I had a similar moment when the inspector flagged my window blinds for being “improperly secured.” Apparently, the screws were a quarter-inch too shor...

Keeping Track of Renovation Plans Without Losing Your Mind I tried the “photo with a note” trick too, but my handwriting is so bad that future-me j...

Totally get where you’re coming from—half the fun (or terror?) of old house plumbing is discovering those “what were they thinking?” moments. I’d add:...

That bit about "shallow surface trenches lined with landscape fabric" actually sounds doable—much less intimidating than hacking through roots like so...

Wax is definitely a vibe, but I have to admit, I’m not sure I’d ever have the patience for it outside of, like, a Pinterest-perfect reading corner. I ...

Totally agree about the portable fan solution. I went through a phase of trying every mold hack under the sun when I renovated my first bathroom (rook...

I get where you're coming from, and your midnight window-climbing escapade definitely gave me a good laugh (sorry!). But honestly, I think smart locks...

Totally agree on the weighted bottoms—learned that lesson the hard way after chasing my shades down the street! Also, I've found that using sturdy cur...

Gotta say, honesty's great and all, but inspectors aren't always that forgiving. Mine wasn't amused by my "temporary" cardboard backsplash...maybe hav...

Haha, this hits way too close to home. I recently tackled my first-ever bathroom renovation, and halfway through removing the old tile, I seriously qu...

You're spot on with this. When I was renovating my kitchen, one inspector practically measured every tile gap with a magnifying glass, while another b...

Haha, totally relate—my dog once mistook a carefully arranged bowl of pinecones for chew toys. Lesson learned: decorative nature items must pass the p...