The DIY Shuffle
A look back at our first year in this house as we shuffled from one home improvement project to another.
The sweet siren song of DIY
The addition project may be delayed but there is no way I am going to sit on my hands for another year without making some sawdust of my own.
A strange source for design inspiration
My wife and I started talking about some design ideas for the family room addition. You'll never believe what sparked the conversation.
A Review of Adam Carolla’s “Catch a Contractor”
Adam Carolla's Catch a Contractor makes for entertaining television, but don't expect to learn anything.
Contracts and contractors
Comparing our experience when hiring a contractor with only a verbal agreement vs hiring a contractor with a written contract.
Checking off the wish list
Our house looked good on paper, but the reality was something different. We had to do a lot of work to keep the promises that the house had made.
From Dream House to Nightmare in less than a year
We found our dream house. Sure, it needed some work. But the amount of work it needed soon turned that dream to a nightmare and almost us everything.
Photographs and memories (sidetracked again)
...I looked through my mother's photo albums, saddened by the nameless faces that stared from the pages...
The Eye of the Beholder
An apology for criticizing the previous owner's decorating style. Trends come and trends go. Paint colors are easy to change.
The Joy of Painting
I spent the weekend transforming our family room with a fresh coat of paint. It was a simple project, but not everything went smoothly.
Mortality sucks
My father passed away last week. His death was sudden and unexpected. He died at home, in the house that he and my mother bought back in the 60′s...
The debris piles up
How the debris piled up during the demolition of the ensuite bathroom and the basement.