When we moved into our new-to-us house, the kitchen wasn't too bad. It had been (mostly) updated at some point by one of the previous homeowners, and while it wasn't our style, it was totally functional. Here's the kitchen during painting (before we moved in). Have your own emergency remodel? We got you! Sure, it still had its original 1980s double ovens and a non-functioning trash compactor, but we weren't fussed about the aesthetics. We…
When Matt and I were first married, we bought a large rectangular dining room table. Envisioning a large family in our future, plus years of Thanksgivings and entertaining, it seemed the logical choice. Years later, after selling our first house and moving to New Zealand, we had moved to California and started our next house search. When we first toured our current fixer upper's downstairs, Matt and I decided we'd make the fireplace room, right…
For years, I thought we needed a giant rectangular dining table instead of a round dining table. That's what's in the Rockwell pictures, right? You know, with everyone seated for Thanksgiving around one of those looooooong tables with two people designated to sit at "the head" of each end. It looks so full and warm and we love that! And so, when Matt and I were first married (over 15 years ago! goodness knows we've…
Do you hate storing wood, lugging it inside, trying to keep it dry, and dealing with smoke? Well, we sure did! Those are just a few of the reasons we decided to go with converting to a gas fireplace from our wood-burning one. See all the reasons why we converted to a gas fireplace here, and how we chose the perfect, most realistic-looking fire logs. After a few years of buying wood, trying to keep it from…
Let me tell you the tale of a woman who started out with simple, humble plans for her children's playhouse...and yet, they quickly skyrocketed into something much larger and more substantial. Yes yes, surprise surprise—that woman is me. Kids Playhouse Ideas: Phase 1 When I first decided I wanted to build our daughters a playhouse (and when I say I we all know I mean Matt), it really started out quite simple. I showed the…
After finalizing our solid shower walls, we then had to address the shower floor tile. We wanted a tile small enough that we could have a non-slip shower floor, but big enough to have as few grout lines as possible. I don't know how to explain what I'm about to tell you—maybe I had a terrible fall as a young child—but I somehow have a fear of hydroplaning while standing on tile. Even just writing…
In our quest to make this house as low-maintenance as possible, we decided we wanted to do a solid surface shower when we remodeled our master bathroom! Solid surface = No grout lines on the walls! Talk about life goals! 🤣 Does anyone enjoy scrubbing grout lines? (I can hear all your not-raised hands.) The dream was to find a marble slab with dramatic veining to go along the back wall for a beautiful focal…
Having a courtyard wasn't on our house list, but Someone knew I would love it. Maybe it's because The Secret Garden was one of my favorites (every child's heart skips a beat at descriptions of digging in dirt, right?), or maybe it's because my beloved grandma had a courtyard we'd work in together year after year. I'm inclined to think it's the latter. Now, technically this isn't a courtyard because a courtyard is supposed to…
Today we're showing you what our backyard and pool are looking like after moving in and making some changes. Some of you already took the outside tour of what the backyard looked like while the prior owners were living here; so you'll more fully appreciate seeing how it's shaping up! BACKYARD UPDATE #1: Clearing the way for the view. It was literally Day 1 after closing and taking official possession of the house that I…
We demo'd our old master bathroom and, instead of replacing the built-in tub, decided to put in a freestanding tub. That wasn't an easy decision at the time, because we were torn. We'd seen some beautiful built-in tubs. Heck, even the whole original hotel-suite-inspiration for this bathroom had had a built-in tub. However, we decided to go freestanding and here's why: The floor area was a bit tight before, with the built-in tub. When we…
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