My Next House Project?

For the first 5 months after buying my first home I was constantly doing projects on it. Once Winter came though...I kinda lost that drive and motivation when the daylight hours became limited and I was going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark. Now that it's springtime again and it's starting to stay light out later I'm looking for my next project. Not to mention that I'm getting tired of people asking me what my next house project will be and not having an answer for them. There are LOTS of things that I WANT to do and nothing that I really NEED to do besides landscape/pool maintenance. So here's a list of what I want to do...

1. New Roof: It is painfully obvious to me that I need a new roof just by looking at it. It's a comp shingle roof and the asphalt tiles are basically disintegrating. This is something that I've known I'd have to do since last year but my big dilemma is that it doesn't appear to be leaking AT ALL! Even after this wetter than normal winter I don't seem to have any issues which is great! So why fix something that's not broken? Exactly...I'll probably put this project off...and it's going to cost some $$$.

2. New Balcony Deck: This is another project I've been wanting to do since the beginning. The current balcony just looks like crap with cheap looking fence panels for railing and the flooring is asphalt roofing. Ideally I'd build a wooden deck above the asphalt and build a new wood railing painted white to match the other balcony. Sounds simple enough right? Well, I'm a bit worried that all the added weight of the wood on the roof/patio awning will be too much. Luckily I have an amazing structural engineer for a girlfriend ;) Maybe she will help me figure this one out. This project will also cost a nice chunk of change but is likely the best candidate for my next big project.

3. Studio (Man Cave): There is an area of my back yard that is on a slope and has no real use. I really want to build a studio or shed in this area but can't decide if I want to have it up on stilts to be at grade like the existing deck or if I should dig a little bit and have it set a little bit further down the hill and build a retaining wall to hold back the dirt. I think it would be cooler to dig it down but either way this will be another pricey project.

4. Upstairs Bathroom Remodel: A couple months ago I got this bug to draw designs to remodel the dated upstairs bathroom. The major problem is the flow of the bathroom just sucks and it's definitely like stepping into the 70's. I have a lot of different layouts and styles in mind but I'm afraid that my tastes are too expensive for my budget. Again, this is probably something that will get put off until I can find a hookup on tile/cabinets/granite.

5. Built in Outdoor Kitchen & BBQ: I know what you're thinking...but it's still not a slam dunk. If I'm going to put in the effort to do this I'm going to do it right. And that will take a lot of research and careful planning. I'll want to build a BBQ smoke pit obviously and I'll probably want to have a traditional grill as well. Not to mention plenty of counter space and a sink. My ideal setup would allow me to do ALL of my food prep, cooking, and post cooking activities at this station and not leave a huge mess in the kitchen like i have been doing. I already have a water hookup out there so...yea, done deal.

....to be continued