We bought our first home in May 1996 (and sold it in 2002). We made
numerous cosmetic enhancements and maintenance repairs (it was old and
sort of run down). I learned a ton and thoroughly enjoyed working on it.
It took about 3 years of a lot of work (all pre-kids), and then we were
able to rest... until we sold the house and bought another. For more on
that, check out our Stow house.
The basement kitchen was home to our homebrew endeavors. I've since gotten lazy
or pursued other endeavors (depending on how you look at it).