(MONEY Magazine) – When DeLane and Carol Ihli, 44 and 43, bought their five-bedroom, two-bath 70- year-old Denver house for $110,000 last fall, they knew it needed work. Lots of it. But since he is a contractor and she's a real estate broker with , Coldwell Banker, they figured their expertise and contacts would help them complete the renovation between September and March for about $40,000. As often happens in major fix-ups, though, the work has dragged on and costs have risen. By early February, the Ihlis had paid out $14,500 -- $4,500 more than they'd expected at this stage of the job -- and they now figured the project would take 15 months, not the original six. Starting last fall, writer Steve Marsh visited the Ihlis periodically and recorded the inevitable highs and lows of the two home remodelers. The Ihlis' own narration accompanies the photos below.