In her first 10 years of marriage, Elizabeth Palmer learned how to lay ceramic tile, cut wood for wainscoting and demolish walls.

Now, she has her own tool belt with hammers, screwdrivers, pencils, paper and measuring tape. She also was the first to use the couple's new reciprocating saw for demolition, which she enjoys.

Mrs. Palmer's hands-on experiences with home renovation began in 2001 after she and her husband, Steve, bought a Pittsburgh foursquare in Ingram for $78,000. Now their three-bedroom, two-bath house (MLS No. 819269) at 1 Danvers Ave. is listed for $139,900 through Howard Hanna Realtor Stefani Jazudek (www.howardhanna.com or 412-262-5500, ext 218).

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Ingram:
At a glance

• Incorporated: 1902
• Size: .4 square miles
• Population: 3,712
• Web site: www.ingramborough.org
• School District: Montour (www.montourschools.com)
• Total Enrollment: 2,987
• Average SAT scores: Math, 496; Critical Reading, 480; Writing, 475
• Annual taxes on a $100,000 house *: $3,038; Borough: 7.5 mills or $750; School: 18.9 mills or $1,890; County: 4.69 mills or $398
• Claim to Fame: The borough is named for Thomas Ingram, who immigrated from County Tyrone in Ireland and was the father of 10 children.
• * Includes the Act 50 Homestead Exclusion, which reduces assessed market value by $15,000 for county taxes

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During the past decade, the couple renovated a second-floor bathroom and also erected a cement-block garage with a wood-burning stove that doubles as Mr. Palmer's man cave, where he smokes cigars and listens to music.

Built around 1901, the foursquare house sits on a corner lot. In the spring, a flowering pink and white crab apple tree blooms on the front lawn. Two sets of concrete steps lead to a front porch.

At the front entrance, the couple installed a wooden door with beveled glass, allowing more light into the foyer. Last year, the home's exterior trim was painted aqua to contrast with its tan brick. An iron railing around the front porch was repainted black.

The first level features refinished hardwood floors. To the left of the entryway is a 14-by-12-foot living room, which has taupe walls and a ventless, gas-burning fireplace made from gray and brown fieldstone. The Palmers spent an entire summer gathering and preparing those stones.

"We collected the stones from creek beds at my sister's place up in Erie and scrubbed them with bleach on the back porch. You can see fossils in some of the stones," Mrs. Palmer said, adding that the couple hired an Ingram contractor to install the fireplace surround.

In the winter, "the rocks get a little bit warm so you can stand on the hearth and get your tootsies warm," she added.

Off the living room is a 15-by-12-foot dining room that accommodates eight people. The Palmers cut and installed wainscoting and painted it green; the upper walls are cream-colored.

Off the dining room is a 12-by-9-foot kitchen with two walls of cupboards, a cream-colored refrigerator and gas stove, a black dishwasher and a double stainless-steel sink. A kitchen door leads to a covered back porch.

On the second floor, the 15-by-11-foot master bedroom has a big closet with an organizing system and three double-hung windows. A 14-by-11-foot bedroom offers a spacious closet plus room for a bed, computer desk and dresser. A 10-by-9-foot bedroom is used as a nursery.

A second-floor staircase leads to a finished, carpeted attic that measures 18 by 16 feet. This space is not heated or cooled but Mrs. Palmer did her sewing here because four sets of double-hung windows provided a nice breeze.

Originally, the master bathroom on the second floor was lined in pink tile that Mrs. Palmer hated. Two years ago, even though she was four months pregnant, she took swings at the old tile with a sledgehammer.

The couple also removed the bathroom's dropped ceiling, raising the room's height by 12 inches. They added new insulation, a privacy window and hung new drywall. There's a new white tub, matching tile and commode. The ceramic tile floor is heated; a vanity has double sinks and custom-built cabinets are cherry.

"You have storage all the way to the ceiling so you do need a step stool," Mrs. Palmer said.

Other upgrades include new Traco windows, which were installed five years ago. After a crack was discovered in the furnace's heat exchanger, the couple replaced the furnace and put in central air conditioning, too.

In the finished basement game room that measures 18 by 16 feet, there's green carpeting and cream-colored paneling. The ceiling has recessed lighting. At the foot of the basement staircase are two large closets for off-season storage. An unfinished side room with a furnace and laundry tub has a new concrete pad that holds a front-loading washer and dryer. The Palmers installed a basement shower, toilet and a new electrical panel.

Outside the home is a three-bay garage with an asphalt shingle roof and commercial-grade doors. Built in 2003, the garage is 36 feet wide by 36 feet deep, with multiple electrical outlets, cabinet storage and a wood-burning stove that vents through the roof.

"The electricity in the garage is on a separate line," Mrs. Palmer said, adding that if power ever went out in the house, food she kept in a garage refrigerator stayed cold.

The backyard, which is 50 feet by 56 feet, is enclosed by a 6-foot high shadow box fence, which provides privacy.

The house is close to the airport, Downtown and bus service. The Crafton-Ingram shopping center, which is a three-minute drive, has a supermarket, pharmacies, two Chinese restaurants, two banks and a home remodeling store. Ingram Park, which has baseball fields, a playground and basketball courts, is a four-block walk.

Mrs. Palmer recommends home remodeling.

"You will have a lot of stressful moments but you have to be patient and stay strong. You feel such a sense of accomplishment when you're done with it," she said.

The home's total assessed value is $75,000 (www2.county.allegheny.pa.us/RealEstate/Search.aspx).

Since 2007, seven properties have changed hands on Danvers Avenue, ranging in price from $15,000 in April 2007 to $106,000 in December 2009 (www.realstats.net).

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.