Why this blog?

by Chuck

I went through all the trouble of looking for a home,  engaging in bidding wars and losing multiple times, and then finally my bid won when the housing market topped. However, the  house I purchased was far from being habitable within my family's norms.

Paying quite more than what I initially planned for the purchase, the renovation budget was quite tight. Working as a full-time engineer, initially I considered working with a general contractor. But after crunching the numbers, which I will share throughout this blog, that option didn't make sense. So I took on the challenge of whole house renovation myself. Friends and neighbors were quite impressed with the results and short timeline.

After going all these things become important part of my life, I noticed I have become that guy sharing these details with folks in the parties. Most of these folks were not possibly in the house market anyway.  

However, looking back and thinking about all stuff I had to read and live through, I believe I can bring together easy to read renovation blog that might be useful for those who really need and appreciate the information.  

In certain choices I will be opinionated since I have decided that and reaped the benefits rather than listing down pros and cons of each and every option. Sure there are lessons learned in each experience which I am eager to share as well. There are a lot of web sites doing this comprehensive comparison out there if you have many hours to read those.

Along the way I have come across very beautiful interior designs. In most cases trouble was finding the exact material. In that sense I will try to include links to buy the materials for the particular designs I have achieved (you can regard this as a disclaimer; those affiliate links may help me pay the operation costs of this site).

Please subscribe to learn about my home related projects and ideas.

Here is a sneak peak at the stuff I will be writing about:

  • Flooring
  • Bathroom remodeling
  • Asbestos abatement
  • HVAC replacement
  • Roof replacement
  • Painting
  • Plumbing
  • Smart home additions
  • Backyard landscaping & lawn care
  • Solar roof & panels
  • ICE -> EV transition
  • Generators
  • Data backup & recovery

In this blog, I will also try to cover mortgage process, budgeting and investment ideas.

For those renovating in the California bay area, I can also share referrals for good contractors.