Many of you are busy professional builders. Many others are highly accomplished enthusiasts taking on project after project. As such, you undoubtedly all have to-do lists. But, what’s your personal home-improvement to-do list looking like? Is your house the four-walls-and-a-roof version of the cobbler’s kids? If I get to thinking about all of the little things, my to-do list is pretty long, but my short list has some of the classics.

Priority one is a shed. I live in a raised ranch. Unlike a split-level, this house looks like a fairly typical New England colonial from the outside-at least from the front. Unfortunately, it’s about as architecturally interesting as reality TV is full of deep meaning. Besides currently being a rather boring specimen, its real downfall is that it has no basement. The overall floor plan or layout suits my family well, but not having a basement makes life tough. More accurately, it makes life cluttered. We need a shed. The good news is there is no shortage of information on this subject right at my fingertips.

My second priority item is a new kitchen counter. The previous owner of my house, the original owner, had a strong appreciation for white. We have white tile floors and white countertops. Bad call on both accounts in my opinion. The tiles floor is going to stay for now, but the countertop is a laminate and looks a bit worse for wear. The cabinets are in good shape and have rather timeless styling, so a new countertop would freshen up the kitchen without having to do a complete remodel. The white tile backsplash might have to go too. The overhead light needs attention as well, but at least the cabinets and floor can stay–for now.

If I limit my short list to three items, the last project on my to-do list is adding more plywood flooring to my attic. This, like the shed, is in the interest of more storage. The good news is that the insulation is at floor joist level, so I can just add more plywood for more storage. In a perfect world, my attic wouldn’t hold anything but air and insulation, but a family house with no real storage is far from perfect.

So, what’s on your to-do list?

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