Home Renovation Bloggers Crossing the Digital Divide
OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Oakland, Calif. couple Chris Miller and Meryl Phillips have spent much of the past three years pouring blood, sweat and good humor into turning a long neglected Storybook house into their dream home. All the while they've been blogging about their Do-It-Yourself (D.I.Y.) adventure at PicardyProject.com and Tinkernation.com, which has led them to become virtual friends with other D.I.Y. bloggers around the country. On October 11, Chris and Meryl will embark on a two-week cross-country road trip to meet five of their favorite bloggers and help each of them complete a home renovation project.
Tinkernation is the major sponsor of Chris and Meryl's D.I.Y. Renovation Road Trip across America. (Photo: Business Wire)
The “Renovation Road Trip” was Meryl’s idea, which she and Chris took to Tinkernation for underwriting. Explaining how the idea came about, Meryl said, "The relationships we've developed online with our favorite bloggers feels close to family in some ways. We thought this would be a great way to bridge the digital divide and take a memorable vacation at the same time."
When they leave Oakland this week, Chris and Meryl will head all the way to the East Coast to Asheville, N.C. where they will stay with Nicole and Marc of 86’nit.com. After two days they will make their way north to Ypsilanti, Michigan and spend a day and a half with Katy and Brandon of TurtleHouseblog.com before making a short hop over to Ypsilanti, Mich. to help DIYDiva.com with some hard core projects at her 150-year-old farmhouse. The fourth stop is Racine, Wis. for a 36-hour visit with RussetSt.Reno.com and, finally, they’ll spend their last two days with Heather (JustAGirlWithAHammer.com) in Portland.
Anyone may follow the “Renovation Road Trip” at Tinkernation.com and BobVila.com where Meryl and Chris will blog frequently throughout the journey. The New York Times also plans to feature the trip on November 1.
Chris and Meryl are not professional contractors (they both have day jobs) but they are extremely passionate about renovating their home and doing it right. That’s a common thread they share with each of the bloggers they’ll visit and it’s the reason why Tinkernation.com, which is underwriting a portion of the trip, got involved.
“The D.I.Y. community is tremendously popular and extremely diverse,” says Tinkernation.com Editor Eric Dodds, “and the people doing it want to learn from and engage with one another. Tinkernation is an online forum that allows tinkerers of all types to come together and share why they are passionate about what they do.”
The Do-It-Yourself industry in America is estimated to be $145 billion and growing. According to a recent American Express spending & saving survey, 70 percent of homeowners have some form of home improvement project on the docket this year with an average expenditure of $3,500.
For information about the Renovation Road Trip, visit Tinkernation.com.
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Source: Details Public Relations