Blogging is sort of a funny hamster wheel because we’ll do, buy, install, or build something, blog about it, and then we’ll move onto blogging about other projects, purchases, and updates. So it means we’re not always great at keeping you posted on those older things that we’ve already talked about since we’re so busy sharing new stuff. Which explains why we get update requests for things in our archives all the time. So here’s a big ol’ collection of them for you guys, which marks the second one in this series (here’s our first one from a few years back, so you can check out if we covered other topics you’ve wondered about there).
Our Nest Thermostat: This is the most asked about item in our entire house. And the short answer is: we still love it. More than ever. Not only does it save us money, but the features that we mentioned back in July in the original post (how it can sense when we’re away and shut itself off to save energy, how it adjusts to know our schedule – like warming the second floor when it knows we’re up there, and how we can raise or lower the temperature while laying in bed on our phones) are all awesome. It’s one of those life-updates that you notice every day and feel sort of fancy about while also being really practical and convenient.
It’s hard to quantify how much we save with it since we got it just a few months after our move, but our Nest indicates that we’ve saved more energy than 70% of other Nest users in Virginia (so it’s nice to know that even among fellow Nest users, we’re in the top 30% for energy conservation). The auto-away feature alone has been awesome for us, because we used to have to program our thermostat to heat or cool less if we were going away for the weekend and now it not only can sense that we’re gone and go on “auto-away” mode on its own, it can even do that on days we’re running around all day doing errands. We also really like that we can kick it on from the car (so if we’re coming back from a weekend trip and realize the house might be cold since it knows we’re away, we can turn it on from afar, so it’s warm when we walk back in). In summary: Still truly, madly, and deeply in love.
Our Outdoor Plantings: Whelp, the big holly trees that we splurged on for the most privacy are doing gangbusters (they’re big, healthy-looking, and no deer dares to eat them)… but the funny thing is that when we mentioned that we also got a smaller privet bush a bunch of people warned us that it was super invasive and they wouldn’t recommend it since it can self-seed and sprout up everywhere. The hilariously ironic update is that it’s toast. Completely eaten by deer. It was a veritable buffet. Thankfully the plants came with a one year warranty (even for deer-eating, since they sold this as a deer-resistant variety), so when it gets a little warmer we’ll dig up its skeletal body and bring it back to the store in exchange for something that should work better (most likely more of those awesome holly trees). In summary: The privet is done-zo, but the holly is still living la vida loca.
Living With Stairs: We also get asked how we’re liking life with stairs (usually from fellow ranch-owners who are considering a move to a two-story home). The adjustment was actually pretty easy, and we’re happy to report that life with stairs has been awesome. We never knew we were two-level people (we truly loved one-level living for 7 years), but the main upgrade is that when people come over we only have to run around tidying up the first level since everybody usually stays down there (so there’s a 50% shorter mad-dash when people are on the way).
There’s also only a half bathroom on the main level (we had three full baths in the main level of our last house, so I was cleaning three showers/tubs). Here we have 2.5 baths, and I love that the commonly used main-area bathroom is just a half-bath for faster cleaning. We’ve also noticed that the way we live in the house feels a little more separated, in a good way. We rarely have laptops anywhere near our bedrooms, which was a stark contrast from the layout of our last home (the living room was right behind the bedroom, so there were only a few steps between our “work” and “relaxation” zones). It’s nice to have more of a division here. In summary: Stairs, we ain’t mad atcha. We actually kinda love you.
Living With Old Appliances After Having New Ones: We also get questions like “is it hard to go from living with nice new appliances to using older ones again?” So far living with the old fridge, stove, dishwasher, and laundry equipment hasn’t been bad at all. They work and they do the job. Maybe it’s just our personality (since we’re used to living with not-perfect stuff for years as we slowly work to upgrade them) but they don’t seem to bother us too much, most likely because we’re comforted by the knowledge that they’re not forever (this too shall pass, old dishwasher). Except – bam! – this week our washer broke. Boo! So we’re waiting on a repair guy after taking the entire thing apart ourselves, only to discover two rusted bolts that we need to remove to get to the blockage along with a detached belt.
The annoying thing is that those bolts and broken belt are just too far gone (the bolts are rusted and we think the belt might indicate a motor issue) for us to deal with them ourselves without fearing the worst (giant leak, breaking the entire thing, etc) – hence the repair guy who is coming later today. It’ll hopefully only be around $75 to repair it, which we still think makes more sense than getting a new one at this point (we’d rather save up more for a truly awesome washer someday – and get a great deal – than rush to buy one right now out of desperation). Of course if he comes out and says “this thing is done” we’ll switch into “guess we’re getting a new one” mode. We also would eventually like to upgrade to a gas stove, so that’s exciting to daydream about. In summary: The washer is bugging, but the rest of the gang is cool for now.
Our Rejuvenated Wood Floors: Folks also ask how our little cleaning/sealing treatment has been holding up in the office, dining room, and living room downstairs – and we’re happy to report that seven months later they still look pretty much exactly the same. In summary: No complaints.
Nikon D3200: We’re still very happy with our accidental camera update. That post actually has a lot of info about the camera (both in the post and in the comment section) so you’ll want to check that out if you’re thinking of getting one. We’ve loved it pretty much for all the reasons we called out in that original post (like the video capabilities, the auto white-balance, etc). In summary: Cheers to you, D3200.
Living Without A Proper Two-Person Office: We haven’t loved not having a functional two-person workspace. The way it works now is that John is at the desk in the office with all of his stuff spread out, and I usually work from the kitchen table (which means clearing my stuff-spread off regularly for meals). It hasn’t been torture (I don’t rage at the kitchen table three times a day or anything) but we’re completely aware that it could be a lot more efficient. So we’d love to build systems into the office to make it a lot more functional, and get me out of the kitchen. We’ve actually been researching a few things and sketching out some plans – so we hope it’s on the agenda soon-ish (maybe after the nursery is done). We’re totally guilty of putting it off because it’s not terrible and it seems like a giant mountain to climb, so quick let’s look the other way for one more month… In summary: Not the worst thing that ever happened, but not ideal.
Open Shelving In The Kitchen: We still get a lot of questions about how we like living with kitchen shelves, and the short answer is that we still love them and marvel at how easy it is to grab a plate or unload the dishwasher (hence adding them into this kitchen as well as our last one). We actually expounded upon their virtues in our last update post, so you can read more details right here on that subject. In summary: Open shelves, we just can’t quit you.
Our Restoration Hardware Outlet-Steal Of A Table: Since our kitchen table has a raw look to it, people have asked if we’ve had issues with staining over the last four months or so of everyday use. The crazy thing is that even through grape juice spills and a giant soy sauce explosion, it still looks great. We’ve also never had issues with water rings or anything soaking into the surface, so I can only explain it as having some sort of invisible matte wax that seals it (it’s definitely not anything glossy) so it’s more protected than it looks. In summary: So far, so good.
Our Karlstad Sofa: Once again, we get a whole bunch of “how’s Karl? still love him?” questions, and the good news is that after years of living with a kid, a dog, and two couch-flopping adults, Karl is awesome. We’re really happy with the comfort factor, how the cushions are holding up, and his general overall appearance. I truly believe one of the biggest helps has been our choice of the dark sivik gray cover. It’s crazy durable (almost like denim) and Burger’s little nails can’t get into the tightly woven fibers and pull anything, which has been awesome. It’s also machine washable, which has been really handy. We mentioned Karl in our original update post as well, so you can read more about him here. In summary: Karl takes a licking and keeps on ticking. And is sort of a member of the family at this point.
Stenciled Bathroom Floor: We get questions like “is it peeling or flaking after everyday use?” and the resounding update is: huzzah, the floor still looks mint! Even with Burger tapping around it a million times a day with his claws (he loves having his crate in the closet) and us walking in and out to get ready in the morning and at night – the sealer that we put on seems to have done us right. We even got a few drips of paint on it while painting the nearby bathroom, and those popped right off when they were dry thanks to the clear top-coat. In summary: Get on with your bad self, stenciled floor.
So there you have it… a big ol’ brain-dump update. What do you guys have in your house that has either rocked your world or let you down? It’s awesome to hear about stuff that you love – and to learn from your “don’t go there” warnings.
Psst- In the “previous mistakes and tweaks” category, you can check out this post, this post, this post and our first update post. We definitely don’t always make the right calls, but there’s something pretty comforting about course correcting as you go (it tends to work out pretty well in the long run for the most part).
Jalene says
Why the Nikon 3200 vs the Canon T3i? My husband and I are looking to buy one or the other. We took this quiz (starts at 19:30) and got totally different results. These are the “5” versions, but we were trying to compare Nikon with Canon.
YoungHouseLove says
We already had a Nikon (a D3000) so we liked sticking with that brand since we were happy with it and knew the settings better than switching to Canon.
xo
s
Sam M. | Atkinson Drive says
We’ve had the nest basically since day 1 (that’s how everything goes when living with a tech-savvy husband), and I am still obsessed! It’s so fabulous & so is the customer service! Ours had a bit of a hiccup a few months ago – wouldn’t connect to wifi – and they overnighted us a new one for free!
YoungHouseLove says
Amazing!
xo
s
teresa says
Being a Boomer over the half-century mark, I just want to say that while I love living in my two-story house my knees keep telling me they do not!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, I can see how that would be a pain!
xo
s
Laura B. says
Btw. We purchased a savvy rest mattress like yours. I had my eye on it a long time. It has been great. My body doesn’t hurt at three o’clock in the morning.
YoungHouseLove says
So glad!
xo
s
Allison says
Hey, hope I’m not repeating something another commenter said, but … Home warranty that washer! Your warranty should cover it – ours would and we didn’t pay anywhere near $500 for it. Good luck, love your blog – stumbled on you a few weeks ago and I’m addicted. We recently sold our first (125-year-old, completely updated with our bare hands – I’m talking was down to studs, new plumbing and electrical – in the midst of getting hitched, having two babies and getting a big puppy) house in a day with multiple offers above asking. (I know, I’m bragging, but I’m just so proud). We’re now working on our new (old) home and it’s even more fun and satisfying, especially now that we know (for the most part) what we’re doing. Anyhow, you’ve got a faithful reader in Pittsburgh!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Allison! Sadly our home warranty ran out, but it would have been $75 for the trip charge if we still had it and we found a highly rated repair company that could stop by for $65, so we’re grateful!
xo
s
Hannah Rose says
We have had a NEST thermostat for about 3 months and LOVE it! Saving us money already.
Diana says
I really appreciate these update posts! I think I’m convinced we need open shelving in our next kitchen, eventually. Love the look and convenience!
And I saw this mentioned multiple times in the comments but love hearing your Bum Genius AIOs are still in good shape! We’re about 9 months in on ours and some are a little stained but otherwise are perfect!! We bought 12 and then later someone gifted us another 6 of a different brand. Our AIOs are definitely better but it’s so nice having 18!!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome Diana! Happy cloth diapering!
xo
s
Bethany says
Hey Sherry and John,
Long time listener, first time caller…..anyhoo, last week was the husband’s 40th. Thanks to your awesome post, I decided to get him a Nest. After ready John’s installation post, I was worried we weren’t up to the challenge. After our dinner date, we came home and he opened presents, he installed the Nest in three minutes totally drunk!! #goteam
We took your approach to naming and are now calling him Nestor. He’s truly a member of the family, but the only one focused on energy conservation. We love Nestor and appreciate your help!,
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! Go Nestor!
xo
s
morgan says
We got a nest as a housewarming gift and cannot get it to work! Its been super frustrating. My hubby has tried to install it twice, double checking everything each time. Its so strange, we set the heat to 70 but the heat won’t kick in so the house will be 63. What do y’all think?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! We hear some systems aren’t compatible so maybe it’s just your furnace not working well with it?
xo
s
Jenn says
As far as 2 floors- a suggestion, if I may? You might want to consider setting up a main floor changing station for the barnacle. I had a spare on my main living space, and it was amazing! You can do quick changes, and not have to uproot Clara if she is playing etc. it really was lovely to have. I borrowed one from a friend, and kept mine in the nursery.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that idea! One of our friends had a pack & play on the first floor for nearby naps too, which sounds awesome.
xo
s
Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs says
Fun post! It’s neat to hear an update on how these choices have been treating you guys :)
Cassandra Beverly says
My husband and I bought our first home in May this year. We are slowly updating a 100 year old house. This fall we (with some help from a lovely contractor) tore down the plaster in the living and dining rooms and drywalled. We couldn’t decide what to do with the floors (refinish them or wait until we do the kitchen…but do we want tile in the kitchen or hardwood…ugh so many choices!)…Thanks to your post about Rejuvenate I was able to convince my husband that we should wait to do the floors when we know for sure what is happening in the kitchen and just fix-em up…and we were both very impressed with it!
And thanks to many trips to the HD-Pot! playing with the nest and your blog post we asked for gift cards to purchase one for Christmas. And, we love it our radiator heat feels a gazillion times more accurate!
Thanks for your fabulous posts!
xoxo, this new {old}home owner
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Cassandra! So glad to help in some small way!
xo
s
Abby says
That stenciled floor is gorgeous! I would love to try that! Y’all should check out my DIY gold foiled lamp on the blog! It was such a fun project!
Abby
Thepreppycoxswain.blogspot.com
YoungHouseLove says
Really fun Abby! Thanks for sharing!
xo
s
Housekeeper says
I like the green chair in your office. Where is it from?
Sorry if you’ve answered that question, but I’m new reader to your blog.
Greetings.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks! We found it at a thrift store and spray painted it green and upholstered the chair ourselves. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Stephanie says
Thank you for the update on Karl! We just discovered yesterday that the couch that we wanted to move to the basement won’t fit down the stairs (boo!) so we are heading to Ikea Saturday. We are torn between Karl and the Ektorp due to size. We are worried that another couch will have the same issue.
Was Karl easy to put together? We aren’t do-it-yourself-ers. We do plan to pay for delivery though so at least they can get the boxes into the basement.
YoungHouseLove says
I feel like Karl should be able to get down most staircases since he comes apart so much (arms come off, corner pieces are separate, etc). He was pretty easy to put together (I remember it taking a little while the first time, but being completely simple to execute (some of the bolts and covers and stuff just took some time). Good luck!
xo
s
Kate says
Mu husband and I just moved both the Karlstad couch and loveseat down to our basement (and then back up again; they were moved while we were installing new floors) and didn’t have a problem. We didn’t even take them apart; if we had, it would have been even easier. We even have a wall across from both the top and bottom of the stairs and were able to turn it just fine. If you have any problems getting it downstairs, I’d suggest opening up the box and taking the parts down separately, that would give you a ton more room and be really light!
Anne Phillips says
One more update… from the last house: how did your painted door handles hold up? We did the same about a year ago and ours are chipping and flaking already. We did the whole sanding/deglosser/light coats approach but will be replacing them one by one as the budget allows.
YoungHouseLove says
They were great up until move-out day! The one that led to the garage probably got the most wear (the exterior one where we scraped it with keys, etc) but I touched it up right before we moved and all the rest (interior, front door, sliding door handles, etc) were great!
xo
s
My Crappy House says
I thought I was original when I wrote a blog post all about my Nest, but I guess I was wrong. You beat me to it. I love my nest too! Here’s what I had to say about it…
http://www.mycrappyhouse.com/the-nest-best-thing/
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you had me at “cold sloth” – such a funny post!
xo
s
Kimberly says
Hey guys! I haven’t thoroughly investigated this, but I recently saw tons of links to articles regarding Google acquiring Nest, and the privacy implications that might bring…
http://www.wired.com/business/2014/01/googles-3-billion-nest-buy-finally-make-internet-things-real-us/
Do you have any issues with this, thoughts, concerns? Just curious!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the link, Kimberly! There’s another thread in the comments about that and it appears that both Google and Nest have publicly stated that they would never reveal what any certain person is doing (ex: John and Sherry are upstairs, or John and Sherry are on away mode) so they would only reveal percentages of their entire user base (ex: 15% of Nest users are on auto-away mode, or 10% of Nest users have saved $100 this month). Honestly after using it for so long we have zero fear of true privacy breaches because sometimes it kicks onto auto-away mode when we’re home (we just walk by the sensor and it wises up in those situations) so a burglar would be really silly to believe a Nest that says someone isn’t home because they could be in another room watching TV or typing and just not up and walking by the sensor :)
xo
s
Celina says
My electric bill was the highest it’s ever been this past month. I’ll definitely look into the Nest. I’m also looking for a new camera, so thanks for the updates!
Steph | glitter & goat cheese says
I’m glad to hear you guys are still loving your Nest! We were the biggest fans of ours after we first installed it – we told everyone we knew to buy one – but then a couple weeks ago, during a VERY cold couple of days, it shut our furnace off. Yeah. The way it was installed (which was done by following the instructions, mind you!), the Nest was pulling power from our furnace. This was fine under normal circumstances, but since our furnace was working so hard during the cold weather, it didn’t have any power to share. And the Nest took it anyway. So our furnace shut off. After hours on the phone with Nest customer service, we finally put our old thermostat back, and all was well. We can resolve this by having an external power source wired up, but we can’t afford that right now, so we’re just keeping our old thermostat on the wall until it gets warmer outside. Just wanted to share another experience! We still love our Nest and are really looking forward to putting it back up … but we can’t risk our house dropping down to 50 degrees again! I mean, my peace lily died!!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! That stinks Steph!
xo
s
Steph | glitter & goat cheese says
Oh, by the way, our issues isn’t uncommon: http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/06/nest-4-0-firmware-battery-problems/
To paraphrase, from the update on 1/7/14: “But after speaking to a representative today, the company clarified that in some cases Nest inaccurately tells customers they don’t need a common wire to power their Nest thermostat when they do. The lack of a needed common wire can cause Nest to malfunction and shut off or lower a home’s heat.”
That’s what happened to us. The common wire is what provides the external power source. If you don’t have one, you MIGHT be fine, but you might not. Just be aware!
YoungHouseLove says
Yikes, that must have been so frustrating! I think ours has a common wire, but it’s a good tip for everyone to be aware of!
xo
s
Morgan says
ah-ha! i wonder if this common wire is our issue….sounds like our situation. we will be looking in to that!
Diane says
I didn’t scroll through to see if anyone else asked about them but what about your mattresses? How are they holding up…we are starting to look for new ones ourselves…Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re really happy with ours! The eco/latex one we got for our bedroom (I think back in 2009) has been great (no dents or low spots) and the guest room one we got back in 2011 is still really comfy.
xo
s
Kate says
We’ve had a Karlstad (couch, loveseat, and ottoman in the same cover) for just over two years now and I’m actually a bit disappointed with how the cushions have aged. Even though I rotate them, the bottom cushions are really flat now and the back cushions are oddly squished down/misshapen. It must be something about how my husband and I sit on it (or my husband’s weight – he’s 250 lbs) since others seem to have such good luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no that stinks, Kate!
xo
s
mp says
I really loved this post, especially your observations about living with stairs. Both my homes have been one-storys, and my current is a ranch (which I grew up in and gravitated back to after my parents built a two-story colonial). I was in my mid-30s when I bought and was wary of stairs for a number of reasons, including the fact that my mom was starting to suffer back problems and had trouble with stairs (she had surgery in 2000 and my dad moved their bedroom downstairs). My living space is on literally on the opposite side of the house (bedroom window faces east; office window faces west), and the living room is in between. Helps that I live alone and don’t have a lot of visitors.
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds like a really nice setup, MP!
xo
s
Lindsay says
Is it common to leave your appliances at your old house when you sell it? Is it an east coast thing? It seems like all the people I know that move (that are on the west coast) take their appliances.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, I think it’s a regional thing. Here when you sell a turn-key house, you leave everything so it’s literally move-in ready.
xo
s
Lindsay says
I’d be so sad to leave those appliances :(
Vicki C says
Got an email today with discount code for dryers from Whirlpool oulet
OUTLET2014 is the code
don’t know if it will make a difference or if you need to get a new one…
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Vicki!
xo
s
Sadie says
Glad to hear you still love your nest! I recommended it for our gift guide this year! http://www.asecurelife.com/gift-guide/ we had one at the beach house we stayed at this summer in South Carolina but since I rent I can’t put one in our apartment. So glad it hear it helps you save on energy costs though and helping save the environment too!
zoe says
So surprised that you leave your appliances when you move. We dont do this in Australia. When you move you bring all the things that are yours with you – like your new or old appliances.
It is strange to leave them and to get stuck with someones old stuff!!
YoungHouseLove says
We hear that’s a regional thing, but here in Richmond it’s really common (we did it with every home – since when you sell a turn-key house it literally is expected to be move-in ready so those things convey). The nice thing is that buying “fixer uppers” means they’re well below market list price (as opposed to turn-key homes, which go for a lot more) so it’s sort of like the discounted price makes up for the appliances you have to buy to update it.
xo
s
Marc says
We love our Nest! If you want to visualize your saving check out https://myenergy.com. Nest actually acquired them last year. It’s a great free tool to see how well you’re saving energy.
YoungHouseLove says
So awesome! Thanks Marc!
xo
s
Jenn says
Don’t know if it was mentioned in previous comments, just too many to read. Ellen talked about the Nest yesterday on her show and gave them to the audience!! I love her!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Such a lucky audience!
xo
s
Katrina McElhinney says
Thank you so much for this post. We are looking at getting the Karlstad sofa ourselves. Do you by any chance know if the chaise can be added to the shorter side instead of the longer side? I would bordering this sofa online and can’t seem to find that anywhere. Thank you.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, you can add it to either side – at least in the version we have (it’s a few years old).
xo
s
Katrina McElhinney says
Thanks so much !
Ashley says
Speaking of replacing old appliances down the line, have you ever considered buying a slide in range as opposed to what you’ve had in the past? We’ve loved our gas slide in range since it doesn’t steal attention visually from our tile backsplash. You had such a great wall of tile in your last home I can only imagine how much better it might have looked with the slide in. Perhaps you worry about having the knobs and controls at kid level? We have two young children at our home and have never had any issues. To each his own, of course, I’ve just always wondered if it had even been a consideration of yours before. For what it’s worth, we love ours and will never go back!
Thanks for all the inspiration.
~Ashley
YoungHouseLove says
We’re definitely open to one of those! We want to save up and invest in some awesome appliances since we plan to be here for the long haul, so it’ll be fun to research and see if we can swing something like that!
xo
s
Nicholas says
Haha thanks for sharing the update – I constantly wonder about how bloggers are finding their projects months or even years down the track. Sometimes I ask and get a response, sometimes I don’t. I LOVE your stencilled bathroom floors and am pleased to hear that they are working wonderfully; I’d love to try this out in my new home!
Rita says
Hi!
I love your blog! Did you apply any type of wax or anything to your table? I’m purchasing something similar and want to make sure it holds up to two kids running around the house.
YoungHouseLove says
We didn’t but we believe it came with some sort of clear wax since we’ve spilled everything from wine to soy sauce on it and it wipes right off.
xo
s
Natalie says
I got the nest back in the winter and mostly love it. But lately we wake up sweating only to open the app and see that our nest has put itself on auto away in the middle of the night and our house temp has crept up into the 70s. Have you experienced this?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no that stinks – never heard of that happening! There’s a way to go in and schedule a marker in your app (to set a certain temp at a certain time) and the it shouldn’t go to auto-away since it knows you’re home (it should stick to that marker at night). Hope it helps!
xo
s