About

This is a 100% human-made blog, crafted with soul by two real people. 

The Housegleaners are Sarah and Rob, a married couple remodeling a messed-up house on the cheap while living in it, doing all the work themselves. (With the help of two cats.)

Rob is a carpenter who got his start doing architectural salvage. He went on to build deluxe custom houses with a small crew and now works solo, specializing in design/build using reclaimed materials and furniture restoration. He'll be doing the bulk of the house work.

Sarah weaves willow, braids living grass, and makes art in natural settings using whatever grows there. Our .38 acre lot is plagued by poor drainage, so her first challenge is to apply permaculture techniques to manage the copious runoff--there's a reason we call the place Soggy Bottom. She is also and avid gardener and beekeeper eager to make the land fruitful by creating hugel beds and planting trees and food crops.

We have some ideas but no hard plans. Basically just improvising with whatever comes our way. Join us as we scrounge, scavenge, and salvage our way to the dream.

FIQ - Frequently Imagined Questions

Is this a house flip?

No. Our intent is to live here, so we're not afraid to put our personal imprint on it. This will lead to some aesthetic choices that run counter to conventional marketing wisdom.

Is this a how-to blog?

Not exactly. There's a lot about process, but it doesn't get into every last detail to properly do the tasks described. What we hope to share is the big picture perspective and general methods along with a generous side dish of links to finer grain instructional resources.

What are the cats' names?

Sunny and Patchouli. Can guess which is which?

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