About six weeks after she moved into her Dutch Colonial in Beekman, New York, Alyse Archer-Coité’s excitement shifted to hesitation. Her anxiety peaked when she started reaching out to contractors to start home renovating discussions. “I felt like they would come to the house with an expectation, and then I would open the door,” she recalls. Archer-Coité didn’t want word to get out that the ivy-covered brick home on the hill of a predominantly white and middle class neighborhood was owned and occupied by a single Black woman—she would often wait for cars to pass before getting the mail. “I
Tag: house renovation plans

Installing stone veneer: Everything you need to know
When it comes to home renovations, some projects like homemade shelves are more do-it-yourself-friendly than other upgrades like electrical work. Stone veneer installation is one project that passes the test for a gorgeous update that you can do on your own – you only need a few items and tools on hand to help the job go smoothly.
Here’s what you need to know:
Stone veneer basics
Stone veneer is a decorative slice of stone most often created from molded concrete, natural aggregates and iron oxides for color. It’s great for providing a beautiful, authentic-looking stone effect anywhere in your

Galey Alix of ‘Home in a Heartbeat’ Reveals the Shocking Reason Why Her Renovations Are So Darn Cheap
Galey Alix of “Home in a Heartbeat” is a refreshing departure from other HGTV shows in a variety of ways. For one, we admit we’re a bit tired of the designer-wife-contractor-hubby schtick—Alix does it all on her own. Two, she pulls off her renovations in just one weekend (although there’s a huge asterisk to that, which we’ll elaborate on in more detail below).
“I’m a DIY renovation expert who’s passionate about changing people’s lives by transforming their homes,” she says. “The catch is, I have to do it all on the weekends, because Monday through Friday I’m an executive at

8 Soapstone Counter Benefits – Soapstone Types, Care, and Issues
A soapstone counter is inarguably beautiful, durable and even eco-friendly. Perhaps that’s why we’re seeing more and more designers choose it—and why searches for soapstone countertops have jumped an eye-popping 450 percent over the past five years, according to Google Trends. A soapstone slab has a lot going for it: It’s less likely to chip and easier to care for than granite or marble, and it combines the heat resistance of manmade materials like quartz with the beautiful variation inherent in a natural stone. (Which it is.) But the very things that make a soapstone counter so desirable and popular,

DIY condo renovation: How a creative couple self-designed their home (and furniture), Lifestyle News
When Jo Ann (@home.by.teo) first saw their would-be home, you could say it was already love at first sight.
“The minute we walked into the unit, we fell in love with the large balcony overlooking a secluded, glittering pool, which immediately made us feel like we were stepping into a Balinese resort,” he recalled.
“We also love the functional layout of the unit, and the fact that it has a sizeable storage room and a separate laundry area.”
Jo Ann and her husband saw the potential of the space to turn into their dream home, so they made an offer