Spackled and Spooked

 Spackled and Spooked, by Jennie Bentley (2009) 309 pages

Spackled and Spooked is a new-to-me mystery series featuring Avery Baker, a textile designer, and her boyfriend, Derek Ellis. Derek has bought a house that has been empty since a murder-suicide 18 years ago. The only family member who escaped was a five-year old boy who ran away during the horrific event. Avery and Derek have high hopes for renovating the house and reselling it, hoping that it won't be  considered tainted by the long-ago events. From the very start, though, the house seems to be haunted, and soon, when Derek is digging under the crawl space to prepare to put in new floors, he discovers human bones. More sinister events happen, and it's hard to tell who in this small college-town of Waterfield, Maine is responsible for the latest murder attempts, and whether there is any tie-in to the murders of the past. Avery and Derek try to help the police solve the murders so they can get back to renovating the house.

There were also  renovation tips at the end of the book, which described how to get various effects that were described a bit in the story.