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Fake Shutters are the absolute worst

3 min readShutters once had a real function.  They were a security measure, a way to close up houses safely at night or when the occupants were away. But they serve no purpose on a modern house. Please don’t glue fake shutters to your siding!!!

So here’s the thing.  Almost nothing makes me eye-roll harder in recent, residential design than badly-deployed fake shutters.  Fake shutters on ranches are even more irritating: not only don’t they work properly, they contradict the mid mod aesthetic!

Continue reading “Fake Shutters are the absolute worst”

Quick Change: Replacing the bathroom toilet and flooring at the same time

3 min readThis is actually a project from a few months ago I forgot to report on. Here’s how I chipped out the old vinyl floor, pulled the existing toilet, snapped in the new floor and popped in the replacement all between 8am and 8 pm.

Before I let the drywall team go to town on the basement, I wanted to exchange the upstairs toilet JUST IN CASE there would be an leakage during the process which might undo the nice clean ceiling below.  Since the basement bathroom can’t be finished until after the drywall is complete, this meant taking out the house’s only toilet.  I decided to forge head and replace both the despised green vinyl flooring and the old toilet in one fell swoop.  Continue reading “Quick Change: Replacing the bathroom toilet and flooring at the same time”

Progress: painting the basement walls and ceiling

2 min readPainting has always been one of my favorite home improvement activities.  My mom changed the wall colors almost as often as she changed her mood and the whole family was always permitted (expected) to help out as needed.  

Spreading paint onto my newly drywalled basement was a deeply satisfying several day process, fueled by color energy and audio books.  The one down side was that, without the final electric installed and with the new sheet rock ceiling blocking my ability to hang lights from the rafters, it was a bit dark down there.  Continue reading “Progress: painting the basement walls and ceiling”

Speaking at MREA Energy Fair: Remodel to Create Your Green Dream House

6 min readI’m speaking at the MREA Energy Fair, Friday May 15th at 2:30 and 5:30 to spread the good word on green design and remodeling.
Here’s what I plan to say!

I’m speaking at the the MREA Energy Fair, in Custer, WI, this Friday, delivering two lectures on green building.  Continue reading “Speaking at MREA Energy Fair: Remodel to Create Your Green Dream House”

Progress: The basement drywall is in!

2 min readThe drywall was hung, taped, and textured and now its ready for me to get on with painting. I have a quick decision to make. Help!

While I was upstairs, ripping out the wall-to-wall carpet, the drywall crew was downstairs turning the basement spaces back into rooms.  It’s very exciting to see the work progressing.  Continue reading “Progress: The basement drywall is in!”

Revealing the gorgeous hardwood under my (hated) Wall-to-Wall Carpet

3 min readI finally pulled out the tired green wall-to-wall carpet in my living room and revealed … a lovely warm toned and dense grained hardwood floor underneath. I’m so happy I can’t stop rubbing my hands together in glee.

I actually can’t believe it took me a year and a half to get around to this step.  I always knew I was going to rip out the terrible green wall-to-wall carpet and expose the hardwood underneath.

Note: For ranches of this era hardwood floors were standard issue since nylon wall-to-wall carpet was invented after WWII as an alternate way to keep the war industry producers in business.  It was not common in Wisconsin in 1952 when my house was built.  I had even pulled back a small corner to confirm that it was down there.  But somehow I just didn’t get around to getting it out!  Continue reading “Revealing the gorgeous hardwood under my (hated) Wall-to-Wall Carpet”

Midcentury Style Frames Storytelling in Hidden Figures

7 min readToday, a breakdown of the Midcentury Modern style – both at NASA and at home – in one of my favorite recent movies: Hidden Figures.

I just re-watched Hidden Figures.  It is a fantastic movie that checks all my boxes: painful-but-inspiring untold underdog history about nerd girls who are determined to show everyone what they can do.  Plus, it is beautifully shot with a fantastic soundtrack and some really great acting. What more could I ask?

If you haven’t seen it yet, stop reading this blog post and go stream it RIGHT NOW.  Continue reading “Midcentury Style Frames Storytelling in Hidden Figures”

Internet “MidMod” kitchens are more Modern than Midcentury

5 min readThe definition of a true MCM kitchen is not the laminate counter tops and pastel appliances.  You can recognize a classic ranch kitchen by its layout and by the driving philosophy behind it.

I recently came across a list post of gorgeous midcentury modern kitchens to emulate.  As I scrolled, I realized they had one thing in common – clearly none of them were actually midcentury kitchens.  So today I’d like to break down the differences between a kitchen built in the midcentury era, and those done in a midcentury style, now.  Continue reading “Internet “MidMod” kitchens are more Modern than Midcentury”

Harold Bewick: Builder of My Ranch

2 min readA little insight into my ranch’s inception. It, along with some 300 other local homes, was built in 1952 by a local contractor. Today, I find out a little more.

My ranch was built in 1952 by one Harold Berwick.  The permit – left with some other house papers in a basement cabinets – lists him as “owner” rather than contractor but he never occupied the space, just developed it on spec and passed it along. He apparently did a super speedy job of construction.  Continue reading “Harold Bewick: Builder of My Ranch”