Hi, I'm Kyle. I live on the southeast side of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in a 1952 Cape Cod with my wife Tessa and Moose, a seventy-pound yellow Lab and shepherd mix who is afraid of the shop vac and nothing else.
We bought the house in April 2024. It's about 1,150 square feet: a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bath downstairs, a bedroom with sloped ceilings upstairs, an unfinished basement that smells like a basement and a detached one-car garage. It came with original oak under the carpet, a mix of copper and old galvanized pipe, a 100-amp panel and every bit of personality you'd expect from a seventy-year-old house in Michigan.
I'm not a contractor. During the week I plan inventory for an office-furniture manufacturer, and nearly everything I know about houses came from my dad, our retired-millwright neighbor Gary and a lot of videos watched at 11 p.m. This blog is where I write down what we fixed, what it cost and what I'd do differently next time.
What you'll find here
- Repairs & Fixes: the leaks, drips, drafts and breakdowns, and how we handled them.
- Tools & Workshop: what was worth buying, what I borrow and what went back to the store.
- Weekend Projects: floors, paint, storage and the occasional life update.
- Energy & Utilities: insulation, the furnace, rebates and what our Consumers Energy bills actually look like.
- Homeowner Money: insurance, escrow, property taxes, warranties and the real cost of owning an old house.
- Yard & Exterior: gutters, snow, paint, the garage roof and one very messy silver maple.
A few honest notes
I'm not a licensed contractor, electrician, plumber, insurance agent, tax preparer or financial advisor. What I share is our experience in our house, not advice for yours. Anything involving gas lines, the electrical panel or structure, we hire a licensed pro, and it's worth checking your local permit rules before you start a project.
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Questions, or a fix that went sideways? Write to kyle@firsthousefixes.com.