Our favorite diy, renovations and home updates- 2020 in hindsight
First up:
Wow! Like most of you, I am welcoming 2021 with my arms spread wide open! It was certainly a wild ride and a year filled with BIG changes for me personally-we made a move to the Lake House full time AND finished the renovations (try renovating an entire house during a quarantine!) at the Airbnb house, which started a new business for us! Looking back, I can’t believe how much we actually accomplished when I feel like all we did was binge-watch Netflix! ๐ I’m looking at you, Tiger King.
We turned a distressed property into an Airbnb.
The move to the lake house happened in August after an unexpected layoff (hubby), and the company I had spent a decade working for closed permanently in May. We had both been working remotely from the lake all year, so we felt we were prepared for the move, but it was still a huge change for us (it is going very well, and the job changes turned out to be a good thing). Once we were here full-time, we realized we needed a better space to entertain winter visitors (although we didn’t have any idea it would be a full year before we had any!), so we decided to renovate the basement.
We added a spot to play board games and cards.
We now have plenty of space for the pool table.
With the two big renovations, we had plenty of DIYs on our plate last year. The two favorites on the blog were both from the Airbnb reno. The tiled entryway had the most views. It was TIME-consuming to get it laid out, but our Airbnb guests love it! You can see more here.
The kitchen vent hood was the DIY that readers of the blog and on Instagram had the most comments and questions about.
Modern Kitchen Hood Vent DIY
Hmmmโฆ.now that I am recapping, we were very productive despite the lockdown! We also added landscaping to two of our rental houses, but I was sidetracked by these little guys (born five weeks apart) and too busy to get it photographed before the snow fell!
Both of my daughters had their first babies in 2020.
After taking the holidays off this week, I am taking a few days to clean organize and make a and plan for projects in 2021. I’d love to hear about any upcoming projects you are looking forward to.
During the holidays, we had a plumbing leak, and this happened:
EEK!
My husband says it can be fixed. I am thinkingโฆ.it looks like our next renovation!! ๐
Related posts:
Our basement renovation is here!
Our Short term rental renovation.
Wishing you a safe and healthy 2021!
Until next time,
-Libbie
Your home is stunning you have great taste. I would also be gutted if I had to do that to my bathroom.
I’m working on a mood board for the bathroom this weekend!
You have certainly have had a wonderful year. Congratulations on your adorable grandbabies!
Thank you, Meegan!
That picture of your grandbabies is adorable! Congrats!
They are my heart!!
Ugh! We had water leaking in our bathroom too and are looking at some renovations ourselves. While I look forward to the end product I don’t really enjoy the renovations themselves. Best of luck to you! Your photos are beautiful.
Thank you, Joanne and good luck on the reno’s!
How fun. I’m thinking of painting a few rooms soon. Wish me luck.
Rebecca
OOOh! Paint can make SUCH a big difference!! Good Luck!
I agree… that tub looks like another reno! Yay! ๐
I am working on a mood board right now! ๐
Wow, what a year you had, Libbie! Isn’t it remarkable to look back and really take stock of all that happened? Obviously, you did way more than binge watch Netflix! Love your renovation pictures, especially that kitchen vent hood … gorgeous! And congratulations on those two beautiful grandbabies! ๐
Right?!?! Who knew we were so productive!
Happy New Year!
Congratulations on the arrival of your sweet Grandchildren, Libbie! Your renovations and home updates are very inspiring! Thank you for sharing and for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party Community. Iโm featuring this post at the party this week. Hope to โseeโ you there! Take care, stay well, and I wish you a wonderful week!
Thank you, April! I may have missed the party last week- I took the week to be with those adorable babies but will head over this week!! ๐
Ooops, and double eeeeeek!!!!! Methinks new renovation too ๐ and your grandbabies are adorable Libbie. So cool that they were born a few apart. Best growing-up buddies for life.
I really enjoyed seeing all your projects. Your taste is impeccable and so unique too. Can’t wait to see what you’ll be doing in 2021. I hope it’s a good one for you and your growing family <3
Thank you, Michelle! It’s a wonderful life moment once those grand littles arrive!
Your renovations look amazing! I love the tile and the hood! And congrats on your other additions -so precious!
Libbie:
Our lives sound pretty similar right now. We too have a couple of properties we turned into vacation rentals. We also have a new hole in our bathroom from a recent shower leak. My husband built me a coastal theme vent cover for my stove hood and just laid tile on our front entry. Not nearly as detailed as yours though!!
You two have been busy and the best of all are those two precious grandbabies!
Love your style, Libbie!
Xx Melanie