Category: all things renovation
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How We Made Vintage-Inspired Corbels For The Outdoor Kitchen Gazebo
As I was designing this “kitchen gazebo,” I found almost no inspiration that looked and functioned like I wanted ours to look/feel. They were mostly big boxy McMansion-looking Texas-style structures or hexagonal sweet old timey gazebos, but I found almost no images of rectangular covered structures that looked charming and pretty. So I knew that…
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Design Coaching Chrissy & Pete: A Mini Demo Update And OFFICIAL Kitchen Layout
Gretch here, signing on to give you a project update! A few weeks ago we kicked off a new design coaching series and introduced you to our starting line-up (Chrissy & Pete). If this doesn’t ring a bell, hop on over to the intro post where we break it all down. But for a quick…
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How We Built Our Outdoor Kitchen With RTA (Assembled In One Day, Folks)
We are wrapping up phase two of the backyard (which is admittedly a pretty large phase) and I wanted to give you an update, show you the plans, and give you a sneak peek into the new RTA outdoor kitchen (which went from a little “grill area” to full blown kitchen really fast – it’s…
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Repairing Our 150 Year Old Garage (An Update) – We Have Walls Again!
I shouldn’t be so excited about this, it’s just a garage and I don’t even like to drive or know what my own car looks like in a full parking lot (it’s called “car blindness,” and yes, I have gotten in many similar cars that aren’t mine). But as someone who owns probably 19 hammers…
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Design Coaching: Peter And Chrissy’s Builder-Grade Kitchen Plan (I’ve Got Thoughts!)
Oh boy, this is fun. I love inserting myself into other people’s problems (usually when asked) so this whole “help someone else design their house” thing is already making my dopamine spike. After sifting through countless submissions (sooo many good ones–thank you to all who applied!), battling weeks of email hacking snafus, and balancing our…
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Our First Design Coaching “Client” – With 3 Kids Under 3, A Builder-Grade Kitchen And A Lot Of Ideas
A couple of months ago we put out the call to find a reader (or apparently two, more on that later) to help coach through a remodel. It was extremely hard to choose the right family/project – I wanted to do all of them. Some were a full house “where do I start – it’s…
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This Tile Trend We’re Eyeing Isn’t Just Chic & Bold, It’s Also Affordable
It’s not often that the words “design trend” and “affordable” go together, but I’m happy to report that today’s post does just that. As a design writer, my eye has been trained to pick up on details in projects that have a common thread from home to home. When I start seeing it enough over…
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Backyard Updates: Plants, Plans, Big Trees And Bigger Gazebos
Very exciting stuff is happening in the “backyard” right now as we entered phase two of landscape construction (that we put off for a couple of years to save and learn). The main goals of this phase were outlined in this blog post, but essentially it was reducing the size of the sports court (for…
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How We Really Kept The Charm & Character Of The Farmhouse (HINT: It’s Salvaged Pieces)
If you are into drinking games, I dare you to try to count how many times I say “character” or “charm” in this post – maybe just water in those shot glasses?? Someone recently asked what pieces are original to house and while there isn’t a ton, it was actually far more than I originally…
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Feeling Stressed About An Upcoming Renovation? I’m Looking For A Portland Remodel Project To Consult (And Document)
No, I’m not being auctioned off as a celebrity date for a day (not opposed to it, TBH). This is a longer relationship between me, you, and your home. I’m pleased as punch to announce a new program I’ve been wanting to do for years, and now with the river house and farmhouse wrapping up…