Posts By John Petersik

Welp, it’s official: new research shows that we aren’t using all of the square footage in our homes. But we sure are paying for it (and then paying to heat & cool it, decorate it, plus spending time cleaning it). Why are we doing that?! Well, this week we’re diving into a study that shows what specific spaces aren’t being used – and what we all might want to consider focusing on instead of house size – even if you love having people over and entertaining large groups. We’re also sharing a failed painting project that shines a light on some of the peculiar pitfalls of sharing your renovations with the world. Plus, as summer

We can’t be the only ones noticing that all of the renovations on TV and online seem to be snowballing. Whatever happened to those budget decorating shows and use-what-you-have makeovers? And who remembers when a blog post might have just been “I ordered some new art” instead of “here’s the entire before & after of our kitchen gut job!” Our own projects certainly have ratcheted up over the years too, so this week we’re discussing how we all got here, if we might be approaching a tipping point, the understandable craving to scale back, and how bloggers & design TV are contributing to the escalation. We’re also breaking down some surprising features of something you’ve

Sure it’s fun to imagine what it would be like to downsize and live in a significantly smaller space, but this week we’re talking to a family of 4 (with a giant dog!) who took the leap and moved from a large builder-grade home to a 1,200 cottage bungalow with just one full bathroom and two bedrooms. Designer Shavonda Gardner shares extremely frank details about the pros & cons – including who in her family resisted it most, what space issues they still struggle with, and what they’ve done to make it work a heckova lot harder. We also talk to her about designing smaller spaces (is lighter paint really the only answer? she says

We seem to have a sore spot with tubs, and the duplex renovation has proven to be no exception. So today we’re sharing how a strategic money-saving decision saved us 30% off a huge renovation line item, but sent us on a tub-induced stress spiral. We’ve also got some exciting updates about painting our brick house white, our gross backyard experiment to keep the deer from eating our plants, and whether Sherry is still known as Laura in Cape Charles. We dive into the pros & cons of laundry location too – plus we explain when to choose a variety of wall colors for your house (and when one whole-house color can actually work like

We turned the tables and asked dozens of contractors – including our own! – what THEY wish we, their clients, did differently. We learned their biggest client pet peeves (we’re certainly guilty of some!) and got great advice for how we can all help renovations go smoother, progress faster, and even cost less. We also share how we hacked our dining table to make it a harder working space, and the big purchase we recently splurged on for the beach house. You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re reading in a feed

It turns out that restoring a vintage stove isn’t all cupcakes & rainbows, so this week we’re revealing some of the quirks that you can’t see from a pretty picture. We’re also spilling the beans on several mistakes, regrets, and missed opportunities from our beach house renovation. What tile choice did we screw up? Where did we go wrong on the exterior? And how are we going to correct things moving forward? Plus, why we’re spending a chunk of money to make our house smell better. SO NOT GLAMOROUS.  You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos

Islands are a staple of most modern kitchens, but this week we explore why not everyone is a fan (including what we realized is a negative about the island situation in our own kitchen). Plus, we’ve tiled our fair share of backsplashes, but our recent project at the beach house kitchen taught us an important lesson about preparation, patience, and imperfection. John’s also sharing a new technique for helping you pick the perfect paint color, Sherry finds a new favorite beach accessory, and, well… Chad!!! You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use this page to check out any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: If you’re

Our urge to paint the exterior of our brick house white has been growing lately, but there are still some concerns holding us back. So today we’re diving into the pros & cons that we’ve been tossing around (for years now!) as well as some new stuff we’ve learned – plus we’re asking for your opinion on what you’d do if it was your house. We’re also sharing why Sherry has ditched veganism and how our television provider suddenly ditched us… requiring us to reconsider our cable cutting set-up. Don’t worry, in the end we actually figured out how to save more money! You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen