Just when we thought the duplex renovation was finally cruising along, an unexpected hiccup sent us on an emergency trip to Cape Charles and into a tense meeting with the Historic Review Board. In this update we share what happened at the meeting, how we handled a precarious chimney, the state of our month-long shopping ban (temptations included), and practical strategies for getting large materials and furniture home when you don’t own a truck. We DIY a lot, but we don’t own the ultimate DIY vehicle — so we’ll explain how we work around that and why those workarounds often feel like clever hacks rather than ideal solutions.
If you follow our podcast, you can find the episode on your preferred podcast app or listen to the embedded player on the original post. Use the show notes here to find the photos and details we referenced in the episode.
What’s New
- That photo was taken from the duplex backyard and shows a strange chimney that twists and shifts as it passes through the second floor. After the contractor removed the unstable top portion above the roofline, we added temporary framing to keep the chimney steady while the rest is rebuilt.
- Below is a closer detail of the chimney where it twists through the first-floor ceiling. It’s a wild structural feature — Sherry even said it looks like a mud bird’s nest.
- That before photo shows the chimney’s location in the very back of the house. The low pitched roof largely hid it from the street, so it wasn’t something visible to passersby. Because it wasn’t visible from the sidewalk, the Historic Review Board approved removal of the unstable portion above the roofline, which was a huge relief.
- We didn’t take photos during the meeting itself — those hearings feel very formal and nerve-wracking — but here’s the building where it took place: a charming old church that now serves as the town Civic Center. Holding a formal board meeting in an echoey church made keeping a four-year-old quiet for a long stretch even more of a challenge.
Updates
- We first introduced the idea of a shopping ban on an earlier episode and clarified the rules a few episodes later. The shopping ban was designed to curb impulse purchases and encourage more intentional spending on projects and home items.
- We’ve seen a great discussion from readers and listeners about the different ways people implement shopping hiatuses, from strict no-buy months to more flexible rules that allow essential or planned purchases. Hearing other strategies has been helpful for refining our own approach.
- We previously wrote about attending local craft fairs and makers’ events. Supporting small local makers has been a fun way to find unique items while still sticking to a thoughtful purchasing strategy.
Listener Question
- That photo shows the time we cut material in an IKEA parking lot so it would fit in the back of our Toyota Highlander. The panels were cover pieces for the sides of the beach house kitchen island. I roughly cut them with a cordless jigsaw to get them into the car, then did the final precise trimming when we arrived at the house.
- We’ve used that trick before — years back we used a similar approach to get drywall home for another kitchen, even fitting long sheets into a Nissan Altima. Sometimes improvisation is the only option when the vehicle is smaller than the materials.
- Our current car, a 2014 Toyota Highlander, was purchased before our son was born because our previous sedan was too tight once we needed two car seats and a dog crate. It’s not a pickup, but it’s roomy enough for many project runs once we plan how to pack materials.
- When our car won’t do the job, we rent larger trucks. Hourly rental trucks from big-box stores are often inexpensive for short runs, and sometimes we use a U-Haul for bigger items. Those one-off rentals make pickup and delivery workable without owning a truck full-time.
- Way back when we had a small sedan, we documented a few creative hauling methods — including cramming items in unexpected ways — which makes for some amusing throwback photos and reminders that most hauling problems have a solution if you plan ahead.
We’re Digging
- We’ve been admiring work from a salvaged-design artist on Instagram whose photographic prints and mixed-media pieces we think would look great on their own or as part of a larger gallery wall. The attention to detail in those pieces is inspiring for anyone who loves texture and vintage elements.
- On the family front, our kids have been obsessed with Aquabeads. Our son received a beginner’s studio as a gift, and our daughter is getting a deluxe studio for her birthday. Having two separate kits will let them each work at the same time and avoid the “take turns” issue. Refill packs keep the creativity going without adding a lot of mess.
If you want to revisit all the things we’ve recommended or featured in previous episodes, we maintain a master list of items and favorites from past show notes that’s handy for tracking down something you remember but can’t place.
Finally, we appreciate the sponsors that help support the podcast. Their furniture and product lines inspired some of the projects we’ve shared, and we mention them because they’ve been part of the story; thanks to those partners for making the episodes possible.
Thanks for following along and for listening. We’ll keep sharing the highs, the hiccups, and the little workarounds that keep the renovation rolling forward.
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