When sharing about our new home, which will require quite a bit of work to get where I want it, someone asked how to decide what to do first. Should you wait and save for the big needs or start with the smaller things first?

There are a million ways to approach home updates, but today I’m going to share my priorities and how I’m deciding what happens first and what needs to wait. Now, this isn’t to say that things won’t shuffle around once we’re in the home, but this is my current game plan.

First, let’s give you an idea of what all I’d like to do to our new home. (Hint: It ain’t a short list.)

All fresh paint
New door knobs throughout
New window treatments throughout
New exterior doors
New Lighting throughout
Lots of new furniture selections (to pair with existing pieces)
New area rugs in living and dining
Runners in Hallway
New vanities (existing are damaged)
Create an outdoor space in the backyard
New outdoor lighting
Add mailbox
Add exterior door to garage (turned photography studio)
Eventually all new flooring
Eventually renovate the kitchen
Remove soffits
Eventually fully renovate both bathrooms
Landscape front yard

Whew, I think that about covers it. Told you it wasn’t a short list. And this doesn’t even include some of the additional maintenance things we need to tackle (or the AC unit we already installed in the garage.)

All in all, the length of that list should clearly showcase why we need to select where to start and where to practice patience.

So how do we decide where to begin?

First, always tackle the elements that impact safety or quality of life right away. For us that includes: replacing molded vanities, adding AC to make the garage useful for my husbands photography business, and taking care of other home maintenance items. These are necessities, not just wants so they deserve the highest priority.

Once those needs are dealt with, I then look for the next opportunity to make the largest overall design impact. For our home, that will be painting, updating the lighting, and window treatments.

Painting is a great, lower budget way to make a huge impact on your spaces. The entire personality of a home can shift with a fresh coat of paint. Not to mention, it can also set the perfect backdrop to let your furniture and decor shine. It can brighten dark spaces or create moody, cozy rooms. Paint can do wonders and should definitely be at the top of your to do list.

Lighting (ceiling fixtures, sconces, pendants, etc.) is also at the top of the list for big impact. Walking into a cute room that still has a “boob light” on the ceiling is a total vibe killer. Or, in our case, having lighting that is a completely different style than the look you plan to create is extremely distracting and can stick out like a sore thumb.

For that reason, I plan to tackle lighting updates as soon as possible in our home. Since lighting isn’t the cheapest element (at least for the selections I have in mind), we will start by updating the lighting in the common spaces of our home and leave the kid bedrooms for later. (I mean, they’re 10, 7, and 4. They can live with ugly ceiling fans for a bit, right?)

Window treatments also make a huge impact on the design of your home. Our new house currently has lovely plastic, apartment style mini blinds. (Ewww.) We also do not have any trim/casing around our windows which means curtain panels are a must to create a finished look.

I cannot wait to show you how simply removing those old blinds and updating to a woven wood shade with simple curtain panels will elevate our spaces. Seriously. It will be night and day. Again, I’ll likely focus on tackling this update in the common areas of the home first. Then update the kid bedrooms when able.

Next will be furniture/rugs to finish out the designs of each space. My priority will likely go from Living Room to Dining Room to Master Bedroom to Kids Rooms when we begin ordering furniture. (Although Jace will get a bed before I purchase anything for the living room.)

I would prefer to focus on finishing out a room at a time since having a complete space gives you a little rest within the chaos of on going projects. For us, the living room being finished and styled would be ideal since we will all spend time in there plus it’s where we’ll host friends.

I recommend creating your priority list based on what spaces you use most and/or which spaces will make the most impact on your wellbeing. For example, if having a restful retreat really impacts your mental health and sleep, then starting with your bedroom is likely most ideal. But if you homeschool and need a great space to facilitate that, then maybe that homeschool room is your top priority. It will be different for every family for sure, but by taking the time to think through your needs and not just your wants, you can make a clear and appropriate game plan.

For large renovations, I recommend starting with small updates (new hardware, paint, etc.) until you have the funds ready to tackle the larger project. (This is what I plan to do for our kitchen and bathrooms for now.)

However, keep in mind the first recommendation - if it is impacting your quality of life, it may be worth buckling down to save and skip the minor updates so you can renovate sooner rather than later.

My most valuable advice is this:

Do not go into debt over your home updates. You cannot relax and recharge in a home that is crushing you in debt. Don’t do it. It is not worth it.

Plan and be OK with adjusting your plans. My designs have already changes for our spaces and we’re not even there yet. Things like price points, out of stock items, and simply new ideas will constantly change your game plan and that’s OK! The goal is to have a plan and think logically rather than just thoughtlessly purchase items.

And finally, if feeling overwhelmed or lost, hire a designer to help. Designers can help create the perfect game plan and can ultimately help you save money by ensuring every item will go together, will fit your space, and will serve your family well. It’s an investment that almost immediately pays for itself.

Do you have any specific “what should I do first” questions? Send them to me at robin@lovelylarkliving.com and I’d be happy to guide you a bit!

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My House Needs Lots of Work - Where Do I Start?