Home improvement can be stressful, and it often leads to memorable disagreements between partners. In this update we look at projects that commonly spark do-it-yourself arguments, share lessons from a recent home staging job we completed together, and offer practical takeaways you can use whether you’re preparing to sell or just refreshing a space. We also touch on a few small products we’ve been loving lately, discuss textured walls and ceilings, and share a couple of low-effort styling tricks that make a big impact.
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What’s New
- The photos above show the basement living area from a recent staging project we worked on together. Before the refresh it was being used as more of a “gaming room” for the family. Keep in mind the homeowners were in the middle of packing and moving, which made things look busier than usual—moving always adds clutter.
- We’ll publish a full project post with more details, but the big idea is to minimize the amount of stuff in a room and keep walls neutral. The goal of staging isn’t to sell the decor—it’s to sell the home. The homeowners repainted the house using a soft neutral for the walls and a crisp white for trim before our final staging day.
- On the last day we rearranged furniture to improve sightlines and flow—simple moves like adding two chairs to flank the TV to hide components—and lightly styled surfaces. We intentionally left walls mostly bare, adding only a single star over the mantel to avoid distracting buyers.
- If you want staging examples, we’ve shared many before-and-after photos and practical tips in an earlier post about staging versus decorating—those examples show how a staged room feels different from a decorated one.
Game: DIY Fights
- DIY projects can be a surprisingly common source of arguments. We referenced survey data about which do-it-yourself jobs most often lead to disagreements; you can find the full survey through the original research provider. Below we summarize the kinds of projects that tend to spark tension and offer our own experiences tackling similar tasks.
- Electrical work can be stressful and is a frequent source of disagreement because safety is involved. A simple safeguard is to use a non-contact voltage detector and an outlet tester to confirm power is off before you begin — labels in a breaker panel are sometimes incorrect. When in doubt, call a professional electrician.
- If you’re considering some of the more contentious projects, here are examples of DIY jobs we’ve handled: installing a ceiling fan, replacing a dishwasher, hanging drywall, and installing hardwood flooring. These posts document lessons learned and honest reflections about what was tricky and what went smoothly.
Update: Textured Walls
- Textured walls and ceilings generate a lot of opinions. We shared an earlier discussion on this topic and some listeners responded with regional observations: textured walls appear more common in parts of the western and midwestern United States, while textured ceilings are more evenly distributed nationally, based on mapping data we reviewed.
- We often get asked for tutorials on removing textured finishes. We haven’t tackled that on our homes yet, so we don’t have a detailed guide, but many helpful how-to videos and step-by-step resources are available online for those who want to try it. Some readers recommend texture patch sprays to match existing orange-peel textures—results vary depending on the existing finish and skill matching the pattern.
We’re Digging
- One small product we’ve loved recently is a snap-in nightlight outlet cover that replaces a standard outlet cover in seconds. It provides soft hallway lighting and requires no wiring—installation is as simple as unscrewing the existing plate and attaching the new one. For low-effort improvements, these are a big win.
- On the skincare front, Sherry has been using a facial toner she recommends as an affordable daily step in her routine. She applies it with a cotton pad each morning as part of her regimen. Skincare can be highly personal, but this is one of the routines she finds effective and budget-friendly.
If you want to revisit tools, products, and topics we’ve covered in past episodes, we maintain a master list of items we’ve been digging, along with a separate list of books we’ve recommended as part of our Book Club.
We also appreciate the support of brands that sponsor our work; they help us keep creating content and sharing honest feedback about products and projects.
Thanks for reading and for following along with our projects — we hope these notes help you tackle your next home refresh with more confidence and fewer arguments.
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