How do you prioritize house projects?

[sicilygirl]

I'm a new poster to H&G but wanted to see if I could get some thoughts from y'all on how you prioritize house projects.

H and I built our first house about 10 years ago then sold it and moved across country in 2018. We bought a new house earlier this year. Since our first house was custom built by us, there really weren't any projects. Everything was exactly the way we wanted it from the start. Our current house was built in 1926 and is in great structural condition. The inside has been mostly remodeled within the past 10 years, and while all of the renovations are actually really nice, they don't go together or with the style of the house. There's nothing that needs to be done - it's all just preferences in finishes really.

The house is a Spanish revival, and the kitchen, for example, has a glass tile backsplash, modern hood over the stove, and plain 12x24 light gray tiled floor. It just doesn't do anything for the house. Changing those things in the kitchen, along with adding tile to the stair risers and redoing the fireplace are all on the list. We want to redo both bathrooms as well. We wouldn't be changing the footprint of one but might want to slightly alter it in the other. We basically want to bring the house back to its former glory as much as we can!

Since nothing needs to be done, it makes it hard to know where to start. I also feel wasteful replacing things that aren't broken/in poor condition. Any advice?

[sicilygirl]

Bonus couple of pics from the listing:

[sandandsea]

I love your house! I think for us the priority has been things that need changed first like carpet in bathrooms, electrical issues, inspection notifications, general maintenance and upkeep, etc. Then it’s a balance between desire and budget. Do I want something small done that is easier to tackle and less expensive or do I really want to tackle the bigger project?

[winecat]

What's your budget? Do you want to DIY or hire it? I saw this and thought it might be helpful: www.oldhouseonline.com/house-tours/1929-spanish-colonial

Is there a historic homes org in your city? If not, the library might have resources. Depending on the home, they might have old pics so you can see what was done in your area for this style of home.

[sicilygirl]

Jan 12, 2021 18:52:07 GMT -5 winecat said:

What's your budget? Do you want to DIY or hire it? I saw this and thought it might be helpful: www.oldhouseonline.com/house-tours/1929-spanish-colonial

Is there a historic homes org in your city? If not, the library might have resources. Depending on the home, they might have old pics so you can see what was done in your area for this style of home.

I haven't worked out a budget of any kind yet, but I'm basically willing to wait until I can save up for each project to tackle it.  We don't plan to DIY anything (well, none of the things I've mentioned... we've done smaller DIY projects already and have some others planned).  I live in San Diego, and being from central Texas, really have no idea how much labor will cost for these things.  I think that's what makes it tough... I know it's not all going to happen soon and patience is not exactly my strong suit, lol.

Thanks for that link!  I love all those images.  Several of those elements are ones we want to add.  More terracotta-style flooring and the patterned tile especially.  Our house does still have some really nice original features (some windows, coved ceilings, wood floors, arches, niches, etc.) and thankfully the floor plan is pretty true to the original. 

As soon as we bought the house, I visited the historical society and found a photo of the house from the late 20s/early 30s, which was really cool!  I also found a list of all prior residents, but couldn't find any other info about the house itself sadly.

[nicolewi]

Oh, wow, I actually think the kitchen is gorgeous! I think they tried to have a nod to the house style in the tile and the light fixtures. For the cost of a kitchen reno, no way would I touch that right now, personally. It looks like it was done recently.

I'd live in it for a few months first without doing ANYTHING. You may find things you thought bothered you, turn out to be things you like, or vice-versa. I think just living with it and feeling it out will help you find your priorities.

[sicilygirl]

Jan 12, 2021 19:29:21 GMT -5 nicolewi said:

Oh, wow, I actually think the kitchen is gorgeous! I think they tried to have a nod to the house style in the tile and the light fixtures. For the cost of a kitchen reno, no way would I touch that right now, personally. It looks like it was done recently.

I'd live in it for a few months first without doing ANYTHING. You may find things you thought bothered you, turn out to be things you like, or vice-versa. I think just living with it and feeling it out will help you find your priorities.

I agree that the kitchen is really nice!  I think it's pretty on its own accord, but it just really doesn't look like it belongs in this house.  And the kitchen and that bathroom adjoin.  The design style is just super disjointed.  Nothing goes together... that's a big part of what bothers me.  The good thing about the kitchen and that downstairs bath is that I don't want to change anything major, basically just tile.  The layout, appliances, cabinets, and counters are all totally fine.  We already replaced the lights and mirror in the bath, and I want a new vanity in there but that's more of a functional thing.

We've lived here for 9 months so far and have changed some light fixtures (bath and living room) and painted, but that's about it.  Our priorities have already changed some, so I hear you on that!

[winecat]

I think retiling is pretty expensive. Tile removal is a lot of work, plus removal is heavy AF.

[ssmjlm]

Wow, I don't think I would change the kitchen at all. Decor could go a long way to give it more of the style you prefer.

I would do the bathroom first. The dark tile and small shower would be first before anything else. Oh and a real sink. I hate those sinks, how does one wash their face anyway?

[puzzleguy]

It's a pretty nice house. I wouldn't change anything (btw I am an architect).

[sicilygirl]

Jan 13, 2021 10:51:15 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Wow, I don't think I would change the kitchen at all. Decor could go a long way to give it more of the style you prefer.

I would do the bathroom first. The dark tile and small shower would be first before anything else. Oh and a real sink. I hate those sinks, how does one wash their face anyway?

Want to help me with ideas for kitchen decor? This is what the space looks like right now. The bar stools are from our apartment and went perfectly with that decor. I think I want to DIY an update for them since they were relatively expensive (West Elm) and are super comfy but don’t really go anymore. They’re blue velvet and brass right now.






And the back entry that is connected:




As far as the bath goes, I also hate the sink! The shower is actually really big though. It goes pretty far back and has all these crazy showerheads. It’s the downstairs bath that is really only used as a powder room. I think that’s part of my struggle. It’s easily my least favorite aesthetically but it also doesn’t get used a lot so I don’t know if it’s where my money is best spent?

Here’s a pic of it now, after we made a few small changes last summer.





Sorry for the pic overload!

[sicilygirl]

Jan 13, 2021 10:57:48 GMT -5 puzzleguy said:

It's a pretty nice house. I wouldn't change anything (btw I am an architect).

Thanks! The architecture was a big draw! We only looked at Spanish revivals from this era in our house hunt.

[Cappy]

Your house is a DREAM and I wouldn't change anything. I can see getting a different set of chairs that are more in the style of the kitchen but even then...beautiful.

[wildrice]

Not the answer you are looking for, but I think with everything being functional and updated like that, I wouldn't change anything. If there are things you really hate, I'd prioritize based on those. I agree that sink looks nice but isn't very functional - I had something similar in my last apartment and I hated it. But if it's not a room people actually shower and get ready in, I might not want to spend the money (I think it's fine for hand washing).

Personally we are prioritizing our house updates based on what is not functional - like we need new windows, so even though those are not fun we'll probably get them relatively soon. We also need new closet doors since ours are either missing in some rooms, or hard to move. Once those are done, I think we'll replace flooring (which is functional but looks terrible) and our fence, which is still standing but is old and shabby. After that, IDK. So, if there are things you are finding are driving you nuts from a usability standpoint, I'd start with those.

[nicolewi]

I still love the kitchen. I think the way you have it looks great. The peach in the artwork might be a nice accent color to warm it up a bit if you wanted to do that.

The bathroom--I think Iw ould do a new sink/larger vanity and leave the shower for now. While it's not my favorite, either, it would cost a fortune to re-do all the tile. And some wall art.

[sicilygirl]

Cappy wildrice nicolewi

Ha! Fair enough! We bought the house with the intention of bringing it more back in line with traditional elements of a Spanish revival, many of which were removed during the previous owners' renovations. We were happy to a have an updated starting point so that we didn't feel like we had to do anything specific right away, but that the options were there for us when we'd saved up and decided on how to proceed. And now we're ready to start thinking about which things we want to do and in what order.

I appreciate the feedback from everyone!

[k3am]

Are you suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure this post isn't just a subtle brag about how beautiful your new home is? Because it really is gorgeous as is.

I would leave the kitchen as is - forever for me, but for you - at least for a few years and get some life out of what is a beautiful kitchen that was recently redone. If the bathroom was less of a dramatic change from the kitchen, would that smooth over some of your dislike of the kitchen?

If budget were no object, in bathroom I would want to change out the shower tile (style preference, and it really is a huge contrast to the kitchen if they're neighbors) and put a vanity in (function preference)... but since these things cost money, I would probably be too cheap to touch either for a long time.

FWIW, we changed out the backsplash in our kitchen knowing we'd likely renovate the whole thing down the road. It was awful before and I'm really happy with the change. It was a couple grand for doing one small wall and one small alcove, but we already had contractors in the house on another project - I don't think we'd have had it done as a stand alone project.

[krystee]

I would probably prioritize the bathroom because it looks so different from the kitchen. I could easily live with that beautiful kitchen while saving up to make changes I wanted down the road!

[sicilygirl]

Jan 13, 2021 12:26:13 GMT -5 k3am said:

Are you suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure this post isn't just a subtle brag about how beautiful your new home is? Because it really is gorgeous as is.

I would leave the kitchen as is - forever for me, but for you - at least for a few years and get some life out of what is a beautiful kitchen that was recently redone. If the bathroom was less of a dramatic change from the kitchen, would that smooth over some of your dislike of the kitchen?

If budget were no object, in bathroom I would want to change out the shower tile (style preference, and it really is a huge contrast to the kitchen if they're neighbors) and put a vanity in (function preference)... but since these things cost money, I would probably be too cheap to touch either for a long time.

FWIW, we changed out the backsplash in our kitchen knowing we'd likely renovate the whole thing down the road. It was awful before and I'm really happy with the change. It was a couple grand for doing one small wall and one small alcove, but we already had contractors in the house on another project - I don't think we'd have had it done as a stand alone project.

Lol!  Thank you for the compliment.  I think the house is beautiful too!  I did expect some "don't change a thing" comments but I thought more people would agree that the kitchen/bath does not fit into a house that, in every other room, looks like it's 100 years old.  I think it's hard to show in pictures how out of place it looks... or maybe I'm just wrong (it does happen occasionally )?

I had been thinking about getting someone in to do all the tile at once - kitchen backsplash (floor will probably have to wait), stair risers, and fireplace - since those are the areas that I think will have the biggest impact on the feel of the house.  That's where I am now at least.

[k3am]

sicilygirl, I think you would have a lot more people saying renovate to be true to the style of the house if the renovations were older and needed updating vs. something that's so recent.

[sicilygirl]

Jan 13, 2021 12:53:36 GMT -5 k3am said:

sicilygirl , I think you would have a lot more people saying renovate to be true to the style of the house if the renovations were older and needed updating vs. something that's so recent.

I'm sure you're right.  Which is, obviously, a very reasonable opinion!  House hunting in Southern California isn't easy... I would have preferred something that didn't have such recent updates so I could make the renovation choices myself.  Since we weren't able to make that happen, I'm just been trying to brainstorm some smaller changes that I think would go a long way in getting the house where we want it to be. 

I'm not in a place to do anything right now (mostly because I don't want people that don't have to be in our house here right now for Covid reasons).  Maybe I'll have shifted my ideas around by the time we're actually ready to start any work.

[Deleted]

Your home really is beautiful, but I do agree that the current kitchen and bath are not what I would consider Spanish revival. Looking at the kitchen, one thing that you could do now and fairly inexpensively, is to add some faux wood beams to the kitchen. In addition, I don't think that there are nearly enough wood tones in that kitchen based on what I would expect to see in a Spanish Revival home. The backsplash color, while lovely, just feels all kinds of wrong to me, so I'd look in to changing that out as well; I would still do an accent tile but that is where I'd bring in color and get rid of the grey. I'd also consider replacing the flooring with either terra cotta, or terra cotta look tile to bring in some more earth tones. I really think that you can leave the cabinets as is. I would also consider adding a wood or copper stove hood instead of the SS. And maybe darker countertops, I can't tell if what you have is grey or white, but if grey, I'd definitely replace. I don't really care for the light fixtures, and it bothers me that they are tiered, but that might just be a preference thing. If you were to replace them, I'd probably do black for a wrought iron look like some of these www.illuminaries.com/products/pendants/ 

All of that said, I don't think that you need to make any of these changes, because your kitchen is lovely as is, but if you wanted to make some changes to go more with the style of the house, you could do these things without doing an entirely new kitchen. 

[sicilygirl]

Jan 13, 2021 14:05:59 GMT -5 @sameoldstory said:

Your home really is beautiful, but I do agree that the current kitchen and bath are not what I would consider Spanish revival. Looking at the kitchen, one thing that you could do now and fairly inexpensively, is to add some faux wood beams to the kitchen. In addition, I don't think that there are nearly enough wood tones in that kitchen based on what I would expect to see in a Spanish Revival home. The backsplash color, while lovely, just feels all kinds of wrong to me, so I'd look in to changing that out as well; I would still do an accent tile but that is where I'd bring in color and get rid of the grey. I'd also consider replacing the flooring with either terra cotta, or terra cotta look tile to bring in some more earth tones. I really think that you can leave the cabinets as is. I would also consider adding a wood or copper stove hood instead of the SS. And maybe darker countertops, I can't tell if what you have is grey or white, but if grey, I'd definitely replace. I don't really care for the light fixtures, and it bothers me that they are tiered, but that might just be a preference thing. If you were to replace them, I'd probably do black for a wrought iron look like some of these www.illuminaries.com/products/pendants/ 

All of that said, I don't think that you need to make any of these changes, because your kitchen is lovely as is, but if you wanted to make some changes to go more with the style of the house, you could do these things without doing an entirely new kitchen. 

These are all good ideas!  You're right about the need for wood tones, which are very evident in the rest of the house.  It's like I knew that but hadn't quite put my finger on how to fix it.  Agree on the backsplash and floor tile.  Right now I'm interested in an updated version of terracotta tiles - the general color and lived-in feel.  There are options here that I really like (not actual terracotta but some fun patterns and colors that I think would work):  www.arto.com/artillo 

I like the hood ideas too.  I've been thinking about doing a plastered hood that mimics the shape of our fireplace.  Like this: 

http://instagram.com/p/BCk6jIKCmfl

  Adding in some wood or copper elements would go a long way, I think.

The counters are white quartz with a little bit of gray veining in them (idk the name), so we're planning on leaving those as is.

And totally agree about the lights.  I immediately asked my husband to rehang them all the same height, but he hasn't done it yet... I was also thinking about trying to spray paint them black.  That may be a very bad idea lol, but the lights themselves have actually grown on me.  Just not a fan of the silver.  The other lights we've replaced have all been wrought iron or at least black, depending on the type of lighting.

[bee20]

It's beautiful, I can see why you're torn on wanting to make updates to your taste but it mostly being fine.

I would say the mirror and lighting fixture you updated in the bathroom don't strike me as SUPER Spanish style and lean more modern to me. I would start with making some mood boards using pictures from your existing setup as well as some of the features you like online (like that hood). That will help you narrow down what parts of the style really appeal to you and what's less important.

It would also be pretty easy to add accessories in wood/copper to your kitchen. Things like a large cutting board propped up, or a large copper fruit bowl or pitcher on the counter to see how the colors play with your current setup. I think the green tile does read more California Modern on its own but would be neutral behind some accessories.

Finally, is that large white standing mirror a must-keep? I think you could make a bigger statement with a tiled or metalwork mirror if you want a mirror there, or bring in some other decorating element.

[sicilygirl]

Jan 13, 2021 18:48:12 GMT -5 bee20 said:

It's beautiful, I can see why you're torn on wanting to make updates to your taste but it mostly being fine.

I would say the mirror and lighting fixture you updated in the bathroom don't strike me as SUPER Spanish style and lean more modern to me. I would start with making some mood boards using pictures from your existing setup as well as some of the features you like online (like that hood). That will help you narrow down what parts of the style really appeal to you and what's less important.

It would also be pretty easy to add accessories in wood/copper to your kitchen. Things like a large cutting board propped up, or a large copper fruit bowl or pitcher on the counter to see how the colors play with your current setup. I think the green tile does read more California Modern on its own but would be neutral behind some accessories.

Finally, is that large white standing mirror a must-keep? I think you could make a bigger statement with a tiled or metalwork mirror if you want a mirror there, or bring in some other decorating element.

Both mirrors (bathroom and the one in the kitchen) are things we've had for years, so yeah - not Spanish at all.  The lights were super cheap on Amazon.  I had to get rid of the giant red sconces immediately after moving in since I hated them so much, lol, but they weren't really intended to be permanent.  We'll donate them eventually.  That was literally the only thing I couldn't live with while I looked for what I really wanted!  We've only bought one piece of furniture (for my office) since we moved in, so we have a ways to go in the furnishings department too.

Thanks for the kitchen ideas!  When @sameoldstory mentioned the wood, my first thought was cutting boards propped up since that would be super easy.

[bee20]

Jan 13, 2021 19:12:06 GMT -5 sicilygirl said:

Jan 13, 2021 18:48:12 GMT -5 bee20 said:

Both mirrors (bathroom and the one in the kitchen) are things we've had for years, so yeah - not Spanish at all.  The lights were super cheap on Amazon.  I had to get rid of the giant red sconces immediately after moving in since I hated them so much, lol, but they weren't really intended to be permanent.  We'll donate them eventually.  That was literally the only thing I couldn't live with while I looked for what I really wanted!  We've only bought one piece of furniture (for my office) since we moved in, so we have a ways to go in the furnishings department too.

Thanks for the kitchen ideas!  When @sameoldstory mentioned the wood, my first thought was cutting boards propped up since that would be super easy.

Makes sense, those bathroom light fixtures were a lot! 

[juliachild]

The two things that stand out to me the most in the kitchen are the hood and the grey walls. Both look very modern. I like the idea of doing a plaster hood. I would paint the walls a warm white.

You could also replace the cabinet pulls and sink faucet with something more traditional.

[aprilsails]

For what you want, I would prioritize the tile replacement for the backsplash for sure. That combination doesn’t work for me as-is, and I would want to warm up the space for sure. I would also do something about the hood and the pendant lights.

As for the chairs, if they are in good condition I would be inclined to see what I could get for them on resale and then buy new ones that suit your desired aesthetic. Even recovered or spray painted I don’t see that style suiting the space in the long run. They are also lovely and a current style so they should sell.

My Dad just added faux wood beams in his kitchen (more Canadian cottage style than Spanish revival) and it was super easy and really has a huge impact on the room. That is something I would definitely be interested in looking into if I were you. Even adding a large wood panel detail where the pendant lights connect might be a nice feature.

[Roc A Bee]

What is the flooring like in the rest of the home? Depending on if you like that, I’d consider continuing that through the kitchen. Or I’d do a wood like tile or terracotta.

I agree on adding beams. I’d also swap the backsplash and hood. I’d do either wood or rattan barstools. You need more earthy elements.

I get that your kitchen looks great, and in my home, I wouldn’t touch it. But if it doesn’t go with the house, it bothers you, and you have the money, I’d do it first.

[sicilygirl]

Jan 16, 2021 12:15:41 GMT -5 Roc A Bee said:

What is the flooring like in the rest of the home? Depending on if you like that, I’d consider continuing that through the kitchen. Or I’d do a wood like tile or terracotta.

I agree on adding beams. I’d also swap the backsplash and hood. I’d do either wood or rattan barstools. You need more earthy elements.

I get that your kitchen looks great, and in my home, I wouldn’t touch it. But if it doesn’t go with the house, it bothers you, and you have the money, I’d do it first.

The rest of the house has the original wood floors.  I'm thinking I want to do something like this in the kitchen (eventually) - www.arto.com/GB012-17-24x24-Grout-Board-Artillo-Mini-Arabesque-15-Normandy-Cream 

Agree on the earthy elements.  I went to an antique store this weekend and bought a couple of accessories (copper and wood), so hopefully those kinds of things will help a bit until we're actually ready to start making real changes in there.