When they won the grand prize ($5,000) for the “best home-improvement blog” in a contest only months after publishing their first post, they knew they were on to something.
A large part of the blog’s appeal is that the Petersiks are so darn likable. They’re the kind of people you meet and instantly want to invite to your next dinner party.
How they work
Young House Love is part personal diary and part resource for affordable furnishings, home-related tips, tutorials and easy DIY projects. From buying a mattress to building a bathroom vanity, blog readers get a step-by-step account with pictures and a breakdown of every penny spent.
The Petersiks rarely set a budget when embarking on a project, abiding by their own frugal mantra: “as inexpensive as possible.”
In their previous home, for example, they gutted and renovated a bathroom, adding marble floors and floor-to-ceiling subway tile. With John doing most of the work himself, they spent about $1,800. The average midrange bathroom renovation costs $16,634, according to Remodeling magazine’s 2010-11 Cost vs. Value Report.
“We’re save-aholics,” says Sherry. “Spending a lot, even if we could, feels like a failure, a waste. If we were millionaires we’d probably do the same things and make the same material choices. We sold our last house on our own; that’s the ultimate DIY.”
How they live
One of the Petersiks is working on the blog at all times from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. The other is on Clara duty because the couple doesn’t have additional child care. They work weekends and vacations.
Decorating and DIYing is “the easy, fun part,” says Sherry. “And probably only about 25 percent of the whole job.”
“People think it’s easy,” says John, “that blogging is just throwing some thoughts together for a post and going about your day. But they forget the time it takes to do a project, photograph the project, edit and adjust the photos, write the posts, edit and double-check the information.”
John and Sherry also answer about 200 reader questions daily, manage social media and sponsors, communicate with retailers to organize giveaways, and do their own Web coding and site programming.
Not that they’re complaining. They’re just telling it like it is, which is exactly what their fans expect.
During a recent tour of the Petersiks’ home, Sherry pointed to a lump under the covers of the master bedroom bed. “Don’t mind that,” she said, “that’s just Burger.” Then, she casually motioned to a pile of clothes tossed on an armchair.
“And don’t mind those, either,” she said. “We’re keeping it real.”
Photo gallery
fSee more images of the Petersiks’
past and current home renovation projects at washingtonpost.com/home.
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