10 Projects I Loved So Much I Did Them Twice

I have a really fun list to share with you today. You see, I was recently thinking about how over the years there have been a few projects that I replicated almost perfectly from one house to the next. Projects I was so proud of that I just had to do them again.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized there were actually quite a few projects on that list! So, I decided to make a thing of it. And today, we’re going to talk about ten projects that I’ve done a second time. Some of them even a third time!

Because, if I loved it enough to do it more than once, it just might be a project you want to consider trying, too!

10 Projects I Did More Than Once

Chalkboard on the Fence

We added this huge (4′ x 8′) chalkboard to the fence in our first house and it was so fun to have when Jackson was little. I’ve always said I wanted to do it again, and last spring I finally did! I made it a lot smaller this time (I used a half sheet of plywood, so it’s 4′ x 4′). It’s just as much fun as it was the first time around, and I’m so glad I took the time to make it for the kids.

This is a super affordable project that only takes a few hours to put together, and it’s guaranteed fun for the kids all spring and summer. I’d make it again and again!

Board & Batten Accent Wall

The first time I ever did board & batten, it was in Grant’s nursery in our last house. I loved the classic look of it and the texture it added to the room. So, when I was looking for something fun to add to our garage in this house, it was one of the first things I thought of! And…my best friend Parisa loved my garage wall so much that she asked me to add one to hers, too.

That’s right – three board and batten accent walls! Plus, one full room of board and batten. It’s a classic wall treatment that is so incredibly easy to install. I do a cheater’s version of board & batten, and I don’t install a flat board underneath. This is something people often do to cover up the texture, but I’m all about embracing the natural texture of the walls. It’s fine.

DIY Photo Display

The giant photo display that I had hanging in our first home’s dining room was one of my most treasured pieces. it was one of the very first things Corey and I ever built together, and I loved changing up the photos throughout the year. I also loved that anytime someone came over for dinner, they’d spend time admiring all of our photos and it was a great chance to share some sweet family memories!

When we moved into this house, I had a big blank wall upstairs that was an obvious choice for doing a similar display. I kept the design basically exactly the same as the first time around because I loved it so much. It’s been such a special display, and the boys get so excited every time they notice I’ve changed the photos. My favorite place to have them printed is Parabo Press – they have a great larger size that comes in matte, and the paper quality is fantastic!

Wood Accent Wall

These are two very different versions of the same basic idea – and I love both of them a lot! Right before we left our first house, we added this charred wood accent wall to our bedroom. It was such a statement – I loved the warmth it brought to the room. It felt like a really unexpected and unique choice for our bedroom, and I was always sad we left before we really got to enjoy it. So, when I was thinking about ways to add some interest to Jackson’s room, a wood wall was high on my list!

In this house, we went with a faux treatment – first in Jackson’s room, and again in the laundry room! it’s peel and stick vinyl planking! It’s been up for about 9 months so far and still looks just as good as it did on the day I installed it. Zero peeling or other issues! We used this product, and I would 100% use it again and again!

Cedar-Planked Ceiling

In both of our first two houses, I added cedar planking to the ceiling in our bathrooms. It was one of my very favorite touches and I’ve honestly been considering doing it here, too! It makes the room feel so beyond cozy and welcoming, and it brings such a spa-like vibe to the space! I had the idea when we were renovating our first bathroom and I really wanted to highlight the tall, vaulted ceilings. And I loved it so much that when we were doing our second bathroom, I had to have it again.

I can almost guarantee you that sometime in the future, you’ll see this treatment happening yet again. Our bathroom sometimes feels a tad sterile and definitely needs some wood accents. I think this would be the perfect way to make it happen.

DIY Wood Mantel

One of these fireplaces is a makeover of an existing fireplace, and the other I built from scratch. But, both of them have the exact same mantel! Corey helped me put together this wood mantel when we were giving the fireplace in our last home a new look, and we loved it so much that we decided to replicate it here.

It’s a super simple and affordable project – both of them were built with plain ol’ pine wood. It’s a beginner-friendly project, too. My favorite kind!

Oh, and speaking of fireplaces…take those two photos above and add one more for our next project!

Shiplap on the Fireplace

That’s right – in every home we’ve lived in, we’ve added shiplap to the fireplace! I think it’s such an accessible and affordable way to give a fireplace a fresh look, and I’m not tired of it yet. Even after three houses! I love that even with the same material for the majority of the fireplace, they all have completely different looks.

• In our first house, the shiplap was wrapped around the entire fireplace. We had a small tile accent and we chose to go with something bold and punchy. And, of course, we had the most show-stopping handmade mantel ever. I miss it so much!
• In our second house, we chose to paint the shiplap black for a little drama. The tile surround is a little bigger, and we went with something a little more neutral. Also, a little fancier! We made the DIY mantel that I just talked about for the final touch!
• And finally, this house didn’t have a fireplace when we first purchased it! We added a DIY electric fireplace, complete with a hearth with built-in storage. I added Roman clay to the bottom part of the fireplace for some extra texture, and it’s 100% my favorite part of the whole thing. Then, the shiplap is painted to match the walls and it goes all the way to the top of the 18-foot ceiling!

Simple Floating Shelves

We’ve done these exact shelves in two houses now, and both times once I was done I couldn’t possibly imagine them not being there. They 100% belong! I get asked where I got these DIY floating shelves just about every time they show up in photos, and I love getting to tell people I built them all on my own. Here’s the post all about adding them to our last house, and here you can see the details from when we added them here.

Having big, floor-to-ceiling floating shelves like this makes a huge impact, and adds so much function to a space. I use mine to hold aaaaall the plants, but in our last house it was just a great display space for books, baskets of stuff, and just about anything else. I would do these shelves in our home again and again and again.

Built-In Billy Bookcases

Built-in bookcases aren’t anything particularly unique or unusual, but man do I ever love them! The first time we added them, it was in Jackson’s nursery in our first home. They added so much storage to the small room, and I love how they looked, too.

I’ve always wanted to do it again, but didn’t ever really have the right space to make it happen. Until we were giving Grant’s room a makeover last year! The built-in bookcases I added are probably my favorite touch in the whole room. I know they’ll be so great for him as he gets older and has more he wants to store in his room. He has so much room to grow right now, and I love knowing that he has plenty of storage space as new things get brought into the house!

Bead Board in the Entry

Last but not least, our last two homes have both had bead board added to the entry! I’ve always loved the classic, traditional look of bead board paneling, and adding it to the entry in our last house was my first time ever working with it. I was obsessed with how much it added to our little entry – before, it felt so boring and one-note. With the bead board, it felt cozy and welcoming and intentional.

So, when I was planning for the entry in this house, doing bead board again just felt natural! Our ceilings here are much taller, so I decided to go big and make the bead board run about a 6′ off the ground. I also painted it a much bolder color than the last time around. But, the basic idea is the same!

And that’s it. The 10 projects I loved so much I did them twice (or sometimes, three times!).

I’m sure over the next few years we’ll have even more project re-dos. Because, sometimes a project is just so good you’ve gotta do it more than once!