We'd venture to say that Chicago leads the nation in number of housebloggers per capita and their undisputed leaders are Aaron and Jeanne Marie Olson who have been chronicling the renovation of their 1914 bungalow on HouseinProgress.net for the past 6 years. They're also the founders of Houseblogs.net, a community-powered home improvement publication that every houseblogger worth their mud is a member of.
We knew they would be the perfect people to approach for our Chicago DIY City Guide and they didn't disappoint. Through their renovation process they have compiled a list of respected vendors, contractors, and retailers that in their experience have been reliable and knowledgeable in their respective fields.
We've come to appreciate the City of Angels and realize the history and communities are as vibrant as anywhere in the country. This applies to the do-it-yourself spirit that is surging across the city and that's why we've chosen LA as the subject of our first DIY City Guide.
We've tapped a couple of our favorite house bloggers, Heather Ferguson and David Chiu from 1912 Bungalow, to help us identify some of the top resources in the greater Los Angeles area for do-it-yourself homeowners. Heather and David have been restoring their Craftsman home which is located in the historic West Adams district since 2002 and have compiled a great list of retailers, suppliers, and manufacturers that know their product and clients.
We've added a couple of our own resources to this list and consider it open-ended. Please let us know in the comments if we've left off your favorite neighborhood hardware store or local shop you can't do without.
