About
Hey, I'm Haley.
Death investigator by day. DIYer by every spare second. Building a home that feels just right — one project at a time.
The person behind the projects
Two Very Different Day Jobs
My day job is about as far from home design as you can get — I'm a death investigator. I spend my working hours answering questions about loss, documenting scenes, and supporting families in some of the hardest moments of their lives.
And then I come home. And I pick up a tile saw.
There's something deeply grounding about working with your hands on something tangible — something you can see getting better. Renovation became my exhale. My reset. The thing I do when I need to remember that broken things can be fixed.
How Bones & Builds Started
We bought our house knowing it needed work. That was the deal — we got more square footage than we could have otherwise afforded, and in exchange, we accepted a kitchen from 1987, a bathroom with wallpaper I still have nightmares about, and an entryway floor that I'm convinced was installed as a punishment.
The first project — retiling the entryway — took us a full weekend and $657. When it was done, I posted a before-and-after on Instagram mostly just to feel proud of something. The response surprised me.
People wanted to know how. They wanted to know the exact tile, the exact grout, whether it was hard, whether they could do it too. And I realized: the gap between "this looks impossible" and "I could do that" is usually just someone showing you the work honestly. Not the polished Pinterest version. The real version.
That's what I'm trying to be.
You're in the right place
What You'll Find Here
Real Projects
Full walkthroughs with real budgets, real timelines, and real mistakes. No staged shots.
Budget-Friendly Design
Tips that work at real-people price points. High style doesn't have to mean high spend.
Honest Recommendations
Product picks I've actually tested in my actual house. Nothing sponsored dressed up as authentic.
Quick Facts
- Day Job Death Investigator
- Side Hustle DIY Homeowner & Renovator
- Family Mom of Two
- Location Midwest, USA
- Instagram @bonesandbuilds
Just Haley. Covered in drywall dust. Figuring it out.