Welcome to 2020! I hope you had an enjoyable holiday break with lots of downtime. We had a good mix of fun, relaxation,  and work around the house (which is actually our version of fun!). I also got a lot accomplished for baby Finn (baby shower prep, working on my registry, signing up for classes, etc.), so I’m feeling good diving into 2020.

Every year, I like to create a home goals list to prioritize the projects I want to accomplish that year. Just like any task, if you don’t make a plan, it’s unlikely to get done. Even if you don’t have a blog, I recommend this practice because it gives you clarity on where to focus your attention for the year. Plus, it always excites me and provides lots of motivation to start the year fresh! I enjoy looking at the 12 months ahead and setting my sights on what I really want to accomplish.

Even though we finished a hell of a lot at our Finn Fixer Upper in 2019 (you can see all of those projects in this post), there is still plenty to do around here. And with baby girl Finn arriving in early May…we have a big fat deadline to get some of these rooms done! The pressure is on, people!

Here’s my big 2020 home goals master list. Then, let’s break it down by room and dive into more details.

2020 Home Goals – The Master List

• Install Stair Runner
• DIY Built-Ins in the Office for Storage
• Furnish the Office, Add Lighting, & Window Treatments
• Install Shelves & Organizers in Office Closet
• Organize Office from Top to Bottom!
• Organize File Cabinet & All Paperwork
• Add Window Bench & Built-Ins to Nursery
• Wallpaper Nursery Closet
• Install Shelves & Organizers in Nursery Closet
• Furnish the Nursery, Add Lighting, & Window Treatments
• Organize & Prep Nursery for Baby Finn
• Add Landscaping to Exterior & Backyard
• Build New Front Window Box
• Purge & Organize Storage/Basement (before lots of baby stuff arrives…)
• Add Storage Units to Garage
• Start Planning Full Kitchen Remodel????

Oh boy, just typing that all out makes me nervous. That’s a big list of 2020 home goals, but we are certainly motivated to get a good chunk of this list done.

Adding a Stair Runner

This is our first 2020 DIY project and it is much-needed! While we love the staircase transformation we completed in 2019, we want to make these stairs as safe as possible. Finn actually fell down the stairs a few weeks ago (don’t worry, he is fine! Just a bruise on his butt!) and that prompted us to move this project to the top of our list. From what I’ve read, it’s a one-day project so I should have the reveal ready for you in a couple of weeks!

Our Home Office

Right now, the office is in a very sad state. It’s a big room that is pretty much empty. We updated the space during our renovation, but haven’t touched it since. I have a small desk, chair, and file cabinet and that is it! I find that I don’t work in here all that often (unless Finn is cooking in the kitchen and there is no room for me at the island) because it’s just so sad and cold. I can’t even take conference calls in here because it’s so echoey! Ha!

The office will be the first project we tackle in 2020 (more on the gameplan coming this month). We’re planning to DIY large built-ins in here for tons of storage, add lighting, furniture, an entire closet system, a DIY dry erase board, and more. I figure I need a good place to get work done once the baby arrives and our current setup isn’t cutting it. This room is right next door to her nursery, so I’m hoping to make this a highly functional and cozy spot to work in while she is napping away. Our goal is to get the office done over the next two months.

Baby Girl’s Nursery

The nursery is definitely a priority because we really want it to be 100% completed before baby Finn’s arrival. My due date is May 4th, 2020 but I’m hoping to get this room done by early April so we’re not rushed and I have lots of nesting time. I’m also having my baby shower in early March, and I would love to have the closet in the nursery installed so I can start putting items away.

I’ll be diving into more details in February, but we’re hiring out built-ins for the window wall. They’ll have cabinets for storage, shelves for decorative items, and then a window bench seat. I can’t even imagine how precious it’s going to be! As for the rest of the space, Finn and I are planning to DIY wainscoting around the room, add wallpaper to the closet, install a closet system, add lighting, furniture, and more. It’s a lot, but it’s also a room I’ve dreamed of working on forever and I am going to try to savor every moment of it.

The Exterior & Garage

We actually accomplished quite a bit when it came to our Finn Fixer Upper’s garage and exterior. Here are some of the items we tackled last summer before we moved in…

• Stained the Deck
• Added a New Grill & Furniture
• Power Washed Everything
• Added Garage Floor Tile
• Purchased A New White Vinyl Fence
• Painted the Front Door
• Installed New Garage & Front Door Hardware

In terms of the landscaping, we didn’t do a thing (except mow the lawn and maintain it). We don’t have any trees or bushes in our backyard and the front of our house leaves much to be desired. While I probably won’t be tackling the landscaping myself, I would love to consult with a landscape designer to make a gameplan for the exterior of our entire home. I also want to build a new front window box. I’ve had so much fun planting in the one that is there, but it’s starting to rot and the paint is peeling. It would be a fun woodworking project to build a new one!

We still love our garage floor tiles (they are the best…seriously recommend this project!), but we haven’t done much else in the garage. We need to invest in some storage solutions in there and maybe even a workbench for projects. This is high on Finn’s list for next summer.

The Basement & Storage Areas

I haven’t shown the basement very much and that’s because not a lot is happening down there. We only use the basement to workout and we have our weights and rowing machine down there. I also had Finn put our patio furniture down there so we have a place to sit (it surprisingly makes it cozy and is a good spot to store everything for the winter!).

Finn is “Mr. Organization” and does an amazing job keeping our storage unit looking good and organized. However, with the influx of baby stuff coming our way (ahhh, I’m not ready for all of the bulky items!), we need to do some more purging and organizing. When we moved in back in September, we just put things away and didn’t really go through everything. We want to really purge and make sure everything we’re holding onto is worthwhile (not just in the basement, but all around the house).

Kitchen…Maybe??

My 2020 home goals are jampacked at the beginning of the year and then taper off as 2020 goes on. It’s just hard for me to gauge the big projects we’ll be able to fit in with a new baby around and I don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves with a newborn. But, I would LOOOOVE to get started on our kitchen next fall. It’s going to be a monster project and we want to hire out some of it and DIY some of it. Our plan is to gut it and completely rework the entire space with a new footprint. I like the idea of getting the kitchen completed before we have a toddler who is walking around, but we shall see what happens!

2020 Bring it On!

It’s going to be an amazing year ahead and I can’t wait to dive into all of these projects. I’ll be sure to touch base in December, 2020 to see if I was able to accomplish everything on my 2020 home goals list.

Now, I would love to know what’s on your 2020 home goals list! Let me know in the comments below and let’s all encourage one another to make our home dreams a reality.

Casey