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The eight renovation projects in Yellow Brick Home’s April 22, 2026 roundup span an 1887 Chicago home, its garden apartment, and a Michigan “Red House.” The work ranges from siding, windows, and a porch refresh to a tenant-occupied bathroom conversion, deck furnishing, landscape lighting, and several custom built-ins. The roundup is a progress snapshot, not a final status report: only the bathroom is explicitly confirmed complete in a May 6, 2026 comment, while the source does not establish what happened to the other seven projects after April.
Here is what each project included, where it stood in the published update, and what the combined list reveals about coordinating a large renovation without losing track of scope, sequencing, or daily life.
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The projects are divided between three Chicago efforts and five at the Michigan Red House. Scott describes the household as acting as its own general contractors and master planners, “eating this whale one bite at a time.” That phrase captures the central fact of the roundup: these are separate scopes with different dependencies, not one single remodel with one finish date.
| Project | Property | Scope in the April 22 update | Evidence of status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior siding, windows, and porch | Chicago home | Re-side the 1887 house, replace the final 10 windows, and refresh the front porch | In design or execution; completion not reported |
| Living room and kitchen refresh | Chicago home | New paint color, rearranged gallery wall, new curtains, TV frame, and replacement sofa | In design or execution; completion not reported |
| Garden-apartment bathroom | Chicago garden apartment | Replace tub with an open walk-in shower; raise ceiling; update ventilation, lighting, shower fixtures, and tile | May 6 comment says renovation was complete |
| Deck furnishing | Michigan Red House | Furnish the completed large deck for grilling and evenings outdoors | Deck completed in earnest in February; furnishing completion not reported |
| Landscape lighting | Michigan Red House | Plan front and rear lighting with MoonCast after a walkthrough | Planned; installation not reported |
| Entryway built-in | Michigan Red House | Integrated cabinetry with shoe, hat, and glove drawers, coat hooks, and concealed storage | Planned; completion not reported |
| Living-room built-in | Michigan Red House | Side-table and bookshelf surround designed by Norman Leigh; vintage sofa at an upholstery shop | In design or execution; completion not reported |
| Kids’ room | Michigan Red House | Paint millwork, ceiling, and closet; add wallpaper; plan a four-twin-bed built-in | Still planning and measuring the bunk unit |
The table reflects only what the source documents. The authors expected most work to be complete by midyear, but that April expectation is not evidence that the projects finished, and it should not be read as a November 2026 update.
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What was planned for the Chicago exterior?
The exterior plan combines three visible pieces of work: new siding for the 1887 Chicago house, replacement of the final 10 windows, and a front-porch refresh. Combining them is logical because siding, window trim, and porch details meet at the building envelope; decisions made for one area can affect the others’ appearance and installation sequence.
The authors said they were partnering with James Hardie on the exterior and working with TimberTech on the porch. Those names identify the relationships described in the source, not a product comparison or a recommendation. No product model, color, installation date, cost, or completed-performance claim is provided.
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For a homeowner reading this as a planning example, the important scope lesson is to define the entire exterior package before ordering individual materials. The “last 10 windows” may be a smaller count than a whole-house replacement, but the work still has to coordinate openings, trim, weather protection, and the porch’s visual relationship to the newly sided facade. The roundup does not say which task came first, so any precise sequence would be speculation.
How did the living-room and kitchen refresh grow beyond paint?
The Chicago interior project began with a paint-color change and expanded into a broader living-room refresh. The new color was described as lighter and brighter. The plan also included rearranging the gallery wall, adding new curtains, installing a new TV frame, and replacing the sofa.
This is a useful example of how paint can expose mismatches elsewhere in a room. A lighter wall can change how art, window fabric, a television surround, and upholstery read together, prompting updates that were not part of the initial brief. The source does not name the paint color, curtain fabric, sofa, or TV-frame model, and it does not report a finished installation.
Because the kitchen is named in the project title but the listed changes center on the living room, readers should not assume a kitchen demolition or cabinet replacement occurred. The documented scope is a color-led refresh with furniture, window treatment, display, and media-wall adjustments.
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What changed in the garden-apartment bathroom?
The bathroom renovation replaced a tub with an open walk-in shower and added several supporting upgrades: a raised ceiling, ventilation and lighting work, new shower fixtures, and tile throughout. In a May 6, 2026 comment on the same page, Scott wrote, “The renovation is complete. Our tenants stayed put.”
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The tenant detail matters because it explains the operating plan during construction. Scott said the bathroom was made usable at night, while tenants used other showers during the day. That arrangement allowed the occupants to remain in place, but it also required a temporary schedule and access to alternate bathing facilities. The source does not provide the project’s cost, duration, contractor, tile type, fixture models, or permit details.
From a scope standpoint, the shower conversion was more than a fixture swap. Raising the ceiling, changing ventilation and lighting, installing new fixtures, and tiling the room all touch different trades and can reveal conditions behind the existing tub enclosure. The published account confirms the completed outcome only at a high level; it does not document waterproofing methods or inspection results.
What was happening on the Red House deck?
The large Red House deck was completed “in earnest” in February 2026, and the next task was furnishing it for outdoor grilling and relaxed evenings. The roundup does not name furniture pieces, dimensions, materials, brands, or an installation date for the furnishings.
That distinction separates construction from use. A finished deck can still be an unfinished outdoor room if seating, dining surfaces, lighting, and cooking arrangements have not been selected. The authors’ description establishes the intended activities—grilling and spending low-key evenings outside—but not a specific layout or product choice.
Readers planning a similar space should treat furniture as a fit-and-function exercise: measure clear walking paths, decide whether meals or lounging take priority, and account for weather exposure before buying. Those are planning considerations, not details reported about the Red House, whose final furnishing status remains unspecified.
What was planned for Red House landscape lighting?
The lighting plan covered both the front and rear of the Michigan house. After an initial walkthrough, the authors planned to work with MoonCast; they said their landscape design team recommended the provider.
No fixture type, wattage, control system, transformer, wiring route, or installation date appears in the source. It is therefore not possible to say whether the design emphasized paths, architectural accents, entertaining areas, security, or a combination. The only confirmed scope is lighting at the front and rear following a walkthrough.
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The project illustrates why a lighting plan is usually made in context with landscape and circulation decisions. Front lighting can address arrival and wayfinding, while rear lighting can support outdoor use, but the final placement depends on the site plan and the owners’ priorities. The roundup records the planning relationship, not the technical design.
How was the Red House entryway storage designed?
The open floor plan lacked a coat closet, so the planned solution was an integrated entryway built-in. The cabinetry was to include drawers for shoes, hats, and gloves, coat hooks, and concealed storage. The authors named Cabinet Joint’s Access Line in Straight Noce for this work.
The scope responds to a specific organizational problem rather than adding storage for its own sake. Open plans often make everyday drop zones visible, so the design has to handle high-use items while keeping the room visually calm. Drawers address small accessories, hooks keep coats accessible, and concealed compartments hide bulkier belongings.
The source does not state the cabinet dimensions, hardware, installation date, or whether the built-in was completed. It also does not provide a drawing showing how the unit meets adjacent walls or circulation paths. Those details would be necessary to reproduce the design and should not be inferred from the progress description.
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Norman Leigh was designing an integrated side-table and bookshelf surround for the Red House living room. The intended purpose was to display vintage decor while adding a side-table function. At the same time, the household’s vintage sofa was at an upholstery shop.
Pairing a built-in with upholstery work suggests a coordinated room update, but the source does not say that the two jobs shared a schedule or contractor. It also does not identify the shelving material, dimensions, storage capacity, or upholstery fabric. The documented design goal is an integrated surround that supports display, not a full living-room reconstruction.
For readers considering a similar project, the planning challenge is balancing fixed cabinetry with movable furniture. A built-in should leave enough clearance for the sofa, preserve comfortable circulation, and place display surfaces where they can be seen without becoming a collision hazard. Those are practical design checks; the article does not report the Red House measurements or final arrangement.
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What was planned for the kids’ room?
The kids’ room had three finish changes and one major built-in in the plan: fresh paint on the millwork, ceiling, and closet; wallpaper; and a large unit containing four twin beds. In the April update, the authors were still planning and measuring the bunk unit.
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Because the bed system was not yet finalized, the room was the clearest example of a project still in definition rather than execution. Measuring a four-bed built-in affects wall lengths, mattress access, guard and ladder locations, lighting, outlets, and maintenance access. None of those technical details are supplied, so the source cannot support a construction drawing or safety assessment.
The paint and wallpaper portions are more straightforward visually, but they still interact with the built-in. Finishing the millwork, ceiling, and closet before or after installation can change cut lines and touch-up requirements. The roundup identifies the intended finishes and bed count, not the final sequence or completion date.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should the eight projects be understood as one renovation program?
They are best read as a portfolio of small and large scopes spread across two properties, with one tenant-occupied space. The Chicago exterior is an envelope project; the living-room refresh is a finish-and-furnishing project; the bathroom is a multi-trade renovation with occupancy constraints; and the Red House work mixes outdoor use, lighting, storage, display, upholstery, and a high-capacity children’s room.
That variety creates natural dependencies. Exterior work can affect trim and porch decisions. A paint refresh can trigger furnishing changes. A bathroom schedule has to protect tenant access. A built-in requires field measurements before fabrication. Outdoor lighting and deck furnishing both depend on how the owners intend to use the yard. The article does not publish a master schedule, so these relationships describe planning logic rather than a reported timeline.
The authors said they intended most projects to be complete by midyear. Since the roundup was published April 22, 2026, that statement was a forward-looking expectation. The only later status supplied in the available data is the May 6 comment confirming the bathroom’s completion. For the other seven projects, readers should treat the published stage—planned, designing, measuring, or furnishing—as the last documented information rather than assume a result.
What can homeowners take from this progress report?
First, define each project by deliverables. “Exterior” becomes siding, 10 windows, and a porch refresh; “bathroom” becomes a shower conversion plus ceiling, ventilation, lighting, fixtures, and tile. Specific scopes make it easier to identify decisions still open and work that can be declared complete.
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Second, separate confirmed facts from intentions. The bathroom has a dated completion comment. The deck has a reported construction milestone but no confirmed furnishing finish. The kids’ room has a measured-but-not-finalized bed unit. Keeping those categories distinct prevents a planning note from being mistaken for an outcome.
Third, plan around people and use. The tenants’ daytime shower arrangement shows how a renovation can continue without moving occupants, provided the household has a workable temporary plan. The deck’s grilling-and-evening goal shows why furnishing belongs in the project brief even after construction ends.
Finally, avoid treating named vendors as evidence of a product review. James Hardie, TimberTech, MoonCast, Cabinet Joint, and Norman Leigh are mentioned in connection with particular scopes, but the source provides no comparative testing, prices, model specifications, or performance measurements. Product selection requires information beyond this progress roundup.
What is confirmed, and what remains unknown?
Confirmed by the source are the eight project scopes, their Chicago or Red House locations, the 1887 age of the Chicago home, the final 10-window exterior scope, and the four-twin-bed target for the kids’ room. The May 6 comment confirms that the garden-apartment bathroom was complete and that tenants stayed during the work, using the renovated bathroom at night and other showers during the day.
Not established are completion dates for the exterior, living-room refresh, deck furnishing, landscape lighting, entryway built-in, living-room built-in, and kids’ room. The source also does not establish budgets, permits, product models, contractor performance, installation quality, or whether the authors’ midyear target was met. Any account claiming those facts would go beyond the documented roundup.
For the full first-party account, see Yellow Brick Home’s “8 Renovation Projects We’re Juggling Right Now”, published April 22, 2026, including the May 6 comment.
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Why did the bathroom renovation not require the tenants to move out?
Scott said the tenants stayed in place because the bathroom was usable at night and they used other showers during the day. The comment confirms that arrangement, but it does not describe the building’s full plumbing setup or the renovation schedule.
Are all eight renovation projects finished now?
The available roundup does not establish that. It confirms completion only for the garden-apartment bathroom in a May 6, 2026 comment; the other projects were described at earlier planning or execution stages.
How many projects involved paint or wall finishes?
The Chicago living-room and kitchen refresh centered on a lighter, brighter paint color, and the Red House kids’ room plan included paint on the millwork, ceiling, and closet plus wallpaper. No paint colors, brands, quantities, or final photographs are specified.
What does the four-bed built-in mean for the kids’ room plan?
The intended unit was a large built-in for four twin beds, and the authors were still measuring and planning it in the April update. The source does not provide the dimensions, layout, ladder arrangement, or construction details needed to evaluate the final design.
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