After many requests, here’s a detailed guide on how we use Craigslist to find affordable secondhand treasures and sell items we no longer need. Sherry touched on this topic in an earlier post, but here we focus on practical advice for communicating with sellers and buyers and crafting effective listings. Craigslist can feel intimidating at … Read more

Ok, this post won’t need many words because the videos below do most of the talking. Click play to watch the final “after” tour of our Richmond home as it looked right before showings in early March. If you’re curious about how the showings went, we discuss it in detail on a podcast episode linked … Read more

Tired of fussing with hoses, sprinklers, and timers or watching your lawn brown in the heat? You can install an automated in-ground irrigation system yourself. It takes planning, patience, and physical work, but with careful preparation you can save a lot compared to hiring a pro. Below is a clear, practical account of how we … Read more

Here it is — the post we promised about cutting the cable cord and exactly how much we’re saving. As self-proclaimed TV fans, we’ve often collapsed on the couch after a long day of painting, organizing, or spackling and watched TV to unwind. For that reason, and because many of the channels Sherry prefers (yes, … Read more

Alternate title: Breaking Out John’s Painting Belt It felt like old times. For anyone unfamiliar with the painting belt reference, there’s more background elsewhere. As we mentioned yesterday, we painted Clara’s nursery. Rather than recreate the exact look from our previous home, we used the move as a chance to update the wall color. Since … Read more

We were a little deflated by how unfinished our “new,” tile-ready walls looked. Mostly it was the mismatched, unpainted paneling and the ugly, stained, exposed sections of ceiling that showed up after we removed the upper cabinets. The obvious fix: painting. The paneling took two coats of primer and two coats of paint for good … Read more

Installing drywall doesn’t have to be intimidating — you can do it yourself. I completed our entire laundry room, including the ceiling, in a single day without an extra pair of hands. Below I’ll walk you through the process, the tools and materials I used, and the one tool that made the job much easier. … Read more

There’s been a big change in our kitchen — well, big enough to feel like a new hole in the house. Technically it’s just a new door, but it has totally shifted how we use this space. Our last post showed the kitchen porch we added outside — just steps from the cooking area — … Read more

Clara has had her play kitchen for more than a year and a half, and she still plays with it almost every day — a rare victory considering how quickly most toys get abandoned. Play kitchens clearly hold a special place in our hearts, and this handmade version is extra meaningful because Casey and Phil … Read more

The new floors in our kitchen can be easy to overlook amid the other major changes—a reconfigured layout, a widened doorway to the living room, new cabinets, and new countertops. But every so often we’re reminded that the floors are a huge reason the entire first floor now feels fresh, open, and updated. Here’s a … Read more