We moved into our house in September 2004. When we had the house built the builder was helpful in what upgrades to purchase through them, and which ones we would be better off doing on our own (price and selection).

Nearly three years later, we are still working on these upgrades. After having the floors done in February, here is what is up on our project list for the Spring:

• New kitchen countertops. We went with the cheap standard when we moved in, and considering we have nice upgraded countertops they really detract from the kitchen. We’ve ordered Zodiaq quartz countertops, which have the nice look of granite but are apparently more durable.
• New kitchen appliances. Out with the white, in with the stainless steel.
• Paint. Right now our house is pretty sterile with everything being a nice, calm tan. After much deliberation we’re going with some bold colors that will hopefully add depth to the house.
• New bathroom light fixtures. What we have now is probably the cheapest item in our house. We’ll be moving away from exposed light bulbs to something more soothing to the eyes.
• Landscaping. This likely won’t all happen this year, but we’ll be putting in some flower beds and a ceiling fan for the porch. More on this one next year, I think…

We’ll see how far we get before the summer, and I’ll post some before and after photos as we go.

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