We Don’t Just Talk About It

We don’t just talk about renovations - we’ve built our life around them.

Steven and I didn’t just fall into loving renovations - we lived them. Over and over again.

It started with Steven’s first condo in the Greenbrier area of Chesapeake, long before we met. He sold it just in time to roll the proceeds into a brand-new construction townhouse for us. It was exciting… until we learned a tough lesson early on: we didn’t have an agent representing us, and when the wrong backsplash was installed, we had no one in our corner to fix it. Lesson learned - and one I carry into every client relationship today.

From there, we moved just down Kempsville Road in Chesapeake into a single-level home that needed a facelift. We replaced the floors, refreshed the kitchen with professionally painted cabinets, and gave the exterior new life with updated shutters and a freshly painted front door. We also scraped a bunch of wallpaper off the walls, and I have some saved to use as a reminder of what we accomplished together!

Then came our Freemason era in Norfolk - right in the middle of COVID, when we traded suburban quiet for walkable city life. The condo we found was full of potential (and projects). We replaced flooring, doors, and countertops, added custom built-ins, and created smart storage solutions that made the space feel intentional and elevated.

As our needs changed, we landed in Colonial Place - a home with incredible character and trim work that didn’t need a full overhaul, but definitely benefited from thoughtful upgrades. We updated the backsplash, tackled deferred maintenance, and even added a hidden door leading to the second floor… because why not?

Then came the Vibe District bungalow in Virginia Beach - arguably my DIY era. Think: a lot of scraping, a lot of painting, and a lot of learning. We updated countertops and fixtures, swapped out hardware, and reworked the backyard to solve ongoing drainage issues. It was hands-on, a little chaotic, and incredibly rewarding.

And finally - our biggest project to date - a full gut renovation in Windsor Woods.

We reimagined the entire layout to improve flow and functionality: opening up walls, creating a pass-through to the kitchen, and transforming the space into something that actually made sense for how people live. Nearly everything is new - cabinets, countertops, flooring, trim, roof, driveway, and fully renovated bathrooms.

But the real win? Designing a true primary closet by combining two small ones and borrowing space from a neighboring bedroom. Because sometimes the best upgrades aren’t just beautiful - they’re practical.