Tuesday, March 6, 2012

top 10 :: things i would do to our house if it weren't a rental

Don't mishear me... I LOVE our rental. I love our neighborhood, our 100 year old house, and our landlord... but the fact still remains that it.is.a.rental. And the changes we are able/allowed to make are limited. If I had a dollar for every time I've said, "You know what I would do if we owned this house??" I'd have like $34 dollars or something.

So... today's Top 1o list is titled, "top-ten-things-I-would-do-if-we-owned-our-house... and-had-an-extremely-large-home-renovation-budget."

1) Paint our kitchen cabinets.
We have oak cabinets. They are nice... and new. But they would look so.much.better in a creamy white or distressed black... don't you think?


2) Refinish our hardwood floors.
I love our floors. It was probably one of biggest selling points for us... original hardwood flooring... sigh... yes, please. They are just a tad beat up... could use a little love and care... and a LOT of sanding.


3) Move the washer and dryer hook-ups next to one another.
The washer is in one corner of our laundry room/closet area and the dryer is in the other corner... I want them to be friends... close to one another... side by side.


4) Paint the walls.
Well, actually... I would prefer if someone else would paint the walls for me.


5) Build a back deck/porch.
We currently have about a 2 foot drop from our back door to the ground... it will sneak up on you if you're not careful. I'd love to have a deck to step out on... maybe with a cute table and chairs?


6) Install shelving in the master closet/laundry room.
Lance has already made me some awesome closet space in this laundry room area that is off of our master bedroom... now I just need a few shelves for purses and folded clothes.


7) Add a second bathroom upstairs.
We have one bathroom... one very small bathroom. It works for me and Lance... but when we have guests I sure do miss that second bathroom.


8) Replace the weird accordion closet door thingies.
There are 2 of these in our house. They.are.hideous. I have already tried hiding them behind curtain panels... but a real door would be oh-so-nice. And how cool would a sliding barn door be for the one in our master bedroom??


9) Make the fireplace useable.
We have a mock fireplace. It literally mocks us in the winter. What I wouldn't give to have a nice toasty roaring fire in there.


10) Install new siding on the outside of the house... that's not mint green.
Mint green people... do I really need to say more??

So, there you have it... the top-ten-things-I-would-do-if-we-owned-our-house... and-had-an-extremely-large-home-renovation-budget.

Linking this up to Many Little Blessings.

9 comments:

Angie @ Many Little Blessings said...

These are all definitely the nice part about owning a home. But, then there are the trade offs as well. In February, we spent over $2000 having to buy a new hot water heater and a new water softening system because they both started leaking. Augh!

I have been thinking that we should paint our cabinets too. But, I kind of would just rather move some day. LOL ;)

Michelle said...

We have a few of those accordion doors, too. They ARE hideous. And like you, we rent, and are "locked in" to keeping them. Oh what I wouldn't give for NORMAL doors!! (who ever originally thought of those was CR-A-ZY.)

hillary c. said...

And I would give anything to have your rental house at all. Just saying.

Lani Derrick said...

What a precious house!!!! Lots of landlords will let you make improvements and then deduct the expenses from your rent that month. Never hurts to ask. I have always liked old house, but have never had one.

Kelly said...

word to ya mutha...I agree whole heartedly...wait...with MY house...not your house...I think your house is super cute....my house needs a second bathroom and bigger closets and and and ...wait I should totally a post like this....thanks for the idea!

mleslie43 said...

Julia do you remember in Grandma's old house she had the sliding doors to the utility room and one in the bathroom separating the bath from the toilet... at least they were NOT accordion. Yeah, who knows maybe your Landlord would totally love some of those changes??

Jessamie {Bird and Branch Redesign} said...

But, Julia, mint is so in right now! Embrace it, baby! Ha ha, but really, your house is adorable!

Unknown said...

What a pain it must be not to have your washer and dryer be friends.
I love your house though, especially those floors. Sigh....

matthewsstar said...

Some house have some remembrances of some one and it decorated as good, by which person can attract from that house.

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