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It has been a while since I checked in with updates about our home renovation and things are moving right along. I’ve been sharing real-time updates on Insta stories (saved under the “Finn Fixer Upper” & “Reno Part 2” highlight reels), but it’s good to go more in depth here on the blog. A lot has been happening and I feel like every time I walk in the house I don’t know what I’ll find. It’s exciting, but also overwhelming. Every time I leave the house I feel a mini panic attack coming on thinking about all that is left to do. But I have to remind myself of how far we’ve come. 
If you want to catch up on our home journey, here’s what I’ve discussed so far…
Now, onto our home renovation progress from the past few weeks.
Adding & Upgrading Electrical
We knew when we bought this house that we wanted to add recessed cans throughout our home. Most rooms just had one small ceiling fan with a light and things were pretty dark. I think lighting sets the mood for a home, so I knew recessed cans were a must. Even though they’re pricey to add (you can read more about that in this budget post), I think it’s well worth it to tackle this task before moving in. If you wait, be prepared for a messy project!
We added recessed cans to every room in the house and had our contractor remove outdated fixtures and ceilings fans. My contractor handled getting the recessed cans himself and he purchased these ones. They’re energy efficient and you can even change the color temperature on the back of the light. Right now we have them set to “neutral white”, but I may try out the other colors when we move in.
Another electrical project was adding spots for speakers around the house. Finn is really into music and we’re trying our best to make this a “smart house.” We ended up getting speakers from Sonos for the entire home. The speakers on the first level are hard-wired into the ceiling as well as these ones for the backyard, and the ones upstairs are just these portable ones. We had to walk around with our contractor and make a plan for where we wanted to place each one and pay extra to have a cable run to those spots. I’m hopeful that it will be worth it in the long-run (Finn definitely thinks so!).
Doors & Millwork
Our doors and millwork arrived and I’m in love! We ended up going with 3-panel flat shaker style doors from Door Depot. They were an upgrade because they’re solid core, but I think that is definitely a place to spend money. Hollow doors feel and look cheap and this upgrade is well worth it to me.
Casings around the window are also going in and it’s crazy how new white trim makes a world of difference. I love how beefy it looks and I’m eager to see it with the baseboards and crown molding too. Ahhh those finishing touches make me so happy!
Our New Laundry Room
The laundry room has made the most progress lately! Last we chatted, the walls were out but nothing was framed. Well that all changed pretty quickly…
One week they framed it and added the electrical…
And the next week they drywalled it! 
Here’s the inside of our new laundry room. Isn’t it huge? I am so happy that we ended up expanding this area because we will have tons of room for all.the.things. I’m picturing cabinets on the right side and a hanging bar for clothing. Also storage for cleaning supplies, our iron, and ironing board. Oh, and I also chose a realllly fun patterned floor tile and I have that blog post coming next week!
Choosing New Paint Colors
Last week, I shared a post about choosing the perfect warm white for the majority of our home. The office got its first coat of “Ballet White” and I’m already in love. 
They also started painting the windows and trim. We’re going with “Simply White” for all of the millwork and doors throughout the home. It’s crazy how different the rooms look with the white paint on the windows instead of the orangey-brown!
The white paint color pairs nicely with the soft ballet white. I’m digging it so far.
But there were a few rooms where I wanted to go a bit bolder with color.
Since I loved our dark navy guest room, I decided to go dark in our new guest room as well. This time with a deep green color. I picked up a few samples and painted them on the wall to see which one worked out the best.
From Left to Right (All Benjamin Moore Colors)
Green Essex || Salamander || Tarrytown Green || Dark Olive
I ended up loving the color “Tarrytown Green” and decided on that for the guest room. 
It’s a deep green but has a touch of navy to it. After choosing the color, I showed up to the house a few days later and to my surprise, I was greeted with this gorgeous hue!
And check it out with the white casing around the window. I can’t even, it’s so darn pretty! With the light oak floors, white baseboards, and white doors, the color is really going to pop!
I’ve been really drawn to sage colors lately, so I wanted to do that color in the bathroom off the kitchen. 
From Left to Right (All Benjamin Moore Colors)
Dark Olive || Nantucket Gray || Saybrook Sage
I ended up loving “Nantucket Gray”. It’s green but not too green. I think it will be a nice warm color in our bathroom (which isn’t painted just yet).
A Fun Surprise!
I also have to share the fun surprise we found in the walls during demo…a Chicago Tribune from 1938!!! Isn’t that wild? Finn and I had a ball looking through it together.
Reading the real estate section was our favorite. You could buy land for so cheap! My plan is to pick out a few sections of the paper and frame them to incorporate into the new house somewhere. I think it will be really cool to have this historic piece of our home on display. Let me know if you have any other good ideas for it!
A Not So Fun Surprise!
Finn was over at the house a couple of Saturdays ago to mow the lawn. When he was inside, a bird flew in through the fireplace hole in the side of the house. It flew all around and he tried to usher it out, but it kept smashing into windows. Eventually, it flew into a hole in the wall in the living room. He tried to get it out, but it wouldn’t budge. I was at a baby shower and got some frantic calls from him, along with this photo showing where it flew in…
I showed my contractor that Monday and he opened up the wall to get it out. Poor little birdie didn’t make it. RIP. 
Finally, here I am enjoying my new master bedroom that has a saw and my washer and dryer in it. Isn’t home renovation fun?! But I’m starting to see the big picture and I know we will get to the finish line eventually!
Casey
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