Your Home Story

Indoor air and water quality can have a huge impact on our health! But we don’t think about them most of the time, except maybe when buying a new home, or during a pandemic. We had an expert on the podcast this week and learned so much!! Including some great FREE things you can do to improve indoor air quality, plus some interesting things to think about regarding solid vs. engineered wood flooring and bulk size personal care products.

Exterior improvements like a new fence and garage door can make such a difference!! But they’re not always DIY-able which can mean hiring out and spending a lot of money. Suzannah’s had lots of exterior work done this spring and is sharing all the details about these three projects. Tune in to hear timing, cost, and more, plus that fascinating question: which side of the fence should face your yard?

Today’s show is a perfect example of how lots of elbow grease and a small budget can truly result in a great before/after. If you’ve been intimidated by projects that we’ve talked about in the past, then this $300 Laundry Room Makeover should set you at ease. Ashley helped direct her sister, who is a beginner DIYer, in this project. From painting to installing peel and stick wallpaper and even to building a base for a washer and dryer, this is the perfect episode for a beginner DIYer. 

As fun as it is to follow decor trends and see them popping up at affordable price points, there’s something really special about putting in the time and thought to create a home that reflects you and your family. In today’s episode, we walk you through different ideas to help you create a home that truly is one of a kind. 

As we continue with the theme of “less is more” this year, we are taking a look at how we’ve improved life in our kitchen, laundry rooms, etc. Small tweaks regarding home products have made us so much happier. In this episode we are sharing those simple products that we are loving and why we are loving them with you today. 

Back when we did episode 72 about our favorite design books, we knew we’d love designer and blogger Lauren Liess’s new book Down to Earth and her now-classic Habitat. We talk about our fave parts of both this week, plus share our top few design/decor/home improvement-related podcast episodes from other podcasts.

Feeling stressed with the amount of “stuff” you have in your bathroom drawers? We are helping ease some of those feelings of overwhelm today as we chat through what you should or could store in the bathroom. Plus, hear tips on how to decrease the bathroom clutter and even ideas for helping larger families minimize what each person has/uses.

Ashley is planning a HUGE basement renovation - every square inch, plus some (adding really large egress windows, exposing the exterior foundation wall, and more) and it’s taken her a while to get bids in order and define the scope of work. She’s sharing what she’s learned this week, and things you’ll want to keep in mind if you ever do a project like this!

Putting thought and effort into frames and mats can really elevate the art in your house. From linen mats to no mats, grid style frames to thrifted frames, tune in to figure out how to mix and match frames to create unique style and groupings at your house. 

Roof replacement sounds expensive, slow, and scary. Suzannah just went through the process on her historic home’s 3-layered roof with lots of pitch changes and valleys, and it was a little complicated, but she’s breaking it down to demystify the roof replacing process! From getting bids to choosing colors to living with a roof under construction, and more!

Curious about seed starting or indoor gardening in general? On today’s show, we have Tracey from @thefakefarmgirl explaining exactly how to get good germination, what type of light works for seed starting and what plants are the easiest to grow. 

What does buying less with more intention look like? Could you buy only 20 home items in 2020? Today, Ashley is sharing about her journey with home decor and specifically what she’s focused on in 2020, which is buying under 20 items in 2020. 

If you hate the way something looks, there are usually cheap, easy cosmetic updates like paint and adhesive tile you can apply on top. We’ve all been swayed by the “$100 challenge” bathroom update that looks great in photos, but… when is it better to save up, learn some new skills, and do a bigger project? 

There’s always room for improvement when it comes to kitchen organization. Today, we are talking about ways to store and maintain food/pantry items so that your kitchen is more functional! Whether you have a tiny pantry like Ashley and Suzannah both do currently or a walk-in pantry, you are going to leave this episode with useful ideas for upgrades you can make to your space. 

Ashley went BOLD with a recent design choice: she painted all the walls of her bedroom true black and added black crown molding. It took some getting used to but now she’s so glad she made the leap! Tune in to hear how she decided to do this big change, dealing with a room that’s actually too big, Ashley and Luke’s first experience installing crown molding, and more.