Almost a year ago, we shared a big list of our big goals for 2021. Little did we know what this year would have in store for us—an ongoing pandemic, my long-term Covid symptoms persisting all year, contractor delays, long order times…anyway, I thought it would be fun to check in on the goals we set for ourselves this year.
Did we get everything done? Not even close. But, sometimes setting goals can be more about progress than necessarily achieving everything.
Want an update of exactly where all our projects stand right now? Check out this big update post!
If you’re more interested in looking to the future, we’ll be sharing our goals for 2022 soon, so be sure check back to compare!
2021 Project To-Do List
1. Complete Primary Suite
Update: nope! Our bathroom is done, and even got some new storage shelves once they finally shipped. But we chose temporary solutions for our closet, like putting our dresser and a hanging rack in there, instead of fully completing that space. We’re still not sure when we’ll get that done. Our bedroom is getting new flooring and some new drywall this month, (which we hadn’t planned on) but it will probably be done by February!
2. Complete Basement Finish
Update: Yes! We have the basement completed, with the exception of some shelves that Dustin wants to build—so some things are still in boxes. As we work on the upstairs, the basement rooms are storing a lot of furniture and bar items, though, so I haven’t been able to get a good photo.
3. Paint Living & Dining Rooms (& Probably the Mudroom, Entry and Kitchen as well, once I get going!)
Update: nope! The living room addition threw all of our main floor plans for a loop, so I didn’t paint yet, but I will be getting my rollers out very soon to get everything painted after new floors go in.
4. Phase One Update in Powder Room
Update: Yes! We painted our powder room a beautiful deep green, swapped hardware, and have been enjoying it for months.
5. Phase One Update in Guest Bedroom
Update: Pretty close! At the beginning of the year, I didn’t know that we’d be replacing the carpet upstairs, which led to repainting the entire upstairs before carpeting arrived. That meant a much more complete update than a “Phase One.” We’ve nearly finished the guest bedroom and, while I might change it in the future, I no longer think of it as a temporary update but the final thing.
6. Repaint Guest Bathroom (the white is looking too yellow for me)
Update: no. I left well enough alone and let this semi-finished room stay how it was. I did plenty of painting around it though.
7. New Deck
Update: yes! Dustin got the deck done in September, later than we’d imagined thanks to product delays. Full reveal coming in the spring or summer, obviously it’s snowy now!
8. Pour Concrete for New Garage (whether or not we do the garage this year depends on budget, permits, timing, etc. but we will at least get the pad done)
Update: no, we’ll probably do this in the spring. We’re looking into our options for the garage, and there are a lot of local codes to consider as well. We have plans, but we’re now trying to find a contractor to work with. If you know a good contractor in the Twin Cities, let us know, please!
9. Landscaping for privacy & phase one gardening
Update: yes, we added trees for privacy and noise reduction along the front of our property, and Dustin built the first part of my garden: the cut flower garden. In the Spring we will build the vegetable garden and work on the front landscaping, which has mostly been destroyed by the deck and front addition projects.
10. Prep in the Fall for the 2022 vegetable garden
Update: no, we decided to build the vegetable garden in the Spring. That will cut my growing season short in 2022, so I’ll probably grow some greens in pots, but we’ll see. In the long term, I’ll have a big garden capable of growing whatever I want. It just might take an extra year.
11. Update the back steps & grill gazebo area (formerly known as the creepy shed)
Update: no. Scope creep once again took over and we are going to rework the back steps, adding a massive sliding glass door and removing our current back door. And, while the grill area did get used this year, we are still debating the best way to make use of it and the right cover/roof structure. We’ll see where this goes next year!
Cheers to a New Year!
So, there you have it—the way goals play out in a year where everything changes midway through. I hope this was a fun, interesting review, and not too bleak for you. If you want to look toward the future, I’ll be sharing our project list for 2022 soon! Almost everything is already in progress, so I feel pretty good about getting it done.
Thanks for being here this year and sticking with us through our inconsistent posting schedule—consistency is a big goal in 2022, too! Cheers!
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