You know you’re dying to see it, yes? We’re still pretty heavy into the construction phase, but it’s coming along swimmingly. Wanna see? Do you? Good.

Hop on over to HGTV for the full scoop!

Speaking of hopping over, I’m jet-setting out to NYC for Fashion Week tomorrow, so I’ll have approximately zero updates for you in the renovation department. In fact, I won’t even be thinking about housing structures.

Unless, of course, we’re talking structured blazers. Yum.

See you next week!

Actually, no. Keep frontin’. Because it’s time to focus on the front door (now that the mad siding chaos is complete), and I have totally jackpotted in this category. It’s true. I feel like I’m now Queen of the Internet and have found the pot of gold.

Does that make me a leprechaun, then? Perhaps.

Anyway, Crestview Doors. Go forth. Here’s the deal: You buy any old front door (fiberglass, wood, etc), or use your existing front door (we’re not doing that b/c ours is disgusting). And THEN, you buy this cute little window kit which will promptly solve all of your problems.

Why will it solve your problems, you ask? It will save your marriage. Case in point:

Husband: Erin, we have to talk about this. We need to get a storm door.
Me: No. I hate storm doors.
Husband: Yes, but you don’t want a glass front door, right?
Me: Right. Because I don’t want the mailman to be able to see me walking around in my bathrobe with my hair amess.
Husband: OK. But you love natural light.
Me: Yes.
Husband: So we need a storm door so you can keep the front door shut but still let the light in.
Me: No.
Husband: You have to decide which you need more: natural light or pride from keeping the mailman’s eyes at bay.
Me: No. Not deciding that. Go away.

And now, three weeks later, I don’t have to decide. B/c behold! The window kit that you install lets in natural light without eye contact from the mailman. B/c he can’t see in. B/c the glass is rippled or something.

Awesome, yes?

Even more awesome is the fact that these kits are so totally affordable (less than $300!) and have awesome designs. I love the Allandale or Brentwood, and Husband likes the full (go figure).

So here’s my plan: Buy a cheapie fiberglass door, dress it up with a Crestview door kit and paint it mustard yellow for a fun modern pop of color. I am so totally excited.

And then I’m going to pay the big bucks for a cool doorknob. Who will have the coolest front door on the block? THIS GIRL.

p.s.  I’m not being paid for this post, although I should be, b/c I now owe Crestview my firstborn son for solving all of my problems (and saving my marriage! And natural light! Yay!).

No words.

OK, few words. It’s just so… lovely.

Link:  ULLMAYERSYLVESTER ARCHITECTS

Lately I’ve been venturing from my all-white palette into the world of contrast. I’ve always been a fan of black and white (if you don’t believe me, ask my old bedroom!), and these days I feel like pairing my old favorite with gold and rustic accents. Cozy, yet rustic and still glamorous. I’m sort of in love!:

I know, I’m totally stumped, too. A crazy departure from my normal loves, but then again, I’m 27 now. Maybe I’m maturing?

Eh. Not likely.

[Wisteria, Future Perfect, Shopper's Choice, West Elm, Clayton Gray Home, Oil Paintings Frames]

A fun little present arrived for my birthday last week — isn’t she a beaut?:

All wrapped up is this lovely little VENT from Omni+. I’m sooo excited to start laying our flooring so I can unwrap my new little love and display for all to see!

Thanks, Omni+! Best birthday ever!

Now that our siding project is finished (Praise the LORD!), I’m letting my mind wander to more comforting thoughts of end tables and lighting. Most of you know by now I’m a sucker for rustic and industrial goods, and rarely do I find the perfect mix that doesn’t scream “I stole this out of a junkyard yesterday and it’s still a work in progress.”

Until now. Behold, the most beautiful pieces yet:

1. A modern, sculptural side table goes country with beams rescued from a Pennsylvania barn. Bonus? A story behind it!:

Available for $455 at The Steel Fork

2. Sean Woolsey’s industrial lighting made from pipes, steel and all things awesome:

Available for custom pricing at Sean Woolsey.

I’ll definitely be showcasing a piece of Sean’s in my home, but will have to save my pretty pennies for a barn loft table investment. Either way, they’re both [oh so!] gorgeous, yes?

Hello again, renovation friends! I plan to reveal our crazy exterior makeover tomorrow on HGTV.com, so I thought it might be fun to dedicate today’s post to our friends at BuildDirect who made our siding project possible. And because they employ a lovely blogger by the name of Rob Jones, I’m letting him take the reins — interview style! Find out how our partnership started, why we love design blogs and what renovation surprises I’ve encountered along the way!

***

Rob Jones of BuildDirect

Rob at BuildDirect: Erin, you contacted us about this project at just the right time, I think. The reason I say that is that there’s so much information out there on the Internet alone, and so many experts like yourself putting out great work and advice, that it makes sense for us to seek it out, and them out. That you came to us was a real bonus!

We’re looking to create resources for a common audience to yours, and it makes sense to help each other out getting useful content out there. That’s a big emphasis for us right now. After all, we know about the materials side. But, you know best about appearance and presentation.

Erin: I’m so flattered, Rob! I love that bloggers and corporations are beginning to re-invent the concept of customer interaction. You guys have been so helpful in providing everything we need, from advice to products and accessories. We were in such good hands this entire time!

R@BD: Another thing that made sense to us is the idea of being involved in a process which shows the regular progress of a project on the scale of what you’re undertaking. Have their been any surprises so far for you so far, good or bad?

EL: Oh my gosh, YES. Ha. My husband and I actually scheduled 4 days to install the siding on the front of our home. We’d installed vinyl/aluminum siding before, but fiber cement shingles are entirely different. The project ended up taking two weeks, although the bulk of the time, I’ll admit, was spent agonizing over measurements (Husband and I are far from math whizzes). Even though it took a long time, I love pulling into our driveway and seeing our [beautiful!] labor of love.

R@BD: That kind of leads me to a thought I’ve had while working at BuildDirect and developing dialogues with people along the way. We’ve been developing our blogs for some time, and it was pretty obvious to us what the underlying theme was going to be: transformation. I think people like to see something being transformed, from nothing or from something old and maybe looked upon as “past it” or even hopeless. What do you think people are after when they decide to do a major renovation like this? Are there any common factors?

EL: I think for us, we wanted two things: (1) customization and (2) affordability. There’s no doubt that DIY is almost always the most affordable option, and for us, it was the perfect way to get the exact results we wanted without worrying about owning a home that looked like everyone else’s.

R@BD: Speaking of affordability, one thing we’re striving to do is to enable homeowners to get the best materials for their money, that they don’t have to sacrifice on quality, even during a recession. Everyone at BuildDirect considered this project as a great example of that – as well as a chance to work with you, frankly! Is there an equivalent goal like this when it comes to the design side?

EL: I love that you mentioned ‘enabling’, because I think that’s what design blogs are all about. We want to enable others to look beyond the expected way to decorate, style and design. It’s about inspiration, really. We all want to inspire.

R@BD: We’re excited about working with you and seeing the progress of the project from the early stages, and onto completion. What do you hope the takeaways for your readers are going to be?

EL: I sooo hope my readers feel empowered by this project. I’m so far from a DIY gal and I’m not a trained designer. But I know what I like when I see it, and I hope that I can inspire others to establish their own aesthetic, regardless of its trendiness, accessibility or popularity. I’m still working on trusting my own instincts, but a project like this certainly flexes the creativity muscles!

Thanks, Rob, and all of you reading. I so appreciate you joining me for this ride!

***

Today’s interview was conducted by Rob Jones, chief blogger for online flooring and building materials company BuildDirect, who are proud sponsors of The House That DFM Built. Specifically, BuildDirect provided our fiber cement siding, a durable product that resembles real wood siding but is made from recycled materials (yay for the environment!).

Since siding hell began, I’ve been trying to look past the 102 temps and sweat and aching back (really! I’m trying!) and see the bright side of things. Today, as we’ve finished just TWO rows of siding, I’ve found three good things I love about siding:

1. Tearing down existing siding can uncover some ridiculously cool signage. I’m totally using a photo of this logo as artwork in my future office!

2. I’m pretty sure we invented a new (killer!) yoga position. I like to call this one ‘Squatting Bull Hidden Tiger’ and it’s quite the workout. My yoga instructor would be so, so proud. Send on the royalties!

3. If we hadn’t rolled out of bed at 5am to beat the heat last week, we wouldn’t have seen the pretty morning fog.

It’s the small things, yes? Back at it — hopefully we’ll have more than two rows to share in a few days!

So, we’re still installing siding (in crazy heat, I might add), but I have to admit, my head is elsewhere. I’ve never been a heavy hands-on kinda gal, and while Husband adores the construction phase, I’m much better suited for decorating.

Naturally, I’m totally excited to work with eBay to furnish my home. I’ve got a fun little intro video over at eBay now, so feel free to head on over to see what the fuss is all about!

We’ll be shopping, styling and decorating together for a few months, and of course, I’ll keep you posted along the way.

Until then, why not share your favorite eBay treasures in the comment section below? I’m dying to hear what you’ve scored in the past…

… and I’m very much ready to kick myself in the face. Kidding. Or am I?

I’ll give you the full update on HGTV.com Wednesday. For now, I’m off to load up on some more sunscreen and bug spray. And coffee. Yessssss, more coffee.