On Tuesday, Annastazia showed that we’re not the only ones here with great before and after photos of our home. For anyone who loves transformation stories, there’s now a way to put those before and after pictures to good use for a worthy cause—plus you might even earn a small reward in the form of a $50 gift card.
One Project Closer, a popular blog that follows the home improvement projects of two Baltimore, MD couples, is running a summer blogging event called Before & After ’08. The event invites readers to share their own before and after home improvement stories and photos from the late spring or early summer. It’s a simple concept with a charitable focus and a fun community element.
- Readers submit short stories and clear photos documenting a before and after home improvement project completed in late spring or early summer.
- Each Sunday during the event, One Project Closer publishes a submission and donates $25 to Habitat for Humanity in honor of the contributor.
- At the end of the summer, readers vote for the best before and after project, and the winner receives a $50 gift card to their favorite home improvement store.
That structure encourages homeowners, DIYers, and renovation fans to document their renovations and share the stories behind them. The incentive of a weekly feature, a charitable donation in your name, and a year-end prize helps motivate thoughtful submissions and raises awareness for Habitat for Humanity, a well-known nonprofit focused on affordable housing.
We love projects that show measurable transformation, because the visual contrast between a “before” and an “after” captures the imagination and often gives practical ideas to others tackling similar upgrades. Whether the change is a modest garden path refresh, a kitchen facelift, a bathroom re-tiling, or a whole-room repaint, well-photographed before and afters make great storytelling and offer real value to the community.
We’re already trying to decide which of our renovations to submit. Our front walkway makeover is a frontrunner, since we completed it in late spring and have good before and after photos. The walkway project included removing an old worn path, regrading a small slope, installing slate stepping stones, and adding fresh topsoil so grass could knit in between the stones. That combination of hardscape and softscape updates created a clean, welcoming entrance and a great visual before-and-after contrast.
If our walkway gets chosen for a Sunday feature, we’ll be excited to share the final after photos—complete with new green grass popping up between the slate pavers. We’ll also be eager to see the community’s responses and to participate in the voting at the end of summer. Events like Before & After ’08 are a great way for home improvement bloggers and readers to connect, swap practical tips, and support a cause that aligns with the spirit of building and improving homes.
If you’re planning to enter, prepare a concise story that explains what you did, why you chose that project, the key materials and steps involved, and any challenges you overcame. Include clean, well-lit photos that clearly show the “before” condition and the finished “after” result. Clear captions and a short project timeline will help your submission stand out during the weekly selections and in the final community vote.
We’re looking forward to seeing what other readers submit, and we hope many great projects are shared so Habitat for Humanity benefits from the donations. If you decide to enter, let us know—we’d love to check out your submission and cast our vote when the community chooses the winner.