In the two years since Sherry and John Petersik moved into their 50-year-old ranch house south of the river, the couple have added a wide-range of DIY home-improvement skills to their resumes. They’ve painted every room in their three-bedroom home at least once; tackled electrical, plumbing and demolition projects with aplomb; persevered through a five-month kitchen renovation; and have inexpensively and ingeniously decorated each room in a breezy, contemporary style. And they’ve done it under the watchful eyes of thousands of loyal readers who check in with thisyounghouse.com, the couple’s entertaining and informative blog chronicling their home improvement projects.

The Petersiks started blogging about their home last fall after delving into their largest project ­— a total kitchen redo. “I did it so that our family and friends could see the [kitchen’s] progress,” says John. “Their constant encouragement kept us going.”

It didn’t take long before those outside the Petersiks’ inner circle discovered the well-written and well-designed blog. In December, thisyounghouse.com won a grand-prize award of $5,000 in a house blog contest sponsored by remodelingmyspace.com. Currently, the blog receives about 1,000 hits per day, with readership steadily growing.

When they’re not busy remodeling, John and Sherry, both 26, are advertising wunderkinds. He’s a senior account executive at Siddall. She’s a freelance copywriter and creative director for a San Francisco naming firm. The two met in New York, fell in love and moved to Richmond in 2006, says Sherry, “to escape the rat race.”

Now Sherry works from their 1,350-square-foot ranch home and their free time and weekends are spent remodeling, redecorating, landscaping and blogging about it every weekday.
“There is something about this house that we are in love with,” says Sherry. “We picture ourselves here for a long time.”

Den
The Petersiks’ den is proof that the right paint color can truly transform a space. Before coating the room in layers of creamy white, the room featured dark wood trim and brown brick. The calming palette now extends to the room’s furniture and accessories. “We learned that in a small space, neutrals go a long way,” Sherry says.

Master Bedroom
The Petersiks are budget-conscious and proud of it. “We tell the price of everything,” Sherry says. “There is probably more of a story in a creative approach.” Their master bedroom, serene as a boutique hotel, was decorated on the cheap. Two inexpensive wardrobes from Ikea flank the bed to create a cozy sleeping nook. An 8-inch header board, installed by a carpenter in front of the wardrobes, gives the arrangement a custom, built-in look. The white drapes add softness and help to frame the small window above the bed.

Kitchen
The Petersiks remodeled their entire kitchen through Midlothian Home Depot, which offers the services of certified kitchen designer Nancy Kulik for free. The 1970s-vintage knotty pine cabinets and faux-brick backsplash were replaced with sleek-white Kraftmaid cabinets and pashmina granite countertops. A narrow doorway to the small dining room was closed off and the room was converted to a third bedroom. Openings to the den and living room were enlarged, giving the home a more open feel.

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