“Your home knows all your secrets—the tears, the laughter, the burnt dinners, the dance parties in your pajamas. It holds your whole life. Shouldn’t you know its secrets too?”
The Day My House Tried to Kill Me
It was a Tuesday morning in March when I discovered black stuff growing behind my daughter’s dresser. Not just a little spot – we’re talking a whole horror movie situation that had me googling “can mold actually eat through walls?” at 3 AM.
That’s when it hit me: I had no idea how to take care of the home I’d worked so hard to buy.
I’m Lauren, and if you’re here, you probably know that sinking feeling too. That moment when you realize adulting didn’t come with a manual, and YouTube videos at 2 AM aren’t cutting it anymore.
After that mold incident (which cost me close to $3,000 and several panic attacks!), I became obsessed. Not in a healthy “I’ll learn a bit about home maintenance” way. More like a “I will never let my house surprise me again” kind of obsessed.
I started calling every expert who’d listen. That’s how I met Geoffrey O’Connor, who showed up to check my ducts and ended up teaching me why my allergies were going crazy every spring. Turns out, the previous owners hadn’t cleaned the ducts in… ever? Geoffrey didn’t just fix the problem – he actually explained what was happening in terms I could understand.
Then there was the Great Oak Tree Incident of 2021. You know that massive tree that looks majestic until a storm hits? Yeah, mine decided to lean toward my roof like it was going in for a hug. Mike Rodriguez came out, and instead of just quoting me for removal, he spent an hour teaching me how to spot trouble before it literally falls on your head. He’s been my go-to tree guy ever since.
The truth? I started this blog because I was tired of feeling stupid. Tired of contractors talking over my head. Tired of not knowing if I was being overcharged or if that weird smell was actually dangerous.
But here’s what I wasn’t expecting: the emails from people just like me. The mom who texted at midnight because her furnace was making “that sound.” The couple who’d been living with a musty basement for three years because they thought it was “just old house smell.” (Spoiler: It wasn’t. Evan Schaefer, an indoor air quality expert, has stories that would make you open every window in your house.)
Some days, I still feel like I’m faking it. Like when I’m writing about proper attic ventilation and remember the time I thought those roof vents were decorative. Or when someone asks a question I can’t answer, and I have to text Geoffrey or Mike or Evan with another “okay, dumb question but…”
They never make me feel dumb, though. That’s the thing about good people – they remember what it was like not to know.
What keeps me going? It’s the 3 AM messages that turn into success stories. The person who caught a problem early because of something they read here. The family who finally got rid of that weird smell. The woman who told me she quoted something I wrote to her contractor and actually felt confident doing it.
This isn’t about being a home improvement expert. (Trust me, I still call my dad when I need to hang anything heavier than a picture frame.) It’s about building a place where we can figure this stuff out together. Where you can ask the “stupid” questions. Where someone will tell you the truth about what’s urgent and what can wait until you’ve saved up.
Your home is where your life happens. Where your kids take their first steps. Where you ugly-cry after bad days. Where you burn dinner and laugh about it. It deserves to be taken care of, and so do you.
My Mission with Home True North
Here’s what I believe: Your home should feel like a refuge, not a pop quiz you’re constantly failing.
But somewhere between signing those papers and moving in, we all got dropped into this world where everyone assumes we know what a soffit is, why gutters matter, and what that smell in the basement means. Nobody hands you a manual. Nobody admits they don’t know either. And suddenly you’re supposed to just… know.
I’m here to change that in a small but (hopefully) meaningfull way 🙂
At Home True North, we’re building something different. A place where “I don’t know” is the beginning of a conversation, not something to be embarrassed about. Where experts explain things in actual English. Where you can find out if that crack in your wall is a “call someone tomorrow” problem or a “call someone RIGHT NOW” problem.
Because here’s the truth: We all started out clueless. Every contractor, every expert, every seemingly put-together homeowner once stood in their house thinking “I have no idea what I’m doing.” The only difference is that some of us are just a little further along in figuring it out.
My mission is simple: To make sure you never feel alone with your house questions. To help you sleep better knowing you’re taking care of your home. To turn those 3 AM panic searches into confident decisions made in daylight.
Your home is where your story unfolds. Let’s make sure it’s a story without unnecessary plot twists involving mold, falling trees, or mystery smells.
Welcome to your new home resource. Welcome to feeling confident in your own space. Welcome to finally getting answers that actually make sense…
Welcome home!
– Lauren