New House: Second Floor Before Pics + To-Do List

To round the week off nicely, I thought I would finish up our "inside" to do list by posting the second floor. The first floor to do list made its appearance yesterday and I am feeling pretty good about it so far. Attainable, exciting and a bit of elbow grease. So without further ado, lets move forward and talk about what awaits at the top of those carpeted stairs.
The Stairwell

This is a very non-eventful area of the house...which is kind of nice. One of the positives about this stairwell in particular is that it is a bit wider than a lot of stairwells. In fact, the first house we put an offer (and lost in a bidding war, of course)on had a very, very narrow stairway...so this is one of those parts of the new house where we know we ended up with the right one in the end.
The Stairwell (Phase 1)

Take down the existing curtains and put up something neutral that matches the entryway.
Change wall color to Comfort Gray by Sherwin Williams (same as entryway).
Paint a fresh coat of white paint on the wainscoting and trim.
Hang art work (trying to decide if we should do a TON or do something minimal).
Install our more "permanent" baby gate at the top of the stairway.

(Phase 2)

Tear up the carpet and refinish the hardwoods that are beneath.
Probably fix a few squeaky steps while we are at it.

The Hall/Linen Closet

Did you see these built-ins and smile a bit inside at their glorious storage potential? I know I did/do constantly! This was a hot seller for us too. In our previous home, we had a lot of storage but none of it was where we needed it to be. No hall closets, no entry closets, no pantry....you get the idea. Well, this house has the storage AND in all the right places. Praise all good things-eh?
The Hall/Linen Closet To Do (Phase 1):

Change wall color to Comfort Gray by Sherwin Williams (same as entryway and stairwell).
Sand, strip, and refinish the doors to their natural state.
Paint the inside of the closet with a fresh coat of white paint, and the backs of each shelf a bold color, probably Cooled Blue by Sherwin Williams if there is any left over from the kitchen!
Repaint the white in all areas for freshness.
Add a light fixture that bring life and character to the hall, maybe something like this or this?
Add new knobs and pulls...maybe something along the lines of this, this or this.

(Phase 2)

Tear up the carpet and refinish the hardwoods that are beneath.

The Bath Hall/Balcony Exit

This little area would be very useful if we were going to be using the second floor balcony but we have decided not to. First off, there are no railings on it right now, second, our home owners' insurance would increase a lot, and third, we have a crazy-exploring-curious little boy who would most surely try to escape out the door if he got the chance. So, we were told to seal it up and make it inaccessible and that's the current plan. Down the road we plan on fixing it up so it can become a quiet, coffee-drinking retreat but that can wait for now (wouldn't this be sweet?). Safety first!.
The Bath Hall/Balcony Exit To Do (Phase 1):

Change wall color to Comfort Gray by Sherwin Williams (same as entryway and stairwell).
Paint white areas with a fresh coat of paint.
Figure out a solution to block the door without it being obvious that that is what we are doing.
Hang a small gallery wall to warm the space up.

(Phase 2)

Tear up the carpet and refinish the hardwoods that are beneath.
Finish the balcony up real nice.

The Upstairs Bath

Again, similar to what I said in yesterday's post, one of the selling points of this house was that there are two full baths. However, have I mentioned yet how much I dislike this flooring that was laid in many places throughout the house yet? Its okay if you think it looks great...it is just not my taste, at all. So, besides this bathroom being a bathroom...there isn't much else I enjoy. We hope to gut it at some point because nothing is in great shape, but for now we will have to spruce it up the best we can and hope we enjoy the space a bit more.
The Upstairs Bath To Do List (Phase 1):

Paint the walls Fawn Brindle by Sherwin Williams.
Repaint all of the white areas with a fresh coat of white with a higher gloss finish.
Replace the knobs and pulls.
Decide on an accent color and accessories for the space.
Hang a ceiling high, white shower curtain.
Hang artwork (find some artwork?).
Change out the faucet for a more functional design (current one has one flow speed-WATERFALL).
Frame in the builder grade mirror with molding and trim.
Maybe paint the countertops? ...What?
Line and organize all the drawers and cabinets with bins and baskets.
Figure out a low-key, high privacy window treatment.

(Phase 2)

Tear out the floor and tile the floor.
Remove large vanity and replace with something like this but DIY and budget friendly.
Tear out the dated toilet and replace with a crisp, white one.
Rip out the tub and shower...replace with a tub and tile to the ceiling shower.
Replace shower knobs and shower head.

If you read all the steps in phase 2 correctly....we really just want to gut this one and start over.
The Guest Bedroom

This is an interesting room to me because this room really doesn't matter that much. Hopefully within the next year (or so) we will have a new person to put into this room...(that is code that we are not trying to have a baby just yet but kinda soonish..maybe)? Whether that be because we have had a second baby or moved forward with foster care, it seems silly to invest a lot of time and effort into a room that we know will change soon. For now, it will be filled with all the leftover things in the house...our old bed set, old curtains, older decor items...you know- only the best for our guests ;) (but really...I will make it nice for those of you who actually stay at our house overnight-don't worry).
The Guest Room To Dos:

Paint over the "Dream until your dreams come true" wall decal. I'm not a fan of this wall decal...just not my style. :)
Paint the rest of the room Comfort Gray by Sherwin Williams (same as entryway and stairwell).
Take down the curtains, raise the rods, and then hang neutral window treatments.
Replace the light fixture with something modern and/or eclectic.
Make a baby to put into this room...

(Phase 2)

Tear out the carpet and refinish the hardwood floors.

The Nursery (Asa's Room)

Our little man's room! As you can see, it is in need of some serious snuggles and lovin'. I can't wait to RIP this carpet out. Sure, sure, it might look okay in the pictures but is just isn't. Plus, we KNOW there are hardwoods just waiting for us underneath it. We do not necessarily know the state of the hardwoods though :(. Planning this room out is kind of bittersweet because I really and truly adored his old nursery. It was so sweet and had held so many beautiful memories already....I digress. Moving forward...
The Nursery To Do List:

Paint the walls Scanda by Sherwin Williams.
Repaint all the trim and door with a fresh coat of white.
Remove the curtains and put up some kind of window treatment (old room curtains worked with two windows...new room has three).
Hang Asa's art work.
Maximize the closet storage by adding shelves and an addition bar.
Replace the smallest ceiling fan in the entire world with a fun lighting fixture (maybe this or this).

(Phase 2)

Tear out the carpet and refinish the hardwood floors.

The Master Bedroom

Not so master of anything right now-huh? We are excited about this room in general because our old bedroom was in a converted attic space. While the old space got an A for coolness, it got a C- in head space. The new room has totally normal ceiling heights- cha-ching! That's master enough in my book!
The Master Bedroom To Dos (Phase 1):

Paint the walls Elder White by Sherwin Williams. It will probably need a few coats of primer, too.
Take down existing curtains and hang up floor length curtains.
Figure out additional storage because that little closet isn't going to be enough for Josh and I.
Add a statement light fixture. I don't have any idea what yet.
Execute another tone on tone room successfully except this one will have pops of yellow.
Paint the trim and door white (fresh fresh fresh).
Strip the wall paper in the closet and give it a fresh coat of white paint.

(Phase 2)

Tear out the carpet and refinish the hardwood floors.

Some final thoughts...

and a squishy baby to look at.
While making this list is a great way to get started...I keep reminding myself that it doesn't all have to get done in a week. Although I am sure I will put my best effort in to get it done in a week, ha.
Now that we have gone through the entire inside of the house, I remember a few tasks that are overall encompassing. Here goes...

We would like to find old doors to replace the ones they replace the old ones with. These new fangled hollow doors are just not working in this house. Almost all of them are off a bit in the frame. We've got to problem solve this.
Possibly investing in nice blinds (wooden or upgraded but not actual wood) for the entire house. This probably won't happen until college funds are stocked but at least we know where we want our money to go!
Replacing the outlet covers with new ones...a lot of them are old, painted on, and rather dingy.

Gosh, I think that's all for now. I guess we have our hands full but as a wise person once told me... at least they are full of good things! Ta, ta!

Feel free to join me on Pinterest as I gather inspiration for the new house!