’s new construction or an old fixer upper, feels the same way. It takes a while for a house to really start feeling like a home.
Those first few years were pretty slow going. As I’ve explained in a previous post, I really had a hard time finding my decorating footing in this house in those early years. (You can read more about that here.) But before I could even get to the decorating, I had to start with the basics, and I had to do so on a very limited budget. Every room was torn down to the studs. Every room needed new electrical wiring, new plumbing, new everything. The house needed a new HVAC system and so much more before I could even get to the fun decorating part.
The big projects that I did early on — the kitchen remodel and the hallway bathroom remodel — definitely helped us to move further right on that continuum. After those remodels, I started to feel like this house was about 15% home and 85% project. It wasn’t until around 2021, when I finally finished the living room and music room, and finally found my decorating style, that I moved past that 50% point on the continuum. And every room I’ve finished after that has helped push me further along to this house truly feeling like home.
Obviously, the thing that pushed me the closest to the right end of that continuum was finishing our bedroom suite. Once we finally had a proper master bedroom that I truly love, a large bathroom that is customized specifically to make life easier for Matt, and a proper place for the washer and dryer, which just happens to be in a walk-in closet of my dreams, it really clicked in my mind that this is our home. This house isn’t just a massive DIY project anymore. It really is our home. And it feels like home.
I’m still not quite at the extreme right end of that continuum. I won’t be there until all of the rooms are finished. I’m not talking about the small decorating changes that I might want to make along the way (some of which I pointed out in yesterday’s post). Making small decorating changes along the way is just a normal part of having a home. I’m talking about the big stuff. I’m talking about every room having a purpose, and everything having a place.
We’re not quite there yet, so right now, so right now I’m feeling like this house is about 90% home and 10% project. So yesterday evening, when I finally had a chance to sit at my desk with my computer, I decided to look over my 2026 Home Goals list again to get refocused on my goals. And as I read through those, I realized just how close I am to being done. So I decided to make another color-coded floor plan so that I could visually see just how far I’ve come, and just how far I still have to go.
And let me tell you, this was incredibly motivating! All of the finished areas of our house are in the pink. Just look how much pink there is now! You’ll notice that there are two rooms that are a little darker pink than the rest — the kitchen and the pantry. Those are two rooms that are technically “finished”, but I do have plans to make changes in those. Now that I’ve lived with them as they are for a while (over ten years for the kitchen, and not quite so long for the pantry), there are changes I want to make to make those areas work better for me. But I still put them in pink because, for right now, they look finished. And if I never get to make those changes I want to make, I can live with what I have and be perfectly happy.
But as far as the areas that need significant work to be finished, there are only three. ONLY THREE, Y’ALL!!! Look how close I am!
Of those three areas, the dining room (yes, I’m calling it the dining room now 😀 ) will be the easiest. As I’ve mentioned before, I poached so much from this room to use in other areas of the house, so it’s very bare right now. And it’s still set up as a sitting room with two recliners. I want this room to be converted back into a dining room. But there’s no construction or remodeling needed at all. It’s all just furniture and decor. It would be so easy to get that finished up!
The storage closet is a bit of a bigger project. As you know, it’s currently a bathroom, so everything needs to be taken out. Once that’s done, I have no idea if the drywall will need to be replaced or repaired. The flooring will need to be replaced or filled in, but the tile that’s in there right now isn’t available anymore, so I think all of the flooring will have to be replaced. And then I need storage. I’m still undecided about whether I’ll build from scratch or buy ready-made storage options. That’s one of the main reasons I’m stalled on that project. But I’m constantly thinking through options, so I should be ready to start on it pretty soon.
The biggest project left is the sunroom. It will be the most challenging because (1) it’s being used as a storage room right now, so getting it cleared out is going to be a massive undertaking, and (2) the sheer size of it will make it very challenging to get it looking usable on a very small budget. Since I haven’t given up on the dream of tearing this room down and building an addition in its place, I don’t want to spend much money at all on making this room usable for the near future. But the size of the room will make that very challenging. I’m up for the challenge, though, and I’m feeling very excited about tackling it.
But all that to say…I ONLY HAVE THREE MORE ROOMS!!! I got so excited when I saw that color-coded floor plan. Just three more rooms, y’all. Once those are done, every area inside our home will have a defined purpose and everything will be in its place. It will be a home that is fully functional for us. And at that point, even if I never see my dream of a kitchen remodel or a new addition on the back of our house realized, I will be perfectly content with what I have. And I will finally be at that “100% home” point on the continuum.
I’ll still have plenty to do, though. Don’t forget, I have an entire landscape plan that I still haven’t touched! 😀
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
