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Today’s blog post is all about the projects I have lined up for this summer! It’s definitely an ambitious list, but if I can’t complete all of them this summer, they will just go on my list for next year. If anything, I hope it’ll inspire you to try some new projects this summer!

For Christmas this past year my parents got the hubs and I a Ring Video Doorbell. It’s been too cold up until recently to install it (at least for me), but I’m super excited to get it up and running so we are able to see who comes to our house when we are not there. For example, Amazon packages, oil deliveries, and my farm share as of today!

The next thing I have to do is replace the gate to the garden. I built it with leftover scrapwood, however I did not have any wood that was long enough to stretch the entire length of the gate, so there are multiple wood pieces that create the main framework of the gate. It’s a little wobbly and less sturdy than the gate I built for the entire fenced in yard, so I need to fix that.

I also built my deck sofas over 3 years ago now and they are looking a little weathered as they remain outside uncovered all winter. The deck stain I used is starting to wear off and there are some parts of the sofa frames that could use some reinforcement. Overall though, I’m super pleased with how these are holding up considering our long, harsh winters and how inexpensive they were to build. Click the links for tutorials to the DIY sofas I made for myself and the loveseat I made for my sister.

For Mother’s & Father’s day I plan on making my parents a loveseat for their new deck they had built for their RV. While I may not have full tutorials for this or the above projects, I will definitely be sharing progress on my instagram! If you don’t follow me yet, be sure to get over there and follow me for updates between tutorials!

I have the next few weekends off after this weekend, so I am hoping I can get the garden planted as long as the weather remains nice and warm. Tomorrow we are sadly expected to get snow. I figured mid-to-end of May may be the best time to plant, as hopefully the weather will be better.

Our biggest project of the summer though is to redo our deck. Our railing is at the end of its days, the stairs need some care, and the deck in general needs to be cleaned and restained. During the summer I absolutely love to spend time in our backyard and am looking to completely replace and update the railing with a less view-obstructing material. I would love to be able to look out the sliding glass doors in our eat-in kitchen and see the garden through the deck railings.

To get the unobstructed views I am looking for, I am looking to install a cable railing system in the design seen above. I still have to run a cost comparison of installing a cable railing vs. a traditional railing, as cost will be a determining factor when replacing the deck railing.

I also have a few projects from last year that I did not complete either. One is the antique hutch I took from my parents basement to redo. I have only sanded one little section of wood on it. The finish is very brittle, so sanding shouldn’t take long, however it also needs new shelves inside and a new doorfront as well. This will be the first project where I actually refinish something rather than build from scratch. I’m not much of an antique lover, but I do love seeing the potential in unique pieces.

Another project that I never completed were the butcher block cutting boards I was going to make for Christmas last year out of the remaining butcher block that was leftover from my parent’s kitchen island. These have to get done and really shouldn’t take that long to complete.

Renovated Faith gave me the idea of replacing all of the door knobs inside the house that are gold in color with oil rubbed bronze ones. I have quite a few interior doors so replacing all the doorknobs, latch strikes, and interior hinges would be quite expensive. It’s one of the “looks” I miss about our previous house and I think it gives an updated appearance. She has a great tutorial on updating them to last that I would love to try! Doesn’t the final product look amazing!?!?!

I would also love to finish the upstairs bathroom as well. Last year we completed a bathroom refresh and I painted the vanity. I would love to refinish the vanity top so that it is all white and matches the trim, as well as lay down some vinyl plank flooring over the pink-beige tile. I feel this would complete the bathroom makeover and give it a more cohesive look.

If I have any time leftover this summer I would love to install a drip irrigation system for the garden so that I don’t have to worry about watering it multiple times per day to prevent it from drying out. I would also love to build a potting bench with a sink that can be hooked up to a hose so that I can replant my potted plants outside on a counter-height surface as well as pre-wash my garden vegetables to avoid less mess in the kitchen.

The above picture is my inspiration for the potting bench. The Handyman’s Daughter made hers from a bench seat she had built awhile ago. I absolutely love the benchtop and storage beneath, but would probably add more shelves somewhere.

Well, that’s all of my projects so far that I have lined up for this summer. In-between projects I plan to soak up a lot of the New England sunshine this summer. I’d love to hear what you plan to create this summer! Send me an email or leave a comment below!