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What I like in the new house and what needs to be fixed

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As I wrote before, we recently bought a house and I can call myself a homeowner for the first time. The house is gorgeous inside and out and I'm so excited about upcoming projects. But as much as I like a lot of things, there is a lot of work to fix, add and renovate.

You can watch a tour of the video here

So what things do I absolutely love in this house?

  1. First, it has so much charm and so many cute little details, like this ring bell on the front door.
  2. It's in great shape, considering the age (122 years!!!)
  3. I love the library and build-ins, the wall in the closet, and the drawing room. I love the size of the master bedroom, although I never cared about that.
  4. This house has tons of windows, and I think I can say that each room has at least 3 windows, including two windows in the walk-in closet! Who would've thought?
  5. It has an unfinished basement with so much potential!
  6. Multiple built-ins throughout the house make a lot of storage space.
  7. A round porch that wraps the house from the front
  8. The landscape has so many trees, including a little creek on the property
Original ring bell on the front door
The library - my favorite room
Large windows and a lot of built-ins

This list can go on and on. Besides repainting rooms and making some interior design decisions there are certain things that require attention.

Things I'd like to change

  1. There is no garage! With my line of work, it's crucial for me to have a workshop, and adding a garage could help increase the value of the house. I'm running into some difficulties with the placement since the most logical space to put it, on the driveway on the left side, has septic tank fields under it. So I'm preparing for a battle with the town to get a permit there. This won't be easy
  2. The house is very old and doesn't have central air. Long gone are the days of my childhood when we lived without AC. So we are planning to install it first thing. We already talking to contractors to get on it immediately.
  3. I'm not a big fan of a closed-off dining room and considering that there is a closed-off staircase between the dining room and the kitchen, I'm wondering if it's possible to take it down and make an open kitchen concept. This is still in the works.
  4. Since the house was built in 1900 and it seems people were shorter back then, the staircase to the second floor has never been changed, so it's super low. I'm not even worried for the kids as much as I'm worried for adults. So this will be definitely one of the first projects I'll need to tackle in the house. The staircase is not up to code in the modern days, but since it's original to the house, it can be here. When I'll redo it, I need to account for the new codes and make it at least 36"(I think that's the correct size)
  5. The zip code for the house is great and kids will go to a good school but this house is located at the intersection of two busy roads and part of the property is missing a fence. I already see myself getting so paranoid when the kids are outside if I don't get on it right away. So I hope I'll be able to tackle it this summer.
  6. Half of the windows are single painted so I'd like to eventually change them to make them more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. This project will be a massive undertaking. I counted all windows and we've got 20 newer windows (in the additional rooms that were added in the 2000s) and 25(!!!) old windows. I mean it's great to have such a bright space but I'm already scared of the quote we will get for replacing 25 windows.
  7. There is a bit of mold in the basement in the room that I planned to renovate into a gym. The floor is covered with linoleum that has to be completely gutted out. So I want to get on it soon as well.
The staircase with very low railing
No garage but a small workshop in the basement
This room in the basement needs some serious TLC

Those are the things that I'm planning to work on in the near future. Follow along my journey on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

This is so exciting!!! I can't wait to start:)

xoxo,

April

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Hi, I'm April! I love woodworking and making things! I hope you will stay for a while and get inspired to make something!

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ifonlyapril

DIY single mom | 📍CT
Hi 👋🏻 I haven't done this in awhile so thoug Hi 👋🏻
I haven't done this in awhile so thought I'd introduce myself.

Im a DIYer by passion, art business MA by education. 

I came to USA from Russia 13 years ago. I had an itching urge for adventures 😅

I lived in NYC for the most part and worked at the auction house till I had kids and had to move and adjust to suburban life. 

My passion for DIY started when I had my first baby and saw a Montessori baby gym. So I thought.. I probably can make it too! 

And I did 😅 

When we already moved to CT, I saw a Montessori floor house bed that was well over my budget, so I thought I'd try it out too... 

That's when I got my first power tools as an anniversary gift and the rest was history😂

Now I'm a single mom to 2 little girls (Sasha and Sia) and a beautiful long coat German Shepard puppy, named Drogo (after khal Drogo from GOT😁)

We bought our first house in the summer - a 1900s beauty so I had to switch gears from woodworking and start working on room renovations, to make this house our home. 

The progress is very slow, since life always gets on the way🤦🏻‍♀️ but my motto is progress, even slow is better than nothing. 

I can't wait to get a shed so I can pick up my woodworking projects again. Working out of my porch in the winter is not pleasant 🥶

If you'd like to know me more, sign up for my newsletter in link in bio! ☺️

Thank you for following my journey, now tell me something about yourself! 

#introduction #ifonlyapril
I'll get a cookie if I'll finish this bedroom at s I'll get a cookie if I'll finish this bedroom at some point 🤣 it's moving so slow but progress is good😁  @spoonflower 
#kidsbedroom #diykidsroom #homeimprovement  #ryobi #behrpaint #spoonflower
Three evenings well spent. Amazing DIY project, gr Three evenings well spent. Amazing DIY project, great conversations and now I have a beautiful 3-D book nook on my library shelves😍❤️ @byanavrin #diybooknook #ifonlyapril_diy
Yep, another "progress shot"... although I feel th Yep, another "progress shot"... although I feel the end is near 😁 follow @ifonlyapril to see this room transformation for my little bunny🤗☺️ 
#diyroomtransformation #diymakeover #diykidsbedroommakeover #makersgonnamake #kidsroominspiration #kidsroomdesign
I can't express it in any other words then... I ju I can't express it in any other words then... I just hate it🤷🏻‍♀️#roommakeover #kidsroommakeover #ifonlyapril_diy #ihateprimer #paintingdoors
We all love beautiful "before" and "after" room tr We all love beautiful "before" and "after" room transformations. But truth is... there is a lot of "work in progress" in between 😁 #diyroommakeover #diy #roomtransformation
Haha so here is a thing... I'm not sure how often Haha so here is a thing... I'm not sure how often you wash your hair, but I do it every 4-5 days. And my entire schedule depends on a "hair day"🤣

I'd never do a workout or a messy project if I just did my hair that morning😁 

Making videos every day with fresh hair is quite hard lol 

Now I'm trying out a new thing... I make "lifestyle", nice reels on my hair day and leave all messy projects for "not a hair day" 🙈😁

Can you relate? Or am I the only one?😁
Would you ever do a workout or a messy project if you just did your hair in the morning? 😅 
#dayhairdontcare #dontmesswithmyhair
Haha New Yorkers has seen it all 😅 so who cares Haha New Yorkers has seen it all 😅 so who cares🤣 #hairstyles #hairstylegoeswrong #funny #lifemoments
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