Well, it’s certainly been a minute since I showed up here and just shared about life. When I first started the blog and it was only a web space, I made it a point to show up here every week and share stories about the different tribulations and triumphs in my life. Blogging was basically my therapy until actual therapy became a regular part of my life, and connecting with so many women through shared life experiences helped me through some of the most challenging times.
When social media eventually morphed into the primary source of the blog, my actual blog posts became fewer and farther between. Now, as life is continuing to evolve and transition in unexpected ways, my focus is shifting again, and I think in many ways, it all began right here.
As you probably know, we built our home in 2020 in the height of the pandemic. During the most uncertain times of our lives, we continued to plug along with myself as the designer and my husband as the builder. We shared the journey and all the fun projects along the way through social media and saw the blog rapidly growing as a result. Seeing the things we could create together and watching our visions come to fruition before our eyes was an extremely fulfilling process for both of us, and the positive feedback from the blog community planted the seed in our minds that maybe someday we could actually make this a career.
Of course the DIY home build wasn’t the beginning of this journey by any means. Our path to where we are today feels predestined and as obvious as can be when we look back on our history. My husband helped build his family home when he was just a teenager, started his career as a landlord and property manager when he was just 18, and completed his college degree in construction design and management. I started a career in real estate at the age of 20 while working toward my college degree in marketing communications and over the years worked in residential real estate, commercial real estate, property management, and commercial banking. Together we have flipped and sold many homes and completed countless renovation projects for ourselves and others.
Fast forward to a completely sleepless night for my husband in December 2022, as I peeled my eyes open to my morning alarm and was greeted shortly thereafter by his literal overnight plan for starting our own business. Since that morning, the past few months have felt like a full throttle whirlwind in some of the best ways imaginable. So many hours, days, months, and years, really, have brought me to this exact moment in time, sitting at our dining room table that is temporarily serving as a messy makeshift design station with piles of branded apparel, business cards, contracts, paint and tile samples, and my laptop screen with three client room renderings for our contracted March design projects. I can’t help but think how every single step over the last few decades has brought both of us individually and jointly all of the experience and knowledge to fulfill this shared dream.
We have expended endless time and energy into developing this seedling of an idea that has been blooming for years into a full blown brand and business model. Our new baby, Ace Homes (bonus points if you can guess how we named her!), has quickly developed its own wings and taken flight. We are now officially a full service husband and wife team specializing in design, renovations, and remodels along with a portfolio of rental properties here in Central Illinois.
I can’t wait to continue taking you along on this journey! Follow along with our upcoming projects on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok at @acehomes217 and visit us at acehomes217.com. If you’d like to inquire about our services or have a project in mind, reach out to us at acehomes217@gmail.com and we’ll get you started with a questionnaire and consultation. We’re passionate about helping people LOVE where they live.