House Projects

When we bought our house, we fell in love with the yard. The space, view, orchard, and deck was seriously my dream. I loved it. Dayton really wanted to move to Mapleton so we put in an offer and things went from there. I was hesitant at the time, but now I'm pretty sure Mapleton is the land of the milk and honey. 

The house was a Parade of Homes back in the day and was very well built (such a relief for Dayton, Mr. Engineer). Coming from our house in Logan, it was such a relief to buy a home that didn't have anything that HAD to be done. It needed a few updates, but it was nice to do it on our timetable and when we wanted to it. The previous owners took maculate care of the house and yard. We couldn't have asked for better sellers and were insanely generous to us. They had updated the bathrooms, but never did the kitchen. 

When Dayton and I put an offer in on the home, I said, "We can buy this home as long as you promise me that those blue countertops are the first thing to go, as in immediately." The kitchen was the only part of the house that really needed a face lift and hadn't been touched since 1989, when the home was built. Lucky for me, I have a VERY project oriented, let's get this done kind of husband. I always joke that I never have to write a husband "to do list" because he writes it himself.  In fact, sometimes I have to remind him to slow down and chill out. Dayton always has a project going on. 

We moved in and Dayton kept his promise. We wanted a rustic, farmhouse with a little French country type of style. We refinished the cabinets by staining the golden oak cabinets to a darker color and then glazing them and adding new hardware. Quite the project let me tell you, especially since it was in October and we were trying to get it done before it got too cold. We busted it out in about a week. 

I didn't ever take before pictures, but here  are a few shots of the cabinets after we put them back together. . . and don't you love that turqoise Formica countertops?  

We then wanted to put in backsplash and redo the countertops. We thought we would DYI concrete countertops. Dayton made a form and poured them and was etching them to be lighter, when it cracked all through the center. So devastated. After that, Dayton was not wanting to put in that much work again so he said, "Okay, go pick out your granite." We chose a white, gray, black, speckled piece. It turned out to be little darker than I was anticipating, but I love it and am happy with it.

The next project Dayton and I started on was the backsplash. Dayton and I both don't like doing what everyone else does. I love the white kitchens that are in, but didn't want to have something just like everyone else. Also, Dayton would NEVER in a million years paint the cabinets, so we opted for a darker look. (The joys of marrying a carpenter and his love for wood).

Dayton also added several more outlets. There was really only one or two. Definitely not enough.

We originally wanted to do a brick backsplash. We have a ton of extra brick from the outside of our house and thought that would be fun. We started cutting the brick in half and it took FOREVER and we were going through saw blades like there was no tomorrow. We scratched that plan- decided we could use the brick for the island or to redo our fireplace. 

We then went to Home Depot and chose out several different types of tile that looked like wood. The checkout lady said, "Wait, you guys are using all of these tiles together? For the same thing?" She thought we were crazy. Maybe we are, but we liked it. It was unique, and helped the tie in the countertop and cabinets. 

We finished that project in November/December. Doing all that and moving in October was a lot. After the holidays we took a little break (and saved some money) for other projects.

When it got a little warmer, Dayton started building the island. 

Hunter was a great little helper. Could he be more like Dayton? Sheesh.

Dayton built it and I painted it, usually how it goes with us. I love to paint and Dayton hates it so we make a good team. I painted it a light greenish color, using an oil based paint.

Dayton then made a wood countertop, which I LOVE. I had no idea I would love this island as much as I do. I knew when we bought it, I wanted one because it seemed like such a big, empty waste of space. I also liked the idea of having more space for pots, pans, serving dishes, ect. I use it way more than I thought I would. Just having that extra counter space for food prep has been so nice. Dayton was able to hook up outlets and put one on the side. I kind of demanded that part. But seriously, when entertaining and hosting, how perfect is it to be able to plug in a rice cooker, crockpot, or instant pot?  It is dreamy folks.

Dayton got the wood from a guy in our ward. It is the same wood that was used in the Payson temple. He had some left overs and so we bough it from him. It is beautiful wood. It was shipped from Africa. I love having a little history to it.

We then repainted the walls from a tan, to a light gray. We also repainted the hallways, front entrance, front room, and Hunter's room. When we moved in everything was tan, even the trim. We have really fun trim in some of our rooms that I wanted to show off so we repainted that as well. That was a big project to tackle this summer, especially being pregnant. 

I want to re-do the bar stools some how... still trying to convince Dayton to let me paint them to match the island. It's a work in progress. 😏We will get there. We also want to raise the ceiling and redo the lighting. I want to put wood beams across and hang lights over the island. That is going to be a big project. We haven't wanted to tackle that one yet. We have lots of big plans and projects for our house, but we are taking them little by little, one at a time (which can be hard for someone as impatient as me). We have really enjoyed working on the house together.

I turned into that crazy pregnant lady this summer and wanted certain projects done before Cooper came. Hunter's room was one of them. don't ask me why. I know it didn't matter and it had nothing to do with the baby, but I needed it done. Poor Dayton.

Dayton's parents gave us the bunkbeds- Dayton grew up on these. We bought new bedding and repainted. The room was all yellow-trim included. But I love how the trim pops now. So fun. 

I got all crafty- well tried to be and made all the decorations- Dayton cut a lot of wood for me! I also had Dayton build this bookcase out of pallets. I love how it turned out. I thought this dream catcher would be a fun activity for Hunter and I. I had no idea they were so complicated! The middle weaving was tricky and it turned out to be a Brooke only project.

I made the boys a tepee for their birthdays. I used a paint drop cloth because I can't sew to save my life. I bough the sticks from Home Depot, painted the stripes, and made a little sign. Easiest project and the boys LOVE it. I think Hunter slept in the for a month straight. They love to hangout in it and read books.

I also recovered the window cushions and pillows. Remember how I said I can't sew? Yeah... it was a challenge to do the cover seat but we made it through and it is still in one piece!

This week we started tackling a new project... our bedroom. I will be posting about that later. Getting excited for it!