I finally decided what I would blog about after being truly inspired by the cutest blog ever - Young House Love (http://www.younghouselove.com/about-2/). I am going to write about managing and remodeling our home on a dime. With our money gone the way of the recession and dropping home values not to mention funding children in college, we are resigned to DIY or not do it at all. This is our story:
My husband and I met on Match.com in October, 2001. He was hoping to find a compatible mate to help him raise his two daughters; 13 and 16 at the time of our meeting. I was looking for someone to help me raise my two daughters; 15 and 18. In May 2003, we tied the knot in a very small wedding ceremony at the Wente Winery in Livermore. To coincide with our marriage, we sold our existing homes - one in Livermore (hers) and one in San Ramon (his) - and purchased a 4300 sq ft 'fixer-upper' in southwest Livermore.
The day we moved in to our new home dubbed the Haan/Johnson Manor, there was a thin cheap coat of beige paint barely covering the longstanding pink exterior walls. Inside, yards and yards of flesh-toned fake marble graced each bathroom. Before we bought the house we coveted the huge park-like backyard. Once purchased, we were dumbstruck at how large the backyard really was and how much it would cost to maintain. Beautiful; yes. Practical; no.
