I love where we live. It’s a two-bedroom condo in a nice neighborhood. We have friendly neighbors and even though we’re not really close to much, we’re not really very far from anything either. We can get to Woodbridge in about the same amount of time it takes us to get to Arlington. We can get to both Silver Spring, MD and Delaplane, VA in a little less than an hour, traffic permitting.

That said, the complex where we live was built in the mid 1980s and it’s starting to show its age a bit. Because the units are basically starter homes, virtually no one has done any upgrades. They all have the same chunky, ugly vanities in the bathrooms, the same oak cabinets in the kitchens and the same scary mirrored doors on all the closets. I know because I peek in windows at night while we’re walking Chester. Is that creepy? Am I the only one who does that? Okay, it’s creepy. I don’t care.

I also make sure to scope out real estate listings as they come available. There are several units on the market right now, all of which have the awful cabinets.

One of the listings available in our complex

Another listing, slightly updated, but is this better? Really?

And our kitchen

Our kitchen from another angle

Over the past two years, Doug and I have gone a long way toward prettying up the place, mainly through furniture, paint and curtains. You can see most of the living areas in this post.

Several weeks ago, I decided it was time to get started on remodeling the bathroom. The first step was to replace the vanity. I had been putting it off, well, because I had never done any plumbing before. Luckily, that went fairly well. I’ll have some pictures later today or early next week. We still have tile to do, but since that’s another intimidating project that neither of us has ever done before, we’re hesitant.

However, painting, now that’s something we can do! Especially since we have John and Sherry to help. Who are John and Sherry? The new Bob Vila, that’s who. They are a couple of twenty-somethings who started a blog called Young House Love about DIY efforts in their first house and have continued one house later. It was they who gave me courage to try the vanity replacement in the first place. It was also they who convinced me that we could paint the kitchen cabinets and make them look a lot better than what we have now, even if we can’t afford to replace them. We owe them a debt of gratitude. They’re also very funny. You should be reading their blog if you’re not already.

Anyway, back to the project. Here’s what we’re going for, sort of.

The cabinets will be white, the floors (eventually) dark, the appliances (eventually) stainless steel, the countertops (eventually) butcher block and though these walls are white, ours will be the same grey as the living room. We’ll also likely have to replace the sink and faucet when we do the countertops. We will not be taking down upper cabinets though. We like the open shelving in front of the window, but having all open shelving is too much for us.

So, into the breach! I’ll post photos as I go so you can see the progress.

Are you tackling any really big projects around the house?

P.S. For more as I pin, check out the kitchen inspiration board I have going for the project.