Reno journal

Follow our home renovation journey. From design, construction, and lessons learned. We're sharing it all.

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Find articles about specific rooms in our home or discover inspiration for yours. Explore our articles dedicated to different spaces.

Living room

Man standing barefoot on a wooden ladder painting a wall in a room with wood flooring and taped window trim.

Dining room

Wooden chair with chocolate cushion in front of a wall with five paint swatches and paint supplies on the floor.

Office

Interior corner of a room under renovation with a black step ladder, two paint buckets, a roll of paper towels, and a window with wooden trim.

Mudroom

Interior view of a room with dark-framed glass double doors showing a backyard with autumn trees and yellow leaves.

Breakfast nook

Man standing on a ladder in a hallway under a brass ceiling light, using a smartphone with an open front door in the background.

Entryway

White house with a dark roof, three dormer windows, a large front porch with hanging plants, and a curved walkway in a green yard.

Outdoor

We've learned a lot through trial and error refinishing our home's honey oak trim; we've got a system that makes the process more manageable.
Oct 19, 2025
Reno journal

Office renovation update: painting the trim white

One month into our office renovation, we've reached a milestone: all doors are sprayed! Refinishing them was a marathon, not a sprint.
May 15, 2026
Reno journal

Farewell, honey oak: spraying the office doors white

Our home's exterior transformation would only be complete with a bit of TLC for our beloved porch swing. It was time we gave it the makeover it deserved.
Oct 19, 2025
Reno journal

Revitalizing our beloved porch swing

Our new Pottery Barn chandelier is stunning, but their quality control is a joke. Thanks for the DIY challenge! At least it looks pretty, right?
Oct 19, 2025
Reno journal

Ceiling fan to chandelier: another DIY escapade

Our cozy breakfast nook is starting to come to life! Check out our exciting journey of transformation!
Oct 31, 2025
Reno journal

An update on our breakfast nook

Never underestimate the unexpected turns of home improvement. Tonight's challenge: escaping the living room via the bedroom window.
Oct 19, 2025
Reno journal

The price we pay for flawless trim

We finally finished our exterior makeover, and it looks amazing! Our house went from a light blue with faded paint to a modern and stylish greige.
Nov 6, 2025
Reno journal

Day 4 of our exterior makeover and the final reveal

The renovation is messy but exciting, with progress made on replacing rotten planks and painting the siding in a transformative greige color.
Nov 6, 2025
Reno journal

Day 3 of our exterior makeover

The white trim and front porch are finished, making a big difference and highlighting architectural details.
Nov 6, 2025
Reno journal

Day 2 of our exterior makeover

Our exterior renovation is officially underway! We're kicking off the project with a fresh coat of paint. I can't wait to share the final result.
Nov 6, 2025
Reno journal

Day 1 of our exterior makeover

We painted the honey oak trim in our 90s home and did not regret it. Here is the exact process, products, and technique we used to get a clean finish.
May 15, 2026
Reno journal

How to paint honey oak trim without it looking cheap

We were excited to upgrade our dining room light fixture, but as with most DIY projects, there was a setback.
Oct 19, 2025
Reno journal

Hacking our dining light installation

We removed the batten board in our mudroom, and who knew resurfacing the wall would turn into a bubbling, month-long saga?
Dec 28, 2025
Reno journal

DIY disaster: our mudroom meltdown

e removed picture frame moulding, batten board, and chair rail across our whole house. Here is the process, what to watch out for, and what we learned.
May 15, 2026
Reno journal

How to remove wall moulding without wrecking your walls

White wooden porch swing hanging by chains on a covered concrete porch with a window and beige siding in the background.