This week we dig into a new survey that reveals the top homebuyer regrets — the features people end up wishing they hadn’t bought. The results are both revealing and a little surprising. We also discuss a study comparing millennial dads with baby boomer dads (and one result sparked a strong reaction around here). Plus: a literal mess at our beach duplex, the pragmatic—and odd—solutions we tried, design customs from around the globe, and our recommendations for summer listening and reading.
You can also find this episode on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, and Spotify.
What’s New
- We had a gross surprise at the duplex: a flock of birds roosting on the fence left a huge amount of droppings on the patio, furniture, windows, and even the siding. Our cleaner was stunned at how much there was to remove.
- To solve it we tried a couple of humane deterrents. Placing lifelike decoy owls in the yard discouraged the birds from using the tiny backyard as their bathroom — problem solved, at least for now.
- We also hung reflective bird-deterrent discs from the trees. They actually look pretty decorative and have helped reduce the spotting on the pink house and duplex.
- If you missed earlier episodes about protecting our landscaping from deer, see our discussions in Episode #99 and Episode #142 for those ongoing struggles and creative fixes.
Game Time: Homeowner Hindsights
- We explored the homeowner-regrets survey and discussed the features people most often regret buying. If you want the original study summary, it’s linked in the show notes for deeper numbers and insights.
- A lot of the conversation focused on hardwood floors. We shared how even very worn hardwood can be restored to look new again—see our duplex floors example above and the beach house pine floors below.
- These are the beach house’s 100+ year-old heart pine floors before refinishing.
- And here are the same floors after a few days of refinishing—proof that refinishing can completely transform an old surface.
- We also linked our full account of what it’s like living through a floor refinish—useful if you’re planning a similar project.
Updates
- We talked about the Charmin Forever Roll and why some brands are marketing super-long-lasting toilet rolls—there’s an article breaking down the thinking behind those products in our episode notes.
- We revisited the topic of Millennials “killing” certain household staples and trends like skipping doorbells in favor of texts—fun generational observations we originally covered in Episode #92.
- We also reacted to headlines claiming millennial dads lack DIY skills compared with baby boomers, based on survey data. It surprised us that so many households reportedly don’t even own basic tools, so we recommended a simple, inexpensive tool kit to fix that.
Global Design Norms
- We shared photos and notes about steep “Dutch-style” stairs that a listener suggested—those images are eye-opening and a little vertigo-inducing.
- We also discussed high-tech delivery solutions like in-garage access services for package drop-offs, and compared those to rural in-house mail traditions shared by listeners.
We’re Digging
- While the podcast takes a summer break, here are shows and books we recommend. Sabrina Soto’s new podcast, “Redesigning Life with Sabrina Soto,” features us as guests this week, and you can find her series wherever you listen to podcasts.
- We reflected on early podcast interviews, including our first guest Sabrina and Orlando Soria’s entertaining work on TV. Orlando’s playful style still cracks us up.
- For a newsier true-crime business story, we recommended ABC News’ The Dropout, which details Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos in a compelling, well-produced series.
- On the reading front, we praised the WWII narrative Unbroken for its gripping storytelling and recommended Seabiscuit as the author’s other major work worth exploring. If you’ve seen the Unbroken movie, we’d love to hear how it compares to the book.
If you want to revisit anything we’ve covered in past episodes, check our master list of recommended topics and the Book Club page for all the books we’ve highlighted over time.
A big thank-you to Grove Collaborative for sponsoring this episode. New customers can sign up at Grove.co/YHL and receive a free Mrs. Meyers 5-piece cleaning set with a qualifying first purchase.
Thanks for listening and reading—enjoy the summer and we’ll be back with more episodes and projects soon!
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