I am still finding it a bit hard to believe that we have been in our house 5 years in March, it really doesn't feel like two minutes ago we were moving in. In the almost 5 years we have been in the house we haven't actually changed much since we originally decorated just after moving in however, now 5 years down the line we are looking at changing a few things as our original decisions were a bit rushed just to make the house feel like ours rather than the previous owners. In 2021 we made a bit of a start on the jobs by getting the most important room in the house complete... the games room, we stripped the walls of  the old wallpaper, had it plastered and then we painted it in the navy blue & grey we had picked months earlier. This just made that room more cosy to be in and made it feel like a room we took time with and created our perfect space, I love being in the room a lot more too as it feels like our room rather than a rushed job like before. We wanted to get more jobs done in 2022 however, time and money weren't on our side so the jobs got put on the back burner now though we are more than ready to start working through that list of jobs we have created ourselves and we are ready to see just how much we can get done. So here are those jobs we are determined to get done in 2023...

Redecorate the spare room

Since moving in the spare room has been used for various things however, these days it is a bit of a dressing room/office hybrid for myself and it is where I take myself off to blog or take pics & film reels. This room was really rushed when it came to do it and the cheap wallpaper is torn and peeling off in places and to be honest with me filming in here etc I just want to make it look a whole lot nicer. We are going to get this room emptied and plastered then painted just like we did with the games room, I just need to work out what colours I want to go for. Then it is just a case of styling it in the theme of the room which is football office and filming room, this is the part I am most excited for if I am honest as I have a few ideas in mind, I just want it to all tie together rather than be mix and match like it currently is. 

Redecorate the bedroom 

One the spare room is done it is going to be a case of saving back up to make a start on the bedroom, this will cost a bit more as it is a bigger space but I am looking forward to having a nice cosy room rather than one that is mix & match as it was thrown together as soon as we moved in. This is going to be stripped back and plastered then painted into colours we are yet to decide on, I am just ready to make this a much nicer, cosier vibe than it currently is and hopefully sort out some storage solutions to make it less cluttered as we have Ottoman storage dotted all around the room making it very cramped at the moment something which I am hoping to eliminate once we redo the room. 

Get a new built in wardrobe done

One reason the bedroom will cost more is because we are going to be incorporating redoing the little built in wardrobe in the room. Me and Liam currently share the wardrobe and fit our own shelves to give us a bit more storage however, the layout just doesn't work and it isn't practical for our needs. We are wanting to get someone in to build us a real wardrobe with a sturdy rail and practical shelving in the small space alongside sorting out the top of this space to allow us to store things there too much easier than we have been doing. Even just getting the doors redone on this is going to make it a nicer feature in the bedroom and easier to use as the current doors are useless. It might be a bit of a costly job but it should definitely be worth it.

Complete the back garden

The back garden is a job that has been going on for what seems like forever now but I think this year could finally be the year we got it all complete and just how we want it. To be honest this shouldn't take us too long as it just needs a tidy up and the planters finally filling once the few little bits of woodwork are done on them. It is then just a case of adding a bit more lighting, cleaning the decking and adding some more decorations then the back garden will be done although I am contemplating painting the windowsill, decking and fence, it is just a case of getting Liam on board with those ideas which might take a while. I think we might look at getting a new table and chairs for out here too so we can sit out and enjoy some meals in the summer, something we really should be doing together rather than melting indoors. I am determined to get this done by the time the weather starts getting better as I would love to host some barbecues and even drinks in the garden this year.

Complete the front garden

This should honestly be a quick and easy job and should honestly only take us one day as there isn't much to do. The main thing of this is going to be digging up a bit of a border around the edge of the grass and filling it with some nice plants whilst cleaning all the rubbish from under the trees and getting rid of the dead plants in front of the window. I am also tempted to paint the windowsill at the front and some other bits that are a bit outdated and just give the whole space a good clean. If we get the chance it would be great to repaint the gates and clean them up too as they don't look the most appealing at the moment. Granted this won't fully complete the front of the house as we have paving that needs redoing and a drive we want redone but that is a future job. 2023 is just a case of getting it tidied up and looking nicer with as little money spent as possible then it is a case of saving for the big bits in the future.

Complete the side garden

The side garden is currently just a long stretch of uneven grass with random things dotted around however, I am making this into a football training area and somewhere for the nephew to play so I want all the hazards out of the way. The old vegetable patch is going to be ripped out and we are going to put some grass seed down where it was, well the part where we aren't extending the gym out to. Then all the old fence posts are going to be ripped out and holes filled in followed by us finally getting rid of the random barbecue that is far too close to the trees. Again this should be a cheap job that doesn't take long but will just give the space a new lease of life.

Complete the home gym

This is my main priority this year, getting the garage turned into a home gym. At the moment I am working out in the living room and having to drag equipment in and out of place every session, I just can't wait for us to get the house back rather than walking into fitness equipment all the time and having to move everything around. Once that gym is done everything will have its own place and I won't spend most of my time setting up for a session plus I can hopefully get that treadmill I am desperate for. This is definitely going to be a big job that will be expensive however, it is definitely going to be worth it and I can't wait to see the progress and final result. Don't worry you will see a lot of it on here and social media as it is being built and eventually used.

We are planning on getting all the rooms upstairs done before moving onto anything downstairs as if we are making a mess we aren't carrying it through some newly decorated areas and having to go back over them. Upstairs the bathroom and games room are completed as we would like so the big priority is getting the spare room and bedroom done, the bedroom is definitely going to cost us more than the spare room so we will be getting the spare room out of the way then moving onto the bedroom as we will have hopefully have saved up a bit more money by then to do it exactly how we want. Honestly those are the two main jobs inside the house this year and if we only get those two done indoors I think I will still be happy as that will be all the rooms upstairs done with only the hallway left to do which again is going to be a costly job so that is in the plans for 2024 if I am honest. If we do manage to get enough saved to do the hallway though it is a job I would definitely love to get over and done with as I hate the current state of it, again though if this happens it would definitely be an added bonus and the main priority is definitely the 2 bedrooms and the home gym. As for the gardens these should be very cheap jobs to do as we can get these done on our own and on an evening or weekend I am sure the family would be happy to come round and help so should take us no time at all and hopefully create us a space that looks great where we would be happy to sit out and use as the weather gets nicer.

I am really looking forward to seeing just how much we can get done this year and seeing the house really start to take shape both indoors and outdoors. These jobs are definitely a priority and I am looking forward to being able to share the progress we make throughout the year. Now it is time to get saving towards job number 1. 

Do you have any jobs at home you are wanting to complete in 2023?