When TJ and I met, we had both previously updated and renovated individual homes that we’d owned. So, no one was surprised when we began a major remodeling project together – before we married. Working with sub-contractors, we turned a little 1,600 SF ranch into an almost 6,000 SF ranch near the downtown area of Atlanta. We married and lived in that dream home for almost four years continuing to tweak it until it was pretty darn perfect. Then, all of a sudden, we sold it – something we’d never intended to do. For some reason, TJ and I were surprised, but none of our family members were. According to them, they knew all along we’d get bored when we were done and would want to find another home to start all over. And they were right.
We relocated to an amazing North Atlanta suburb with the kind of neighbors we all hope for. The house had a beautiful stone and brick exterior and the lawn and gardens, though overgrown, included amazing hardscapes. We knew our elderly English Tudor was going to need a tremendous amount of love. Let’s just say she was “original”, which is a nice way of saying everything about her was hitting 50 and falling apart. But she had the neighborhood and the bones we were looking for. After living in the house for a year, we began the process of completely remodeling the property to its full potential. Even though we both had full-time and very demanding careers when we began (I have since retired from the corporate world), we decided we would handle the remodel ourselves rather than subbing it out to contractors.
But wait, working on one major remodel wasn’t enough! In the middle of our Atlanta remodel, we purchased a beat-up cottage with the most beautiful view on our favorite lake. Why not, right?! So we began the process of remodeling yet another rundown property into a weekend home to enjoy family, friends, and beautiful sunsets.
Because of our other responsibilities, our remodeling projects don’t move at warp speed. That’s one of the reasons for our blog – to provide us with a reference tool as we move from project to project. Something to help us remember what worked – and maybe more importantly, what didn’t.
And that leads us to the main reason for our blog. We hope by sharing our journey, you’ll not only find inspiration and ideas for your homes, but also the information, tips and yes, the confidence that enables you to bring those ideas to reality.
We hope you’ll pull on those work boots and join us . . .