About

We are Chris and Kara and we have been married since the summer of 2010. We have two beautiful daughters (2012 & 2014) and one son (2016) and are just trying to survive marriage, parenthood, and renovating THREE houses in our spare time.

Started in 2014, this DIY home improvement blog is about the victories, challenges, and lessons learned along the way. From DIY tips, tricks, and tutorials, to life as we know it living in a fixer-upper, we will cover it all.

In the winter of 2010, we purchased a single-owner house built in 1959 in Oklahoma City. It had few updates and repairs before we moved in and sadly we still had pink carpet in two rooms, blue carpet in one, and two-pronged wiring in much of the house after 4 years of living there. But we did a lot of work and hired out the rest before moving in 2015. We retrofitted a stove and lived on toaster oven meals for a week, “shoveled” the driveway with a rake, and had our “bedroom” in every room of our house (including living room) except one. You will surely be entertained by the adventure that is our lives.

We also own 3 rental units that come with their own projects and challenges. As we strive to obtain rental properties to build a college and retirement fund for our kids and ourselves, we have to make hard decisions on what to do and what changes to make. Whether it’s choosing resilient flooring or flooring that matches a variety of furniture, the considerations we make take time, energy, and research!

We currently live in Boston house built in 1929.

We’re tearing up green shag, painting the checkerboard yellow cabinet, and learning to live as landlords about our tenants.

On top of it all, we are an eco-friendly family. Remodeling and eco-friendly do not always go hand-in-hand; therefore, we try to weigh each option to both lower our impact on the environment and do what serves our purpose the best.

We both love the outdoors and have quirky sense of humor. We would eat Thai food any day of the week if someone offered. We are Christian and are blessed beyond measure. The work we do on the houses is truly a gift in so many ways and we do not want to take it for granted!

Chris loves to spearfish and snowboard when the opportunities present themselves. He spends many days in nice weather doing yard work with his tool of choice… a machete. He would like to be organized one day when he grows up, but is still a kid at heart.

Kara is a stay at home mom and homeschooler and writes at Kara Carrero Family Lifestyle Blog. She loves watching movies and gardening. Her true passions are teaching and environmentalism. She can be a nagging housewife and has said more than once that she never wanted to move into this house, but has warmed up to the idea over time.