Then I want to talk to you. I’m writing a story for my NBC Universal blog on Home Goes Strong on the pros and cons of being on a DIY home improvement show. I’d like to interview real-life folks that have done a home improvement project (exterior or interior) with the help of one of the DIY Network, HGTV, TLC or other reality DIY shows on cable. Ideally, you are a married/partnered couple age 46 or older. But at this point I’ll interview anyone. Please tell me a bit about who you are, where you live, and what part...

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When Bill and I started our home renovation, we knew that one of the projects we wanted done was refinishing the fireplace in the dining room. It was painted white with a sky-blue mantle, and it just wasn’t our taste. (That’s probably why we just piled the crap in it that you see in this picture and never used it as a proper fireplace.) But after finding out how much professionals wanted to do the job (how’s $600 for you?), we knew we needed to do this refinishing project ourselves. I did some Internet research on the best–and least...

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Today I learned more about insulation that I ever wanted to know. That’s because we determined that the traditional fiberglass insulation that our contractor had installed earlier this week–but hadn’t yet enclosed in drywall–had to come out. This had nothing to do with the contractor or the quality of their work. This had everything to do with the noxious smell of fiberglass insulation, which has made my house almost unlivable. To most people it’s a mildly offensive odor that supposedly goes away over time. But I’m one of those people who is sensitive to smells, and there was no...

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