Last time our duplex renovation was on the blog, it was still looking like shell – er, skeleton – of its former self (see below). The stench of potential was thick in the air (how’s that for a mental picture?) and today, nearly a month later, we’re gonna blow a big whiff of progress in your general direction. We’re starting to see our new floor plan come to life, the second story additions on the back of the house (two more bathrooms!) are nearly complete, and the rain held off just long enough last week to get the front windows in – including Sherry’s precious diamond-grille windows in the top middle (if you follow us on
#97: What We Learned From Our Shopping Ban
Our month-long shopping hiatus came to a close last week, so today we’re sharing our results! What was the most difficult part? How did it change our habits? What were we dying to buy first after it ended? And – most importantly – how did it impact our bank account? We’re sharing all those details, along with some ideas for you to try if you’re too nervous to commit to a full-on ban. Plus, there’s a part of our house that we rarely show because we’ve been so ashamed of its state – but not anymore! Find out what we did to fix it without spending any money. We also added some easy organization at
10 Smart Home Devices We Love
“Smart home technology is cool, but is it actually worth it?” That’s the question we asked ourselves for years as we cautiously watched the trend grow. And how I’d answer that question right now is: it’s definitely not a necessity – it’s a want, not a need. But boy do a few of these systems make life at home easier. And some even make our house more energy efficient and save us money by cutting down on our water usage or our heating and cooling costs for example. We’re by no means early adopters (Sherry likes to brag that we’re “consistently behind the trends”), but our gradual dip into in the smart home waters seemed to accelerate
#96: Our Complicated Relationship With Stuff
Right in the middle of our own month-long shopping ban, we jumped at the chance to have a deep conversation with the author who started it all: Cait Flanders. She shared fascinating insights, regrets, and explained how her “Year of Less” had a lasting change on her relationship with “stuff.” She also cleared up some common misconceptions about her ban, including why shopping is not the enemy – and how this experiment affected her relationships (along with her bank account). We also cover how some outsourced work in our backyard from last fall is finally starting to pay off, and why we’re both very glad not to be in high school anymore. You can download this
Three Bedroom Makeovers For Three Deserving Kids
John and I had the chance to do the most fun and fulfilling project recently: designing new bedrooms for three amazing local kids who are currently going through cancer treatment. We’ve shared a few sneak peeks on Instagram and our podcast, but here’s our big photo-packed post with details on each of the rooms as promised for you guys! We couldn’t be more excited to share them with you. First, some background on the project. A few weeks ago the team at Biringer Builders reached out to us for help. They’re the custom builder we teamed up with back in 2014 to design a charity showhouse for Richmond Homearama (below are some photos of that
#95: Our House Is Too Big. There, We Said It.
We’ve recently had a realization that we just don’t need as much space as we have. So how’d we end up buying a too-big house? What has made this so clear to us now? And what square footage do we think would be just right? We’re sharing all of that in this episode, including the exact moment we now realize we went off the rails during our house hunting search. We’re also taking you behind the scenes of our recent charity makeover for three deserving kids and sharing why things have really turned a corner out at the beach. Plus, Sherry hunts for the perfect Mother’s Day gift and John shares what exterior gadget made
Hiding A Water Heater With An Ikea Cabinet
If you have some ugly things in your laundry room you’re interested in hiding, or you’re just looking for photos of a laundry room with a top loader (since most online photos feature front loaders with a big counter over them), well this post is for you. After months of simmering in the background, the beach house’s laundry room/mudroom finally came together over the weekend. It’s a pretty simple room that we’d been planning and shopping for since way back in December (yes, as in 2017), but it always got stuck in line behind other tasks like building the walk-in pantry and constructing the wall-to-wall bunks beds. With those out of the way, it was
#94: Just When The Duplex Was Going So Well…
Just when we thought the duplex renovation was finally rolling along smoothly, we found ourselves in the midst of an ordeal that required an emergency trip to Cape Charles, and another hot-seat meeting with the Historic Review Board. We’re sharing all the details, along with an update on our month-long shopping ban (oh the temptations!). Plus we’re talking about how to get large materials and furniture home when you don’t own a giant car or truck. Because as much as we DIY, we don’t actually own the ideal DIYers vehicle. So this week we’ll tell you why, and share how we get around it. Plus, maybe millennials are just efficiently experts…? You can download this
Let The Duplex Rebuilding Begin!
I should warn you that most of the pictures (and the video!) in the post don’t really scream “rebuilding” (it’s more like “WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT HOUSE?!) but there has actually been a ton of progress at the duplex. So we thought we’d update you guys on the flurry of activity that has occurred over the past few weeks, along with some floor plan changes and some of the curveballs we’ve already been thrown. We talked on this week’s podcast about why the duplex is giving off that bare bones vibe right about now. The short answer is: when you have to rebuild the inside of a house (because it’s full of rot, mold, termite damage, and
#93: One Month. No Superfluous Shopping. Can We Do It?
Can we go a whole month without buying anything we don’t need? That’s the challenge we’ve handed ourselves as part of a self-imposed month-long shopping ban. So this week we’re sharing how we were inspired by Cait Flanders’ “Year of Less” and how we’re adapting her rules for our own lives. Plus, the duplex renovation is (finally!) racing along and we’re answering some of your top questions about it. Also, how filming our April Fool’s video was even more embarrassing than it looked… and why a makeover show is giving Sherry hope that it might actually heal the world. You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and Spotify – or listen to it below! Then use
Our Family’s Spring Break To Fort Lauderdale
Since our daughter started elementary school a few years ago, spring break has become an increasingly precious opportunity to get away, clock some quality family time, and soak in some long-overdue warm weather. Last year’s spring break vacation to Cape Canaveral, Florida checked all of the right boxes and we were tempted to just repeat that trip again this year. But we pushed ourselves to see if we could make this year’s getaway even better and explore a new part of Florida while we were at it – and we are SO GLAD WE DID. So for anyone else looking for a great family vacation spot or, like us, if you’re just ready to start
#92: The Household Staples We Never Buy
Do you reject certain “household staples?” We do! And it turns out a lot of other people do too – to the point that experts are saying they might someday disappear. So this week we’re breaking down how and why the typical home (and its contents) might be changing, along with revealing what modern comforts we’ve deemed unnecessary in our house (one of them is weird, I’m warning you). We’re also sharing how we found the best spring break home we’ve ever rented, and how we navigated the stresses of flying with children, car seats, a dog, his crate – essentially ALL THE THINGS. Oh, and it turns out we’re storing lots of stuff in
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