The Hygge Ranch: 2024 Home Goals & Projects for Our Growing Family

 

For the past 3 years, I’ve shared our annual home goals & projects for #thehyggeranch. As a reminder, we became first time homeowners late 2020 & have been working on our home — the hygge ranch — every year since. As new homeowners, we sat down and made a list of projects we wanted (and/or needed) to tackle during our first year of living here. This is something we’ve continued to do every year since. 

For the past 3 years, we’ve looked at the previous year’s list & used that as a starting point for what to tackle in the current year. This year we’re approaching our project punch list very differently —

(1) we’ve learned a lot about our needs, priorities, etc. with each passing year & we’re continuing to develop what “home” feels & looks to us 

(2) the economy has changed so much since we bought our house that it’s forced us to pivot & reevaluate when it comes to what projects to tackle, when, and how

(3) our lives changed significantly this year as we went from being a family of 3 to a family of 4, and with that, #thehyggeranch will be changing too

We aren’t just rolling over previously undone projects into this year, however, I do still like to look at all the things we hoped to do versus what we’ve actually done as a reminder of how far we’ve come. I’ve crossed the projects that have simply fallen off as a priority & I’ve bolded the ones we’ve actually completed. Everything else is a work in progress or TBD — 

  • renovate kitchen

  • upgrade pantry system

  • upgrade hall closet system

  • convert bonus bedroom closet to shoe closet

  • complete bonus bedroom

  • furnish back yard

  • furnish balcony

  • upgrade the mini's closet system

  • renovate laundry room

  • remove carpet throughout the house

  • upgrade hvac system to ductless

  • new window treatments throughout the house

  • remove popcorn ceiling throughout the house

  • upgrade the interior & exterior lighting

  • complete garage insulation & drywall

  • clean out & repair garden bed

  • renovate powder room

  • design mini's bedroom

  • design main bedroom

  • install launderette doors

  • front yard landscaping

  • back yard landscaping

  • driveway repair & redesign

  • siding & roof replacement

  • demo & upgrade backyard deck

  • upgrade side fencing & gates

  • stain back fencing

  • upgrade balcony railing

  • replace outdoor shed storage

  • replace all exterior doors

  • replace gutters

  • refresh the dining room

  • paint media room ceiling

  • begin media room sound system

Yes, in the past ~3 years we’ve gotten a lot done around #thehyggeranch, including 3 renovations! 

What does this leave in our list of undone projects to potentially be done?

  • furnish balcony

  • remove carpet throughout the house

  • remove popcorn ceiling throughout the house

  • design mini's bedroom

  • design main bedroom

  • siding & roof replacement

  • upgrade side fencing & gates

  • stain back fencing

  • upgrade balcony railing

  • replace outdoor shed storage

  • replace all exterior doors

  • replace gutters

All of the crossed out items may eventually return as a project we’d tackle down the line, however, right now they’re not on our radar & we’re good with that. 

With this list as our new starting point, and thinking about how different this year looks, here are the projects we’re actually planning hoping  to get done in 2024 — 

  • furnish balcony — this is a space that I envision using a lot more this year, when I want to be outside yet not necessarily going down to the backyard

  • remove hallway carpet — the only areas in the house that are carpets are the dining/living room and the hallway separating the bedrooms (including the stairs) & the latter is long overdue for removal, especially for safety reasons

  • remove popcorn ceiling in bedrooms — after doing the remaining 2 bedrooms, the only areas in the house that’ll still have popcorn ceilings are the dining/living room 

  • design mini's bedroom — this is long overdue & currently in progress (catch up on IG here)

  • design main bedroom — this is also long overdue & currently in progress (catch up on IG here), and is likely gonna be a holding space till we renovate the space much, MUCH later down the line

  • upgrade side fencing & gates — this one might be a bit of a reach because of bandwidth & costs, so we’re cautiously optimistic

  • stain back fencing — this is a project that we constantly waver on, partly as we have to be careful when we start considering how fickle the weather can be sometimes

  • install deck railing — this is the final remaining piece of the deck renovation

  • upgrade balcony railing — since we're actively looking to using this space more, one of the first things we need to do is replace the railing, which was a call out during our inspection

  • replace outdoor shed storage — this one is likely to fall off the list once more however we're optimistic as we really have gotten to the point where we need to optimize our outdoor storage

  • replace all exterior doors — if labor costs weren't such a huge factor this would've been done within out first year of homeownership, so every year we roll it over into the next & continue to keep it on our radar

  • replace gutters — another project that may fall off the list, however, the way it rained in 2023, we would love to finally check this off our list for our own peace of mind

  • convert bonus bedroom to office lounge — this is a new one, however, with all the changes our family's undergone, this one has become a new 2024 priority for the way we live now

  • redesign flex lounge without office area — after converting the bonus bedroom, we'll have have to rethink what the flex lounge will look like & how it'll function

  • clean out garden beds & start seasonal gardening — this is one that will likely be ongoing, especially since we did not turn over our garden from summer to fall in preparation for the winter

Last year, I committed to being a comfort influencer over being a home influencer, especially with working a full-time job & planning the Meridian Experience 2023 Weekend. Going into this year, I am neither working nor planning for ME2024 — details here — and I'm digging in deeper to prioritize comfort over content. My goal has always been to create a home my family lives in... not to be on a non stop hamster wheel of projects. After focusing on the exterior last year, this year is a balance of indoor & outdoor projects — completing small projects that'll add to our quality of life in this new season. My husband & I are already gonna have our hands full adapting to being parents of two — ICYMI... catch up here — so more than ever, #thehyggeranch will be our place os respite & restoration... our literal comfort zone.

Our 2024 list, at first glance, is a little daunting, especially with everything going on. As always though, we reserve the right to change our minds. Some of these projects are low lift, while others are going to require planning and/or saving. The ones we'll be able to tackle the soonest/quickest are the ones where I'll be able to [mostly] shop the house, using what we already have in other parts of the house and/or the room of requirement to complete the space.

Last year we spent very little time working on the interior spaces of #thehyggeranch and it felt great. This year we'll be balancing both exterior & interior, and it really feels like we're just finally punctuating all of the projects we've been circling the last few years. Every quarter, I plan to check in with our list to see our progress, what we should proceed with, where we should pivot, and what projects we should drop altogether.

Here's to us doing our best and seeing how far it gets us.

 
 
DesignAlbie Knowshome goals, the hygge ranch