We just bought a house and got moved in. This is the first time in our nearly seven years of marriage that we've been home owners. I've always enjoyed doing projects around the house, but there's something different about doing projects in a home that you own .
Yesterday after work and before bed, I knocked out several projects:
Doorknobs
I turned the bonus room into my office, which previously had "hall and closet" doorknobs that didn't lock. I picked up a couple "bed and bath" doorknobs and installed them to prevent the small humans in my house from interrupting me during video calls.
Gate, coat hooks, floor shelf. "Mud room."
At the back of our kitchen we have a set of stairs that lead up to the bonus room. We need to prevent Joshua from going up the stairs, so I added a gate with a door to replace the fixed gate we used to have at the base of the stairs. Since we don't have a proper mud room, I put up some coat hooks that were accessible to both kids and adults. Sophia should know exactly where to put her jacket and backpack when she gets home from school. I'm not entirely sold on the shelf for shoes, but that's what we're going with for now.
Sliding pocket doors!
This home was built in 1986 and has sliding pocket doors between the kitchen and family room and between the master bed and bath. The doors had been sort of hopping along the rails, so I applied some Silicone WD-40, which helped a bunch. The silicone part is key. You don't want to use oil-based lubricants around your carpet or fabric (e.g. for a drapery traverse rod) since it can stain. Silicone spray is a touch more expensive but worth it.
Spoils of victory
After finishing my projects, I had some cake!