With most of the interior renovations and redecorating finished in our brick rancher, spring became all about curb appeal. We wanted to add charm, color, and a touch of classic style to turn the exterior from ordinary to eye-catching. We began with the front porch and set a single goal: spend a little, get a … Read more

Have you ever been stuck in a bathroom? We have — repeatedly. Every spring and summer, the increased humidity would make our bathroom door swell just enough in the top left corner that it wouldn’t open on the first pull. Or the second. Or the third. Often it took a lot of vigorous “door flapping” … Read more

If at first you don’t succeed… dig more holes. That was the plan after our first deck footing inspection didn’t pass (this post explains that debacle). Progress on the deck is slow but steady; we’re aiming to have a finished space for family dinners by the end of summer—maybe even as soon as next month … Read more

Wahoo! A list post — my favorite. I do love lists. Alright, now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I’ll continue without the excessive exclamation points and stretched-out vowels. People have been asking what we’ll tackle next and in what order. The truth is: it depends on our mood and what supplies we … Read more

Like any well-used bedroom, our current office/playroom/guest room includes a closet. It used to be my clothes closet until we installed built-in wardrobes in the bedroom, which freed this space up and gave me the upgrade of keeping clothes in the room where I actually sleep. Over time that closet shifted roles: after serving as … Read more

We promised a post about the project that kept us busy yesterday, and we’ll share that as soon as we can finish uploading and sizing the photos (we waited until morning light to shoot the afters). In the meantime, here’s another pillow update — a little theme that’s been popping up lately — that we’ve … Read more

Yes, you read the headline correctly. This blog formerly known as This Young House has changed its name and URL. Although the decision wasn’t ours alone (lawyers were involved), the change has injected a surprising amount of excitement into our lives. On the bright side, we’ve turned lemons into lemonade. We now have a fresh … Read more

With our kids’ summer break starting this weekend, we created a playful twist on our usual reading goals: a summer reading bracket. The idea came up during a family walk while we played “would you rather.” Back home, we sketched a paper template and, an hour later, Sherry shared it briefly on Instagram. Her DMs … Read more

This morning we hurried home after our big appearance on CBS6 to watch our segment on the DVR. The good news: no spit-bubble incidents, no crying or running off the stage. We even managed to say a few coherent sentences. Victory! We were pretty nervous when we found out we were the very first interview … Read more

When we saw Stephenie’s chair makeovers, we had to share the striking before-and-after photos she sent. Here is her note: I saw your blog post about the chairs you and your sister-in-law redid and wanted to share mine. The first set of four chairs I found at Goodwill for $2.99 each. I refinished and reupholstered … Read more