I have decided to start a home improvement blog. There is one fairly significant problem with this idea. I am not a home improvement guy. At all. I own two tools. I know where some of them are. I have successfully changed light bulbs, replaced air filters, and on more than one occasion stood in the garage staring thoughtfully at something that was broken. That last one is probably my strongest home improvement skill.
But I am a homeowner. And if you own a home long enough, your house will eventually demand that you learn things you never had any intention of learning. Apparently, roofs have lifespans. Water heaters require maintenance. There are multiple kinds of mulch. Your foundation can move. Your air conditioner has parts with names. And somewhere along the way, somebody decided homeowners should know what a French drain is. I did not receive this manual when I bought the house.
I'm a Nerd, Not a Handyman
What I am good at is figuring things out. I'm a computer guy. I've spent most of my adult life around technology and websites. Give me a computer problem and I'll happily dig into it until I understand what's happening. Give me a plumbing problem and my first troubleshooting step is usually: Google plumber. But that's where I realized something.
There are probably millions of homeowners exactly like me. We own homes. We want to take care of them. We don't want to waste money. We'd prefer not to destroy anything. And we'd really like to understand what's happening before somebody hands us an estimate containing a comma. So that's what Your Home Nerd is going to be about. I'm going to learn.
What the Heck Does That Mean?
When something around the house needs attention, I'm going to research it. Sometimes I'll try doing it myself. This should provide entertainment. Sometimes I'll discover that a project is surprisingly easy. Other times I suspect the research will end with the conclusion: Fred, put the tool down and call a professional.
I'm perfectly comfortable with that answer. In fact, one of the things I want to figure out is where that line actually is. What home projects can an average homeowner reasonably handle? When should you hire somebody? How much should things cost? What questions should you ask before hiring someone? What maintenance are we supposed to be doing that nobody ever told us about? And what happens if we ignore it? Those are questions I actually want answered.
I'm Going to Ask People Who Know More Than I Do
Here's another important part of Your Home Nerd. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert. If I'm writing about roofing, I'd rather talk to a roofer. If I'm trying to understand foundations, I'll find somebody who deals with foundations. If we're talking landscaping, I'll ask somebody who can identify more plants than "tree," "bush," and "probably a weed."
We'll talk to plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, remodelers, landscapers, real estate agents, home inspectors, pest-control professionals, designers and other people who actually know this stuff. I'll ask the questions a regular homeowner would ask because I am the regular homeowner. Then I'll translate what I learn into normal-human language. That's the nerd part.
We're Going Inside, Outside and Everywhere In Between
I don't want Your Home Nerd to be just another DIY website. There's a lot more to owning a home than fixing things. I want to learn about home maintenance, repairs, remodeling, lawn and garden, outdoor living, decorating, smart-home technology, buying and selling houses, real estate, insurance, home values and all the weird little responsibilities that come with owning property.
Basically, if it involves the place where you live, it's fair game. And because I'm starting with a relatively low level of expertise, there are no stupid questions. Actually, there probably will be stupid questions. I'll be asking them.
My First Goal: Figure Out What I Don't Know
That's where this adventure starts. Before I remodel a bathroom or attempt to understand irrigation systems, I think I need to figure out what homeowners are supposed to know in the first place. So my next project is pretty simple. I'm making a list: Things Around My House That I Probably Should Know How to Maintain.
I'm already slightly concerned about how long that list is going to be. But that's the point. Your Home Nerd isn't going to document the adventures of a guy who knows how to fix everything. It's going to document the adventures of a guy figuring it out. There will be research. There will be experts. There will probably be trips to the hardware store where I pretend I know exactly what aisle I'm looking for. And sooner or later, I'm almost certain there will be a project where my wife asks: "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" No. No, I am not. Welcome to Your Home Nerd.