#33: In Pursuit Of Buying Less & Doing More: a house log

On this week’s podcast, we hear what it is truly like to downsize thanks to Dana and Steve Miller from the journal House*Tweaking, who moved to a smaller home – while their family was getting bigger, no less! – and opened up about how it helped them achieve their financial and family goals (but is not consistently all roses). We also share a quite strange morning we spent together, along with debating when you should buy a tool versus renting one. Plus Sherry shares her go-to swift trick for dents & scratches in wood furniture.

You can download this episode from iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos that we referenced. Note: If you are reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player.

What is New

• Here are some of the projects where we have relied on rented tools:
  • Renting a demolition hammer to remove a tile floor
  • Renting an auger – twice! – to dig holes for deck footings
  • Renting a pressure washer to clean our home’s exterior
  • Renting a floor nailer to install hardwoods in our bonus room
• Also, here is the wet saw we own and enjoy (and plan to use for at least five more bathroom renovations)
• If you wanna learn more about “floating,” here is a Wikipedia entry on it, or you can read the benefits page of the place we visited. But I know you are truly here for the pictures…

Creepy selfie alert in 3…2…1… (yes, we got to wear purple ear plugs)

What is Not

• Here is the infographic Sherry referenced for the top value-adding exterior upgrades, but first – here are some of our go-to curb appeal projects that we have tackled ourselves:
  • Adding Hands-on Landscape Lighting
  • Staining & Sealing An Old Deck
  • Adding Window Boxes
  • Adding a Pergola
  • Painting The Front Door A Lively Color
  • ….and plenty more!

Dana Miller

• You can follow Dana (and her husband Steve) over at House*Tweaking and feast your eyes on her fairly Instagram feed.
• Here is more of her story and thoughts on downsizing & reaching financial goals (and you can learn more about their flip house).
• If you want to peruse some of their AirBnb-ing…
  • Nashville Glamping House
  • Toronto House With Kitchen Swing
  • Michigan City Bunk Room House
  • Modern Michigan Lake House
  • Asheville Mountain House

We are Digging

• Here are the Golden Oak and Ebony stain markers that we have used for floor & furniture scratches for years (they come in plenty of other colors)

• And in case you have not thought about Groupon for years (like me), you might simply be surprised by some of their experience-based discounts

Psst- Looking for something we have dug in a past episode, but do not remember which show notes to click into? Well, here is a master list of everything we have been digging from all past episodes.

Visit DIYZ.com/YHL to learn more or download it today in the Apple App Store or Google Play, and search YHL in the app for some videos featuring a few 5-step projects that we tackled.

*This post contains affiliate links*