My House Wish List

Since we heard that our offer was accepted (squeeeeal!), I have been thinking non stop about house, house, house! People ask me how the wedding planning is going and I'm like, nope! House house house!

It is all that I can think about!

So naturally, I have been pinning and and looking over my old pins and thinking about what I would like to do with our house. Here is [the short version of] my house wish list for future improvements:

Living Room

Our living room from the real estate listing (not our furniture)

One of the main things that we were disappointed in with our house was the lack of a fireplace. It wasn't a deal breaker, as there are lots of houses without fire places and this was the best we could afford without sacrificing other features. It’s too bad, because I really love the look of built-ins around a fireplace and he really loves playing with fire.

So I figure we should build a faux fireplace! {we'll give him a firepit in the backyard to makeup for the fake fireplace.}

Faux Fireplace with candles by At Home On Green Street - I LOVE the screen in
front of the candles and the tile surround. This just sets the perfect mood.

Faux Fireplace with Electric Fireplace Insert by Say Not Sweet Anne - I love the the insert on top of the bricks and how it looks like a real fire in there. Many of the electric inserts also give off heat and make fire crackling sounds.

Faux Fireplace Installed in an Apartment by Offbeat Home and Life - I love the bricks on this one. Can you believe that this is freestanding and can be taken down when they move? I would be too worried about an earthquake toppling it over here in Seattle. Since we aren't renting anymore, we could totally mortar it in place.

I haven't decided which I like best: candles, an electric insert or a gel insert. I've seen electric inserts that actually give off heat and make crackling noises. This would totally set the right mood, but is it cheesy? What do you think? Does anyone use those gel fuels that are a real, clean burning (no vent required) fire?

And we definitely have to build built-in shelves/cabinets on the side. I want our TV mounted above the fireplace, game consoles hidden behind doors, and shelves for decorating. I could see the mantel coming up to be level with where the chair rail is now and keep with the current two toned theme.

Faux Fireplace with Electric Insert and Built in Shelves by Jocelyn Durston - I love those shelves! I would want a cabinet below the shelves to hide video game consoles and other electronics. We would mount the TV above the fireplace.

And of course, Ana White comes to the rescue with two different plans for a faux fireplace: Fireplace Anywhere and Mimi's Faux Mantel. The fireplace anywhere plans are the "flat screen" version of a fireplace, in that it has a super low profile and is perfect for smaller rooms {like ours!}.

I've also seen people snag up mantels on craigslist. I checked my area and there are quite a few mantels up for sale. I even saw a never been used gel fireplace! It looks quite purdy!

Here's my pinterest board for faux fireplaces:

Follow Bethany the ngnrdgrl's board Faux Fireplace on Pinterest.

Utility Room

Our Utility Room

One of my first tasks is to build my DIY Table. The top of my table has been sitting in the box along our apartment kitchen wall for about a year now. My original concept was a counter height table for the kitchen, but it won't fit in our new kitchen. The wall opposite of the hook ups in our utility room may be perfect spot for it though.

It will then give us a nice place to fold laundry. Add some stools and it will be a nice place to hide and do homework (for him) or jewelry making (for me).

I’d like to build some wall cabinets for storing laundry supplies above the dryer on the right side of the window. Maybe we can get a farmhouse sink back here for cleaning dirty stuff? Maybe big enough for our future small dog to fit in for bath time?

I'd also like to have a bench next to the door for taking on/off shoes. Hooks along the wall for coats and a rack under my table for shoes.

Above my table should either be shelves or wall cabinets for storage. Perhaps wall cabinets would be best to hide stuff. We could put our camping gear in here, pack up seasonal gear, store my jewelry making tools, etc.

Eventually I would like to build this room out like this:

Mudroom / Laundry Room by Adelle Baum on Drop Design

The door exits to the north side of the house where we eventually want to build a carport. It would be the perfect place for family to enter and dump all their gear. I can just see our future kids coming home from school and entering from this door. Taking off their shoes and dumping their backpacks and jackets before running through the house.

Backyard

Our backyard (from the real estate listing) - Love how flat it is! Super rare in Seattle.

We want to build this out as the hangout place for all our friends. Currently there are 4-foot tall chain link fences on the sides and front of the house. We definitely need to build a 6-foot tall wood privacy fence on the sides. {See the car in our neighbors backyard? Yeah, we want to hide that!} Maybe our neighbors will go halfsies with us? The rear fence is an ugly 6-foot chain link fence with slats. We might eventually want to upgrade, but for now it is functional.

We really want a patio with a fire pit. We had a friend with a freestanding fire pit in the back of one of his rental houses and it was soooo much fun! We would love to be able to get everyone over, barbecue some food and sit around the fire pit drinking beer.

DIY Fire Pit by The Inspired Room - They took a fire pit kit from Lowes for $200 and built it up and added a bowl and grate. Love how it turned out! I would prefer a patio over the pea gravel, though.

"Tribal Council" firepit by Robert on imgur - This baby cost $1200 as a DIY project. I LOVE how it turned out. We'll have to start small and work our way up.

I have plenty more on my wish list, including window treatments, new furniture, decor and adding shelves in the kitchen and bathroom. We'll also need to upgrade the master bedroom closet. I don't like the door on it at all and it is small.

Of course, we need to first get moved and settled in. Next we need to get it setup for housing my in-laws this summer. They are driving from Arkansas for the wedding and we offered that they stay with us for the week. Now we'll have rooms to keep them all!

I also cannot wait to set up a nursery! Eeeeeak! So much going on, so much to do!

What do you think? What is something you have always dreamed of doing in your future home? Ideas for my new house? Share with me in the comments below!