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Fixing our roof isn’t the hard part, GETTING ON the roof is. I am not afraid of heights nor am I a fearful person, but it’s a bit scary climbing a ladder from your second story to the roof. Once we got up there, we were sold…you can see the skyline of downtown Pittsburgh! I think we need to build a rooftop deck…that or a little lounge area so I can come up here and…

This is Steve Shorthouse. His resume is wayyyyyy too impressive and long to help us with our little rowhouse, but Steve is also awesome and thinks every project is worthwhile! We met at our house in Lawrenceville and Steve immediately had like 7 great ideas for furniture placement that Mark and I would never have thought of. Since we’re not ready to buy furniture yet, the conversation moved to paint. I don’t know who thinks…

Alright, I think it’s time for a little GRATITUDE. First of all, I cannot believe how many of you read this blog. When I started writing it a few months ago, I figured my parents and my in-laws would read it…and my sister because I would force her to. 🙂 But this blog has grown into way more than that…I feel like we’ve created a community here. Once we started sharing our DIY experience, so…

My brother-in-law, Kevin, is the total package. He’s smart and strong…and he loves my sister, Kelly, A TON so he’s basically a gem in my book. It’s great having him over because he’s done this kind of renovation work before and he’s a great sounding board for Mark. The two of them started a pretty big and tedious task…leveling our first floor ceiling. Part of the charm of these older rowhouses is that they’re crooked….

Just because we’re sweaty, grimey-looking renovators doesn’t mean we look gross all the time. In fact, we clean up so well they put us in a magazine. Well, they put our wedding in a magazine…and who doesn’t look awesome on their wedding day?! Big thanks to WHIRL Magazine for featuring our summer wedding in their August issue. And look…all these DIY renovations and we haven’t killed each other yet! The magazine article about our wedding…

We’re going through buckets of Sheetrock compound faster than you can blink! We knew there had to be a bigger bucket we could buy, so we went to our home away from home…the East Liberty Home Depot. We got there and realized why NO ONE buys the bigger bucket of Sheetrock… It weighs like 500 pounds!! Even my husband, the freakishly strong man he is, had a hard time picking it up. We got it…

We got duped…big time. After days of hanging drywall, we got fairly good at it. Mark can cut and hang it like a pro. And he’s getting some pretty big arm muscles using his Dewalt power tool to screw it in. We thought it was easy-peasy. Look how smug I am with the drywall…holding it up with just one finger. That feeling of superiority quickly went away when we started the mudding and taping. It….

We always get waaaaayyyy more done at the house when we know we have an awesome meal waiting for us at the end of the day. When dinner starts with a spread like this, you know it’s gonna be good. The only way it could possibly get better is if someone made you a pizza in their homemade pizza oven while wearing a ridiculous hat. Luigi (aka Mr. Cardone) made the most delicious pizza with…

With my trusty tape measure on one hip and a utility knife on the other, I feel like I’m a cowgirl ready for a duel in the Wild West. I know you are jealous of my super sweet sock/shoe combo. What can I say…it takes skill to look semi-homeless. 🙂 I finished putting up the last bit of foam board insulation in our bedroom. Measuring and cutting this stuff is not my favorite thing to…

You learn something every day. This weekend, I learned that walls have an incredible way of making you feel like you live in a house instead of a construction site. My new 2nd favorite brother-in-law…(my sister’s husband is #1)…came down from Toronto to help us. Dave is tall and strong and he doesn’t complain…the 3 best qualities in a man. The Canadian boys put up drywall throughout the entire second floor and only one time…