Morning Waltz - Renovating in Public: A Conversation with Nicole Moering

In this episode, we talk with Nicole Moering, the creator behind the popular Instagram account “Nicole Likes Cake.” Nicole has built a devoted following of nearly 30,000 people by documenting the renovation of her historic home in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia.

What began as sharing updates with friends has grown into a widely followed restoration journey, as Nicole takes her audience behind the scenes of bringing an older property back to life. From unexpected construction challenges to design choices and the realities of renovating a historic house, her honest and detailed updates have captured the attention of homeowners, design enthusiasts, and renovation fans alike.

In our conversation, Nicole shares the story behind the home, why she decided to take on such an ambitious project, and what it’s really like to renovate a historic property while thousands of people follow along online.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

It's stewardship as opposed to just pure ownership. You are just a piece of this home's journey. You're not gonna be the first owner or hopefully not the last owner of it. And it's all about just maintaining um something that has been there well before you and hopefully well after. So it's just knowing that you're going to invest a lot of time, energy, blood, sweat, and some tears into it. And that then it is all fine.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Today on Morning Waltz, I'm joined by Nicole Moring, who has recently moved to the Philadelphia area. You bought an old home in Chestnut Hill. Sure did. And you've been in the process of turning this into your home and sharing the journey along the way with everybody on social media. Yes. Well, I'm excited to talk through how this journey came to be, how why Philadelphia, and just um learn more about you as a person and content creator. Amazing. And uh so yeah, let's welcome Nicole.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Thank you. I'm excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah. Such an honor.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

I mean, when Melissa Mel, I call her Mel, um, when she said yes, when that you said yes, I was like, okay, cool, let's do this. Um, so I want to know um where what what brought you to Philadelphia?

SPEAKER_00 1:22

The the long and the short of it was so I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina for college. So I was 18 years old, and I lived there all the way up until I moved to Philadelphia. So it was almost 18 years, but I'm not from the South originally. Um I I grew up in England, okay, which is really funny. The reaction, people being like, you don't sound like you're from England. I'm like, I know, I'm really sad about it. Um I wish I did. Um, but I grew up in England. I went to high school in Florida and then I moved up to North Carolina for college and just kind of never left, and I kept trying to leave and just didn't really work out. Um and it got to the point where I got married. I was I have my husband whom I love, and he's from central Pennsylvania. Okay. And I was like, I need to not live in Raleigh, North Carolina for my entire adult life. Like, uh there is so much world out there, and I'm not really a small town girl or like a southerner heart. So I was pushing to move to New York City, and we did not agree on that location specifically. Um, we love New York City. Um we got married in New York City, but my husband's like, I'm from central Pennsylvania, I'm a small town guy at heart. Um, and that was a little bit too much of a jump for him. Um, so we started looking at other cities as an option to move to. And we, I had never even been to Philadelphia, but we were looking at areas that had um an airport nearby because my husband does travel quite a bit for work, so having media airport access was really important. Um, a really good food scene was really important, and then some character and charm was really important. Um, and we just came to visit Philadelphia one weekend, and I was like, I love it here. I was like, this is such a cool city, and I didn't know anything about Philadelphia. All I had heard was kind of the mainstream media version of Philly, which is not the most pleasant version. And like day after day, I'm like, wow, the world has gotten it wrong. Um, it's such a cool place. I visited it, I fell in love immediately. I was like, we have to live here. Um, and and Zach agreed. It felt like a semblance of home to him, being from the Pennsylvania area anyway. And he has friends nearby and it has really good access to the airport. And he was like, All right, well, let's do it. And I was like, perfect. Uh, me being a little bit of an excitable puppy in some instances was like, okay, let's go buy a house right now. And he was like, whoa, maybe let's rent for a year and make sure we like it and feel the areas out. Um, so that's how we ended up in center city. Is we ended up finding a row home for rent. And we rented in center city, and I knew very little about any of the neighborhoods or anything. And honestly, I loved it so much. I um I loved where we landed and I had the best experience in center city.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

Um what part of Center City?

SPEAKER_00 4:13

We were in Society Hill.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Um, right off of Pine Street. In when I tell you the most like adorable jewel box row home. It was so beautifully done. I loved it. The owners took really good care of it. Um, yeah, and you know, just having that city lifestyle that I had kind of been craving and looking for in my like hypothetical New York City life, I kind of got that like itch scratched. Um, and then I learned that maybe having a yard and like quiet nights to sleep in were maybe a bit more of a priority than I realized at the time. Um, and we have a dog, she's little, and she wanted a yard. She told me.

SPEAKER_01 4:49

So I mean when Greta speaks.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

What Greta definitely is the absolute ruler of that house. So she gets these stompy little feet going and she gets whatever she wants. So we we basically joked that we bought Greta a house. So that's that's why we do it. But yeah, so we started looking around at the surrounding neighborhoods and just honestly stumbled across Chestnut Hill, which is like the quaintest, cutest little neighborhood I've ever seen in my life. And so much of it felt like home to me. It's got a lot of the English charm to it that I grew up with. Um, and I was like, okay, well, I guess this is where we have to live now. And one thing turned to another, and there we are. So that was a very long way to answer why we are in Philadelphia.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

I mean, I needed the backstory to where we are. Um, but Society Hill and and having that taste of Philly. So you actually now it's not it, it's you didn't just move to Chestnut Hill with no understanding of Philadelphia, and you had that taste of Philly. So now you have the best of both worlds. Exactly. You have your favorite places that you can go back to.

SPEAKER_00 5:53

Loretta's. Oh, I miss it every day in Society Hill. Have you guys ever in Society Hill? Loretta's coffee shop, 10 out of 10. Yes, so good.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

I want to talk about your house and how long it took you to find this gem and what the journey has been like.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

You know, it's so funny because like in retrospect, everything did actually happen relatively quickly. In the moment, I was like, this is lasting a lifetime. Um never ending. Um, but I think to go to really get into it, I have to back way up to when we still lived in Raleigh, North Carolina. Um, I love Zillow. I'm addicted to looking at Zillow. But when we decided to move to the Philadelphia area, I naturally started stalking Philadelphia and the greater surrounding areas. Again, not knowing where anything actually was. None of it really meant a lot to me, but I like to look at houses. So I would look at random townhomes and kind of the center city area. I would look at homes out in the main line, um, Jenkintown, and then this one red brick house popped up. Because you know, I just drew one of those giant blue circles around Philadelphia, and I was like, wow, that house is incredible. So this would have been in like summer of 2004, I think. Or 2004. Wow, add 20 years. 2024. Um, and I saw this, I was like, what a masterpiece of a house. I was like, and I loved it immediately. I saved the home. And it was not even remotely what we were looking for in any sense of the world. You know, it's big, it needs updating, it seemed kind of out somewhere I didn't know. But I was like, I'm just gonna save that house because it was just so beautiful to me. Um, and then we made the move to Philadelphia and stayed in our row home. And about nine months into that, we were like, okay, yes, we're gonna stay in the Philly area and we are prepared to buy a home, but we knew we kind of wanted to be out in a suburb that was close by. So we started looking up homes. And I resent that listing to Zach and I was like, this home. And he was like, haha, too bad. It's under contract. And I was like, oh, you're right. And again, it still wasn't really what we were looking for in a home. It was much larger than our parameters, it was more expensive than our parameters. It just, you know, it wasn't really. And I was like, oh wait, you're right. So we started looking at other homes. We toured some really incredible, beautiful homes, and some of them just weren't the right fit. And then there was one home that we really loved so much. We put an off-rent on it. Um, we were outbid. So we lost that house, and I when I say I cried, I really did cry. I was so upset about that house.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

I was like, it was such a good house. That was the one in Wynn Moore.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

Win uh Winmore. So like the neighborhood right next to Chestnut Hills, like just separated by one road, basically. And I was just devastated. And I just like pulled up Zillow again, and that big red brick house that I had found well over a year ago was back on the market. And I was like, weird. I wonder what happened there. Because, you know, it's not necessarily a good sign for house to come back on the market after going under contract. And Zach was like, Zach, my husband, was like, you know what, let's just go look at it. And I was like, why? You're not gonna like agree to this home because it wasn't what he wanted in a home. And so we went and we toured it. And when I tell you, I toured that house with the most sour puss face on the entire tour. I mean, I was like, we got done. He was like, Did you not like the house? I was like, No, I freaking loved it. I was like, but we're not gonna be able to buy it. I was like, why would you torment me like this? I was like, that was just cruel. Um, and he's like, you know what? I think we can, I think this will we'll make it work. He's like, let's let's see what putting an offer. And I was like, wait, what? My big red house that I kind of magically found forever ago. And you know, we were really fortunate. The sellers um had taken an offer and accepted it, and then they had done um home inspection. Okay. And the offer, the people that put the offer on the home before us gotten the inspection back, and they wanted some concessions made based on what they found, and they couldn't come to an agreement, which is why it then fell out of contract with them. And the sellers gave us a copy of the inspection report so we could see what they saw, and they were really great in allowing us to send in specialists to actually go through everything that was on the inspection report that seemed possibly problematic. So roofing repair, masonry work, electrical repair, foundation repair, all these things that are kind of big red flag issues. We were able to send specialists in to be like, okay, what does this actually look like? Is it really a problem? Is it not a problem? Is it a now problem? Is it a tenure from now problem? And really get a good understanding of what the house really needed. And we came to an understanding, an agreement, and then before I knew it, that red brick house that I fell in love with well over a year ago was all of a sudden ours, which was really magical.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

Oh my gosh. And none of it scared you off with what the the various engineers and specialists that came in.

SPEAKER_00 11:01

Honestly, no. I I think I'm the perfect level of rational and delusional. I'm like, she's been standing for 120 years. Surely she's not gonna fall down now. Um exactly. I was like, you know, it's it's going into it, I think, with the right mindset. It is a labor of love. It's stewardship as opposed to just pure ownership. You are just a piece of this home's journey. You're not gonna be the first owner, or hopefully not the last owner of it. And it's all about just maintaining um something that has been there well before you and hopefully well after. So it's just knowing that you're going to invest a lot of time, energy, blood, sweat, and some tears into it. And that then it is all fine.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

Um well, I I love to know this. Do do you know any of the backstory and the history of the house?

SPEAKER_00 11:51

Yes. Um, you know, it was built for a relatively prominent family um in the Philadelphia area, uh, the Biddle family. Then it became a kind of a bachelor house where it they were called the Binderton Bachelors.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

The Binderton. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Yes. So it was a group of like seven or eight men that would live there at any given point in time. And, you know, one would get married off and another one would come in, and this lasted for like a decade. There's like newspaper articles about it, and just the bachelors of Binderton. I'm like, how fascinating. I know. I we were doing all these renovations, and I was like, please let me find something in these walls that are is from that era. We did not. We found a pair of knitting needles, and that was about as exciting as that got. But that's it. That was it. Just knitting, and I don't think those bachelors were the ones knitting. We do have some photos of the house like throughout the many years it's been around, which are really cool to look at and kind of get an understanding of what was original, what got changed, and even the property itself um is pretty fascinating. It um the gardens were designed by the Olmsted brothers who did Central Park and a couple other, which they're pretty cool. When did you move in? We moved in towards the end of August. It was like August 20th-ish.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

Okay. And what has the journey been since August?

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Yeah, it's been so fun. I literally had people in my house all morning today. Um, so we knew we had to change the entire home's electrical system because it was on the original knob and tube electricity wires and the original switch panels. So, like, if you think of kind of like the Titanic when they're like that's like what our power breakers look like. Like there's they're actually really beautiful. Uh they're made of copper and there's a bunch of them. And we're gonna actually keep them, they're not operational, and we're gonna frame them. They're super pretty. But anyway, so the electricity had to go, um, which is also really interesting because I say, you know, on the internet, my whole journey is on the internet, and everyone's like, it's not dangerous, you don't have to change it. And I'm like, look, here's the thing: we are a slave to our insurance people, yeah. And our insurance company said it has to go. So whether or not we agree or disagree that safe is irrelevant. I cannot get homeowners insurance without changing it. So we knew we had to change it, um, which then meant that the electrician had to put holes in every single wall in the house. And the previous owners had really put a lot of love into designing the home whenever they had purchased it in the 90s. And they were big on wallpaper, which is was so great. I mean, honestly, a lot of it I really did love. Um, some of it, not necessarily to my taste, but like they really invested in the decor in this home. However, when you had to put holes in the wall and it's a wallpapered wall, you now have holes in wallpaper, which you can't just paint over that. So not only did we have to replace the electricity, but they put holes in the walls, and then they had to tear down all of the original wallpaper that was in like 90% of the house. So when you have that much wallpaper coming down, all the plaster on the walls was ruined. So then we had to re-plaster all the walls just to fix, you know, the holes from the electricity. Um, so that was how we spent the first two and a half months living there was just a crew coming in and busting up holes in all the walls, and then a crew coming behind and plastering all the holes and all the wallpaper.

SPEAKER_01 15:25

And I mean And you're also living in the house while this is happening.

SPEAKER_00 15:30

We sure were. Um, which for anybody wondering, that is not ideal. Um, we would have very much not liked to have lived in the home. Um, it was just unfortunate. You know, luckily it's a big enough home that we could kind of tuck ourselves away in a room at a time. Um, but it definitely wasn't ideal. And, you know, bless our electrician, because you know, our original plan was to not be living in it. So in his mind, he's like, I can just turn it all off, rip it all out, put it all in, and call it a day. And we were like, oh, sorry, Nick. We are in fact gonna be living here. So there's something very important to me, and it's called air conditioning. And I can't be without power for that simple fact alone. Um, never mind the fridge and freezer, but the air conditioning. Um, so he was really had to be really strategic about what he worked on and how he worked on it. And we really put him through the ringer. So if anyone ever needs an electrician, I've got a great one.

SPEAKER_01 16:22

When was the moment that you were like, uh, we need to document this journey?

SPEAKER_00 16:28

You know, I think right right when we bought the house is pretty much when I started. I hadn't really thought about it up until then. Um you know, it's it's interesting because I tried to like think about like why did I decide to do that? And I think the answer is is I was like, well, this is fascinating and I like to watch people's homes and and whatnot. But more than that is I was in a new community and I didn't know anybody, and that's quite isolating. And I was like, you know what? Maybe this will like introduce me to the community because I would just tag like the area in it. Because I'm like, maybe I'll make a friend on the internet, as strange as that sounds to use the internet as a tool to make a friend. I'm like, well, it's kind of sad, and but it's what it is. So I feel like I was like, you know what? I'm here, I'm here to stay. We're not planning on moving, so let's just show the world what we're doing, and and maybe I'll make a friend or two along the way. And that's kind of where we started. If I had known ahead of time that I was gonna share our house hunting journey, I would have taken way better videos of some of those houses.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

You know, I feel like you have to start somehow and somewhere.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

So I sure do.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

Well, what has that community been like?

SPEAKER_00 17:43

It's been really nice so far. I mean, I feel like everyone I meet is really nice. And maybe I'm just lucky, I don't know. Um I've been recognized now on the streets a couple of times in the Chestnut Hill area, which is just the most flattering thing in the world. I'm like, oh my gosh, if you ever see me, please do say hi. If I look like I'm uninterested to say hi, it's simply because I cannot see a thing. I never wear my glasses. So like I'm usually looking down at the ground because I'm blind as a bat. I don't know what's happening. So I'm like, if you see me, please, please say hi. Um and they do, and you know, I've gotten to know a couple of the local business owners, which has been really nice. Um, and I've gotten to know the conservative conservatorship community people. Our house is not in any kind of like property easement, but there are a lot of um homes that are historic in the area that are, so it's a pretty tight-knit community in that regard. Um, so I feel like we're making our way. It's baby steps. You know, I I would say we don't have like our tribe yet, but it's only been a few months, so I would say we're optimistic about it and have been warmly welcomed.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Yes. I have a neighbor, she lives across the street from me, Victoria. I know you're gonna be listening to this. Um Victoria's from Chestnut Hill. So fun. And we play pickleball on Sundays. Oh my goodness. And her sister and her sister's husband uh recently moved out of Fairmount to Chestnut Hill. Oh my god, and are doing something. She is she's like, Well, I'm going to the dilapidated mansion. Yep. So I I know that vibe very well. Like, I should connect. You should, yeah. It's it's a nice little community, I think. So going back to the house for a moment, and you mentioned the electrical. So, where does it stand today? What have you been able to accomplish and get through, and how much more are you looking to do in the immediate future?

SPEAKER_00 19:27

When you have a project that is this size, you really have to pick your battles. Sure. Um, so it started with the most important thing being doing the thing that made our homeowners insurance happy, make it safe, won't burn down. And now the the house is you know livable, not that it wasn't livable before, but by their standards livable. Now we're like, okay, we need to take a breath and decide what we want to do next. Because I think you have to be really intentional about these choices, especially with how much space there is. Um otherwise we'll just drown ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially with all of that. So I've learned a lot about myself. But when you replaster a wall, you're like, yeah, then you paint it. That sounds so rational. It's like you think these rational thoughts, but you don't know the complexities behind them. New plaster basically drinks paint. I tried to paint the office for Zach as a surprise. And when I say an office, I mean a I would say like a very standard bedroom size. I don't know the exact measurements, but let's just call it a 10 by 10 box. Um, you'd think two cans of paint seems reasonable. No. No, no.

SPEAKER_01 20:42

How many?

SPEAKER_00 20:43

Uh I think I gave up. I literally did three coats and I couldn't even get to the top because I'm short and didn't have a ladder. And I really didn't think it through when I when I was like, you can do it, Nicole. That is when I say I'm delusional. I could not. Um, but I got three coats of paint on like the lower two-thirds of the room, hadn't even finished it, and it still was not done. And I called our painter and I was like, I tried. I I I gave it my best effort, but I'm tapping out. I'm not built for this life. Those who paint their own houses, kudos to you. No, not for me. I tried and I think he went through like seven gallons of paint. Oh my gosh. I was like, because the walls just like soak it in. I was like, oh my God, if every room takes that much paint, what am I gonna like? What am I gonna do with myself?

unknown 21:28

Seven.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

Seven gallons.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

What and so that was after you started? So that was seven on top of one. I think seven in totality. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 21:35

So yeah, I had provided three and he had to then go buy many more.

SPEAKER_01 21:39

Well, you got him started.

SPEAKER_00 21:40

I did. You know, I I think maybe that is gonna be the trick. I'll just start projects and then Zach will be like, Well, I guess you already started, so I suppose somebody has to finish.

SPEAKER_01 21:51

It's team effort.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

I'm I'm all ambition and then sometimes very little execution. I get it.

SPEAKER_01 21:59

I'm One of those people that I was I'll be sitting and I'm like, okay, I'm gonna do this right now. That's gonna happen right now.

SPEAKER_00 22:05

And then okay, well, I did not, I did not set enough time or effort or energy to do that all.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

But you know I'm grateful for TaskRabbit these days.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

Oh, I can imagine. I haven't actually used TaskRabbit. I think I think it's probably for the best I don't because I might I might get myself in trouble.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

There's some it it's good for those things where you're just like, I want to put these on the wall and I don't know how. And it's like, okay, well, somebody can be here in a few hours.

SPEAKER_00 22:32

Yep. Um I should probably do that. Um I'm a big fan of the girl measuring where like you like hold your arms out and you're like, oh yeah, it it'll fit. That's about the center. How often do you get it right? You know, honestly, I would say like a 90% success rate. Like, I am pretty good like at finding like the middle of a wall. I'm like, yeah, that's about right. And it drives my husband absolutely crazy. He's like, Nicole, the measuring tape is right there. I'm like, hey, last time I checked, buddy, you hung a TV 10 inches too far to the left when you used your measuring tape, and I got my picture right in the center of the wall. So who's the one in the right here? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 23:10

Girl math is working.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

Um, have you had any weird experiences? Um, and I'm not, I don't know where I fall in the spectrum, but I just think of houses that are very old and historic. And I feel like that is a question somebody would need to know the answer to.

SPEAKER_00 23:29

I get asked a lot if if we have ghosts. And I would say my personal beliefs are the world is a giant place. Who knows if there are ghosts or no ghosts? I'm I'm not gonna have a hard opinion on that, because how the heck can I know? Yeah. Um, however, if there are ghosts, I know exactly where they are. Um there is so the Riva third floor, and it is primarily like attic-y, so it has the door murdered side, like the slanted sides to it. Yeah, and there are three bedrooms and a storage room up there. I had to think about that. I don't go up there very often because I don't need to, and it also it's a little bit spooky. Um, so there was this one bedroom, and it's kind of like a long, skinny shape, and one side of it has like normal size walls, and then the other side is with the roof line, so it's a shorter wall, and um, it's kind of long and and skinny. It didn't help this bedroom that when we moved in, the previous owners were really kind. We basically said to them, any furniture that you don't want to take with you, feel free to leave it because we were coming from a tiny row home in the city to 10,000 square feet. We have not enough furniture, and it's not rational to think we will anytime soon to have enough furniture. So they left behind these two twin beds um up there. And they were kind of in there diagonally because the room is this long, skinny. And these two twin beds were a white metal frame that look very eerily like hospital beds. I know. It's like we open the door and it creaks. It's like you've got these two hospital beds. It's like, well, this looks a bit spooky as is. But you know, I didn't think too much about it. It has like a little closet, and because it the closet is on the wall that has the slant of the ceiling, the door is like a little hobbit door. It's maybe three and a half, four feet tall. I don't know, measurements. Again, not my thing at home measuring game. Um, but it's not a normal size room, right? And we open it up and we're like, oh, that's like a teeny little closet. And then we looked into it. We we didn't notice this when we bought the house. We looked into it and there was another little teeny tiny door after that teeny tiny door. And we're like, what the heck? So we, you know, crawl in there and we open it, and it's like another closet behind the closet. And we were like, well, that's kind of weird, but like still not giving us like super creeped out vibes, other than the hospital bed situation. So then we thought nothing of it. Well, then a couple weeks later, our electrician started, and they have to be able to get into the rafters and stuff to feed the wires or whatever. So he realized that an access point would be kind of in the roof rafters behind some of those like little walls that are put up. So he goes into the closet, into the secondary closet, and he's like, I'll just put a hole in the wall right here so I can get to the rafters to feed wires. Next thing you know, he comes down and he goes, I gotta tell you something.

SPEAKER_01 26:24

Oh no.

SPEAKER_00 26:25

I was like, What? What, Nick? He was like, Did you know that behind the door, behind the door, behind a wall that was walled off, is another room with carpets and outlets and drywall. And we were like, What? So we go, we go up there, and sure enough, you go in through your first hobbit door, in through your second hobbit door, and then he had cut the wall, like it was solid wood wall planking. Past that, green carpet, the same green carpet that had been in the spare room, walls perfectly drywalled, outlets in the walls. We were like, What? Oh my god, in the holy is this for? Yeah. Like, who was storing children up here or something? Like, I was like, what in the world? Like, why is there a drywalled carpeted room behind a door, behind door, behind a wall? Who does that? So we don't know why it's there. Have no idea. It's very creepy. So I just stay out. I'm like, if there are ghosts, that's where they live for sure. Um, and I just don't go up there now.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

Enjoy your life in there. Exactly. That is your room, ghost.

SPEAKER_00 27:28

It is absolutely yours. Paint it whatever color you like. Just don't ask me to paint it.

unknown 27:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

That's that's where they are, I think.

SPEAKER_01 27:36

Oh my gosh, that's oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 27:39

So forever the creepier.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Um do you still have the metal framed beds in there?

SPEAKER_00 27:46

Um, there's one in there, and then I I rolled because they're on wheels, the other one into another room up there, and they're just in there right now. And I'm like, I need to get rid of these. They are really, really very creepy. But you know, priorities.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

They're out of sight, out of the way.

SPEAKER_00 28:02

Zach, like I don't see them like we don't have the dumpster anymore, so I'm like, what do I do with them? Like, just gonna roll them down the street to like write the dumpster people, like the trash men? I don't, I don't know. So eventually we'll get rid of the hospital beds, which I think will definitely help with the creep factor, but there. That'll be a Zach project.

SPEAKER_01 28:22

Yeah, you're not touching that one. Yeah, no. Um, do you are you doing this full-time? Are you is there do you do anything?

SPEAKER_00 28:31

Yeah, this is my full-time job is managing the house. You know, we didn't go through a general contractor. Um so I'm I guess that makes me the general contractor and all the people we've had working with us, we've had honestly the best luck. I I cannot express enough how important it is to have people that know people in your life. And like our realtor was that for us. He's like Mr. Connect, and he's like, I've got a stone guy for you, I've got an electrician for you. And like they've all been great. I'm like, Oh, thank you, Ryan. You're the best. Appreciate you because I don't know anybody, I'm new here. Um so I've just been managing them and kind of trying to navigate what this version of home ownership looks like, which is very different from any kind of homeownership I've had previously. Right. Um so yeah, it's been overwhelming but exciting in a lot of ways.

SPEAKER_01 29:23

I'm sure a big learning experience. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:27

Yeah, it I you know, honestly, I feel like I've learned that I'm a lot more patient than I thought I was. You know, because I'm I'm a pretty like instant gratification kind of girl. I I do want to see immediately what happens. But when it comes to working with people, I've learned that like as long as people give it to me straight, I'm fine. Like, just don't lie to me. Like if it's gonna take you four years to do it, great. If you tell me it's gonna take you two weeks to do it and it takes you four years to do it, not so great. But um it's it's been really fun to like be like, you know what, Nicole, you can be patient and wait for things to happen. Great job. Um so yeah, I've learned a lot about homes so far, and I can't wait to see how much I learn about gardening. Uh on the next chapter. Yes, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 30:13

What about um the I'm curious as to I have a friend in California, um, and when she bought her house, she went through an experience when she was renovating of kind of project managing everything and being the one that's like reaching out to the electricians and the plumbers. Have you experienced anything as a woman with um getting responses or I need to talk to your husband? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 30:39

I would say for this project specifically, it's not been as big of an issue. There was there was one subcontractor that wouldn't really talk to me about things. And I was like, well, and but that was a really, really small piece of a puzzle. So I was like, okay, that's not the worst I've experienced at all. Um, but most of them have been really good about talking with me about what's happening and timelines and what they're doing and when they're coming and all of that. I will say they all do tend to gravitate to talking to my husband about getting paid.

SPEAKER_01 31:12

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 31:13

Um which for what it's worth, I don't I don't mind so much about that anyway. Cause I'm like, perfect, he's the film asked of the bank. I don't have to do it. But it is in it's a dynamic that's been interesting to watch with them that they just don't really bring it up with me and they'll text him and be like, all right, fine. I don't really need, I don't need to be the one you talked to about that. You do need to talk to me about, you know, when you're gonna be here and what fixtures you're doing, because I am the one making those decisions. So that wasn't as much of a problem. But when we renovated our home in Raleigh, there was a a guy who we worked with that we fired because he would not talk to me about anything at all. And it it was so bad that there was a subcontractor there working on something else, and he actually stepped in on my behalf because it was it was over something that needed to be fixed. And I was like, this isn't right, this is how it should be done, and you know, we need to fix it. And he kept being like, No, you're making big delve, absolutely nothing. You're wrong, you're wrong. And the other gentleman stepped in and was like, She's the homeowner. Yeah, I don't know why you think you can talk to her like that and and be so dismissive. And I I started crying, and like I'm not actually a big crier now that I've mentioned crying twice here. I really don't cry that often, but I I I had not had somebody so blatantly disrespect me in my own home that way. And I'm a pretty easygoing person, and I just was at a loss. I'm like, what do you mean? Like he just was just the worst, and I was like, this is this is tough in this industry to be faced with that. And they're like, Yeah, you don't know, ask your husband. I'm like, first of all, of the two of us, I am substantially more handy than my husband. I love him, but he is he's got very soft hands.

SPEAKER_01 32:52

So it's not, it's not my boss in this situation, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 32:57

I'm like, he has no idea what's happening. Um I don't need to ask him, in fact. Um, and I don't really appreciate that.

SPEAKER_01 33:03

So yeah. Well, what what's next? Um, what do you do you have how is your the the the evolution of the content that you've been creating, the community, um, and personally in Philadelphia and this life you're building here.

SPEAKER_00 33:19

I wish I could say I was such an organized human that I would know the answer to that. You know, with the content and social media in general, I I went into it with the notion of it being a personal side hobby, and if people wanted to follow along and and and whatnot, that's great, but no pressure. It's kind of like a scrapbook to me. I don't really care. And it kind of blew up out of nowhere, and I was like, wow, that's really interesting. But I have no strategy. I don't, I don't post anything in any particular way, method, or, or use any kind of like catchphrases. I'm like, I don't know, I just post whatever I want. Um, and then how that kind of goes into the renovation is right now we are trying to decide what our next step is. Like, do we want to tackle our kitchen next? Do we want to just work on painting and making the spaces we've already started more complete? Do we desperately need some more furniture? Like, do we start moving into more of like the pretty design things? So right now, I think because we're just closing out this first chapter of renovation, we are gonna have to regroup and be like, okay, where do we feel our energy needs to go next? Because we're gonna need to put energy into this for the rest of our lives. Basically, it is a forever project, not really an ever done.

SPEAKER_01 34:36

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

Um, and then I feel like now with social media, the direction is shifting from. I was actually just talking to a friend about this. I was like, when we were in heavy construction, it was really fun because I'd be like, look, everything is a mess, and it's not my fault. But now that things are starting to come together, I'm like, if I'm gonna keep doing this, I definitely need to work on like putting my laundry away and like making my bed before doing that video because no one needs to see that. I'm like, so I'm now getting to a crosswords. I'm like, okay, you've been flying by the seat of your pants up until this point, but like I do need to start making strategic choices if that's the path I want to continue down. Um, and you know, live up to the aesthetics that my home deserves because now she is starting to look pretty again. I'm like, okay, make your bed, Nicole. You can do it. You don't have an excuse of being under construction anymore. Like it is time to be an adult. Um if you make your bed, you can have a coffee. Exactly. You know, just you know, it's it's a whole shift in mind, just from being under construction for so long to be like, now you it's like, because I am actually a pretty tidy person by nature, but because it was such a mess for so long, you kind of get out of those habits and be like, okay, it's time to like reel it in, focus, clean up after yourself, and and redirect. So I'm hoping for content that I get to actually show more of the design side of things now that things are nicer, which is something I really enjoy doing. Um, part of my background is in design uh for school and getting to really do that a little bit more. I'm like, okay, now I need to actually do it. I know I love doing it, it's time to rip the band-aid. Um, but then it gets also scary because when you do anything artistic, you're putting yourself out there in in some kind of way and to be judged. And I think I have a pretty thick skin, but then again, anyone's feelings can get hurt at some point. And the internet is interesting in how it responds to you. So I think I'm now ready to start ripping that band-aid and be like, okay, nope, do pretty things and put it out there, and it's gonna be great.

SPEAKER_01 36:43

Yeah, and not worry about what the exactly there because there there is there is a lot of bad out there on social media, but there's also a lot of really good.

SPEAKER_00 36:53

There's so much good. Yeah, it's a very small bad. Yeah, but when they're bad, they're mean. They're awful. It's really interesting. I was like, wow, you know, I don't choose to speak to people that way, but I mean it takes all types in the world. So like you are that is your right to speak to me that way, I suppose.

SPEAKER_01 37:06

But yeah, you'll be putting people on blast.

SPEAKER_00 37:09

Yeah, you know.

unknown 37:10

No.

SPEAKER_00 37:11

I get asked a lot, they're like, why don't you ever reply to any of those things? I'm like, why? Like it doesn't do me any good to invest my energy in that kind of commentary. The only thing I ever have considered saying to them is thank you so much for upping my engagement. It's the only thing that I think I would maybe say eventually, but I think that is then also just me being a troll back. I'm like, don't stoop to their level. Like you're you're nicer than this. Like, come on, don't do it. So nine times out of ten, I don't have an urge to do it. Every now and then an odd comment will be like, Okay, yeah, you're fine, you don't need to reply to that. It's not worth it. Go take a hammer to a wall or something to that third floor, my ghost room.

SPEAKER_01 37:53

Yeah. If there's somebody who is interested in buying uh an old home and kind of going into it and you know, taking that sledgehammer, what would be advice that you would offer?

SPEAKER_00 38:07

Um, it's probably advice that everyone would hear about an old home is know that everything is gonna cost 4,000% more than you thought, which is fine. Um but also to go into it knowing that it will always have problems. And owning an old home is not about fixing it. There's nothing wrong with your old home. It will it it's it's its own entity, and there'll always be things that need maintenance. You are never done maintaining it. And if you're saving up and be like, well, every year it's something with this home, like that's gonna be for forever. Yeah. So you have to shift your mindset of, you know, I get to maintain this home. This is a part of uh the home's legacy, and it's it's an honor to do that and keep it around and keep it, you know, structurally sound, and it will never end. So I think as long as you can really take that to heart, you'll love it. They're worth it, they're beautiful, they're not made like this anymore. Um so yeah, just know there's never going to be a year where you're like, well, that was the one year I didn't have to do X, Y, and Z to the house. There's gonna be something every year that's expensive.

SPEAKER_01 39:17

Yeah, I love that. Well, if people want to follow your journey, where can people follow you?

SPEAKER_00 39:24

They can follow me on Instagram. My my handle makes absolutely no sense with a home renovation account because it was just my personal account that just kept it. Um but Instagram, it's Nicole.likescake. I love cake. I used to be a wedding photographer, and so I would eat a lot of cake every weekend. So, you know, it's a whole thing. But uh some on Instagram, which is where I do a lot of stuff. And I recently went went onto TikTok for the first time. I think I've been on it for maybe a month or two. What a world! Um it's a different world. It is, you know, honestly, in some ways a lot nicer. Um, I was like, wow, these people are really cheering me on. But I'm on TikTok, it is a different handle, it's my first initial N and my last name Moring. Uh so at N Moring on TikTok. Uh they can follow along, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:10

Awesome. Well, final question what's your favorite type of cake?

SPEAKER_00 40:13

Oh, chocolate, like really basic chocolate. And I don't like icing at all. So like I'm truly just in it for the cake. I just scrape all the icing off, chocolate all the way every day.

SPEAKER_01 40:22

Have you had any good cake in Philly?

SPEAKER_00 40:24

Um, yes. The I think it's called the Night Kitchen in Chestnut Hill.

SPEAKER_01 40:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 40:29

Their cake in general is so good. And let me tell you, I'm not a vegetable girly. I don't, I like to keep my desserts and vegetables separate as far away from each other as possible. But their carrot cake is exceptional. And for me to like give up a piece of chocolate cake for a vegetable cake, it's gotta be pretty good. So the Night Kitchen Bakery, Chestnut Hill, it's great. Oh, thank you, Nicole. Thank you so much for having me. I've loved chatting with you. Me too.