We finally painted the office. It happened out of order—after building the wall-to-wall two-person desk—but sometimes DIY works that way. We delayed choosing a color because we didn’t want to commit to a shade and then have to repaint after the desk was finished. After a lot of discussion (and indecision), we chose a soft, … Read more

To the tune of Katy Perry’s “Hot N’ Cold”… WE’VE BOUGHT AND WE’VE SOLD! Well, not quite yet — but we’re headed in that direction. As of 5:57 p.m. yesterday we received word that the final negotiations with potential buyers of our house have gone through, so our home is officially under contract and listed … Read more

Yesterday we wrote about deciding when to DIY versus hiring professionals, using our decrepit sliding doors as the example. They were stuck, had a torn screen, wouldn’t lock, and the frame was rotting (you can read more about that in the original post). We finally decided to replace them with a pair of matching French … Read more

First, a free download for all of you—thanks for reading. We’ve made a homemade calendar each year and, even though the kitchen renovation is in full swing, we took a moment while the wood putty dried to put this year’s together. In previous years our calendars were mostly text-based. For example, our 2010 calendar collected … Read more

If you’ve spent any time online over the past few years, you’ve probably seen the rise of mail-order mattresses like Casper, Leesa, and Tuft & Needle. These affordable foam mattresses arrive compressed in a box, expand on your bed, and promise better sleep or your money back. After months of that message—maybe years—we finally decided … Read more

We thought our big kitchen reveal week was the perfect time to showcase a reader’s kitchen makeover. This redesign comes from a male blogger who writes as “Beard” (he’s joined by his daughter, “Pigtails”). Beard’s voice is entertaining and his kitchen transformation is impressive. Here’s his note about the project: I recently gutted and rebuilt … Read more

Note: This post started as an updated Before & After page that readers had trouble finding, so we turned it into a single chronological post to make it easier to reference. We’ll continue updating our Before & After page over time, while this post remains a snapshot of the house at a particular moment. We … Read more

The upstairs hall bathroom had been mostly ignored for the past nine months — aside from hanging a shower curtain after we moved in and the occasional toilet cleaning. From day one, those builder-basic mirrors were on our list to replace. We took nearly two years to update the mirror in our last hall bathroom … Read more

When we planned features for our son’s bedroom—a compact, cozy space—we made a list of essentials: a comfortable bed ample clothing storage open shelving for books and toys concealed storage for papers and smaller toys a cozy lounge area for reading or hanging out with his sister or friends a dedicated desk for drawing, homework, … Read more

This week’s episode takes you behind the scenes of a home-makeover show with Candis and Andy Meredith of Old Home Love. They explain how their HGTV opportunity came about, what surprised them most about production, and why they’re so passionate about preserving historic character. They also share practical tips for introducing vintage charm into houses … Read more