Couple turn home-improvement blog into full-time job

Back in 2006, John and Sherry Petersik left New York and bought a 1,300-square-foot brick ranch house in Richmond, Va., and begin fixing it up.

Sixteen months later, as they prepared to renovate the kitchen, the young couple began writing about their experiences on a blog called "Young House Love." When they won $5,000 in a contest from RemodelingMySpace.co​m for the best home-improvement blog, they realized their renovation chronicle might be more than a hobby.

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By May 2010, "Young House Love" had become one of the nation's most popular home-improvement blogs. The Petersiks had so many visitors, 3.5 million a month, that they could make the blog and related work their full-time job. They also signed a contract for a book, due out next year.

"We're keeping a diary and sharing our life," says Sherry Petersik, 28, in the Washington Post. "It’s rewarding to get support for that. And it's rewarding to know our little old diary is encouraging others to make their homes something they’re proud of, too."

The Petersiks have appeared on HGTV and CNN and have had articles about them in the Post, The New York Times and Apartment Therapy. They also were the subject of a cover story in The Nest.

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"First of all, they're adorable," Nate Berkus, a talk-show host and designer who had the couple on his TV show, told the Post. "Their delivery is particularly charming and endearing, and their information is delivered in a smart way."

"Young House Love" is stuffed full of practical advice for all kinds of do-it-yourself projects, from raising the height of your shower curtain to doing a gut remodel of the bathroom. The Petersiks explain how they do their projects, what materials they used and how much everything cost, in addition to delivering plenty of before-and-after photos and videos.

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Since they started the project, Sherry and John Petersik, 29, have finished one house, moved to another and added baby Clara, now 10 months old, to the family. The Petersiks' Chihuahua, Burger, also has his own blog.

This is how the Petersiks describe themselves on their blog: "We're not experts by any means, just two people learning as we go and sharing our adventures (and misadventures) with the world."