RENOVATIONS
John and Gwynne have been renovating houses and putting their spin on them since newlyweds in 2008. They started not knowing anything and one house at a time, learned, got better and as they entered the short term rental market in 2017, Gwynne realized that she loved fixing houses to a higher standard than your average rental and loved hosting guests. What started as a leap of faith trusting God and a gut decision to try Airbnb as a side hustle, has turned into something they never imagined – a full-fledged family business.  Gwynne ran many of the renovations as contractor on the projects – all permitted and inspected and in 2023 John left his sales job to help Gwynne manage My Carolina Stay. Â
During our renovations – you will find that not only do Gwynne and John value the relationships they have developed over time with their go to trades people – their electricians, plumbers, handyman – are invaluable to them but that it’s a whole family affair when they renovate a house. Our kids help to assemble furniture, install door knobs, kitchen hardware and have painted a few walls too. The family helps create spaces and as children, Gwynne finds they are great to bounce ideas off of to help make unique spaces that all their guests can enjoy. Â
From social media, Gwynne has found that many love before and after photos. So as guests, here are the before and afters of your stay. No house is perfect, but with love and attention, many houses have gotten a new life and memories being created within walls and outside – that will last a lifetime. Â
Over the years, looking back on this business, the portfolio we have created is something I am proud of not because of how the houses look now, but because of where we started as newlyweds. We often found the houses that no one wants but we saw the potential in them that with a little bit of love, effort and hard work – anything is possible.  And what a beautiful result to see old, neglected houses have new life breathed into them, new memories created and now places that we can share with guests to make their own memories. It’s special and we love doing it and are so thankful to be able to. That perspective on houses and renovations is something I hope shows and encourages others that whatever your passion is in life, anything is possible with a little TLC. ~Gwynne
