We're Jared and Stephanie. We fix, paint, schmear, plant and pull things out of the ground on a real-life budget - and write down exactly how we did it so you can too.
Our dark red brick fireplace made the whole room feel small. Two buckets of mortar and a putty knife later, it has that Fixer Upper farmhouse look - for about $55.
Read the tutorialPick a room or job and we'll show you the guides that fit.
Decor & DesignConvinced you have a black thumb? These ten easy houseplants put up with low light, missed waterings and general neglect - and look great doing it.
Home RenovationPeel-and-stick tile got us through a tiny budget in our first house. Here's how to install it well, how ours held up, and when we'd spring for real tile.
Home RenovationPainting our oak cabinets was one of the first projects we ever did together. Here's everything we've learned since about getting a smooth, durable finish that doesn't chip.
Garden & OutdoorsOur house is named after them, so we had to get this one right. When, where and how to plant a dogwood tree so it blooms for decades - even in red clay.
Garden & OutdoorsWe pulled out six-foot shrubs so you don't have to plant them. Here are the front-yard shrubs that stay in scale, look good year-round and how to space them.
Home RenovationYou don't need a gut remodel to love your bathroom. These ten budget updates took our dated hall bath from gross to fresh - most for less than $100 each.
Home RenovationThree ways to lighten dark red brick - and they look (and last) very differently. Here's how German schmear, limewash and whitewash compare, side by side.
Home RenovationRanch houses are having a moment. Here's our room-by-room plan for updating a 1960s brick ranch into a modern farmhouse - and the order we'd do it in.
Decor & DesignOur living room went from dark paneling and red brick to bright and cozy. These are the modern farmhouse ideas that made the biggest difference for the least money.
Our calculators answer the "how much do I buy?" question before you drive to the hardware store.
Mortar, cost and time for a German schmear fireplace or brick wall - with a live preview.
Gallons of paint and primer for any room, minus doors and windows.
How much homemade remover solution to mix - fabric softener or vinegar recipe.
Tubes of caulk for a tub or shower and bottles of grout paint for any tiled area.
Cubic yards and bags of mulch or soil for a new flower bed.
List materials, add a buffer and keep a running total - saved in your browser.
We swung our first hammers together back in 2008 in a 1960s brick ranch we bought with more enthusiasm than money. A few houses later, a week before Thanksgiving, Stephanie found another fixer-upper on Realtor.com - an established neighborhood, mature trees, two brick fireplaces and a front yard full of shrubs that hadn't been trimmed since the '90s.
We named her the Dogwood House. Dogwood DIY is where we share every project: what worked, what didn't, what it really cost, and what we'd do differently.
Read our storyTell us what you're working on - a brick fireplace, a stubborn shrub, a bathroom that needs some love - and we'll point you to the guide (or write one).
