DISCLAIMER: We paid for this fireplace with our own money after researching tons of options. But, after sharing the before and afters on Instagram @haroldsonhouse, Heat N Glo, the manufacturer of our fireplace, asked and paid us to share our experience. That doesn’t change our opinion of the process (in fact, we’ll share one part of the install we didn’t like) or the fireplace (spoiler: we love it!). But, we always want to be transparent around here.
Would you buy the house you grew up in? We did..! 😬🏡
Hi! We’re Josh and Stasia Haroldson. After a decade on our own, we packed up our cat Basil and moved back home to Minnesota to be closer to family.
And after lots of house hunting, it was clear that the cookie-cutter, 80’s suburban house Stasia grew up in was perfect for us! Here’s why:
- It had an amazing yard
- A family-friendly layout with all the bathrooms and bedrooms galore
- An A+ location near bike trails, parks, family, great schools, etc.
- Great bones with good mechanicals, new windows, etc.
The only thing it was lacking was tons of character—so that’s what we’ve been adding!
So far we’ve made a lot of progress even with zero pre-existing DIY skills, a new baby, Will, and full-time jobs—all while adjusting to life back home and keeping a watchful eye on the budget. Stasia’s a CPA after all.
Now, we’re taking over the Heat & Glo instagram to show you our favorite project so far…our brand new gas fireplace!
Follow us here the next two days and we’ll show you how we totally transformed our blank living room wall into the bright and cozy “Scandi-sotan” space of our dreams. All for less than the cost of a nice vacation.
Make sure to follow us here and in our Stories to see the whole process—from design through install—along with some easy things you can do to add character to your home—as long as you’ve got four good walls!
This is going to be fun!