diy Archives - Page 2 of 10

Adding Insulation to Your Mid-Century House

27 min readIs your house too chilly in winter or too toasty in summer? Let’s explore improving your home’s energy efficiency, without compromising its mid-century charm, by adding insulation.

Mid-century homes weren’t built with modern insulation standards in mind. Many of our homes leak heat in cold climates or let in too much warmth in hot ones.

The good news is that these homes often have excellent air seals thanks to plaster walls and old-growth materials, which provide a solid foundation for energy improvements.

Easy Wins for Cozy Living

If you’re looking to make your home more comfortable without a major remodel, start with the low-hanging fruit:

Attic Insulation: One of the simplest ways to improve energy efficiency.
Basement Sealing: Insulating rim joists can make a big difference with minimal effort.
Air Sealing: Check around windows, doors, and outlets to prevent drafts.

These are straightforward projects that you can tackle yourself or with professional help.

Get your parents’ dated mid-century house ready to sell

28 min readAs you get ready to sell your parents’ mid-century home, you may feel pressure to “modernize” before listing. But don’t!

What should you do to get ready to sell a house built in the mid-century era – a house built back in the 1950’s or 60’s?

Should you rip out a tired kitchen? Quickly tear off that old, beat up siding and replace it with some easy care vinyl?

No, please don’t.

One of the saddest things that can happen to a mid-century house is that the current owners jump into a bunch of unnecessary repair work right before they sell it in the misguided idea that that’s what future owners will want.

Don’t make un-necessary changes

Instead, let me make your life easier. Do less. Because there is someone out there searching for your parents’ time capsule house.

Here’s a checklist of how to get the house ready to catch that person’s attention…and then move on with your life.

Get Those Good Master Plan Vibes

22 min readHow can a master plan help you feel ready to remodel?

A Master Plan means you have, well…a plan. It helps you have the right master plan vibes to move your remodel forward.

Too many people trip on the fallacy that they have to choose a perfect planning process or just “skip” right to the building part. There’s a middle ground.

Any time you spend on Mid-Century Master Plan thinking will set you up for more success. And a master plan doesn’t have to be a perfect object to be successful. In fact … perfectionism might be the problem.

Creating Great Mid Mod Interiors with Exactly Designs

22 min readI recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Elin Walters from Exactly Design to get her perspective on mid-century interiors. While I spend my days thinking architect-y thoughts, Elin obsesses over mid-century homes as an interior designer and I was curious how our takes might differ.

We covered everything from essential elements to keep (if you are lucky enough to have them) to the pitfalls you should avoid if you want to stay true to a mid-century aesthetic.

“Architect vs Interiors” aside, when it comes to remodeling a mid-century modern home, it’s all about balancing the timeless with the timely! Whether you’re gearing up for a restovation hoping to pack in the original charm or planning to add something fresh that still respects the era, making the right choices can be nerve wracking so having the right pros on your ReMod Squad is a must

Enter Elin Walters of Exactly Designs. As mid mod pros, Elin and I both encourage mid-century homeowners to think about the long-term when making decisions about their homes. Elin’s philosophy is that mid-century design is classic for a reason, and changes should be made with an eye toward how they will age. She believes a guide is to ask yourself, “Would the original designers think this is cool?” If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track.

House Number Basics with Modern House Numbers

21 min readToday, we have a fantastic chat lined up with Brandy McLain, co-founder and one of the creative geniuses behind Modern House Numbers.

Della and Brandy McLain, founder of Modern House Numbers, are digging in to discuss all things house number. From current requirements to history, plus tons of great style tips!

If you’ve been thinking about giving your home’s exterior a fresh look, you’ll want to keep reading!

Mid-Century vs. Mid Mod with Susan Halla

19 min readWhen I think about perfecting an original mid-century or mid mod home by polishing and upgrading its original details, I think of Susan Halla of Make It Mid-Century.

Today, I’m thrilled to bring you my most recent conversation with Susan Halla from Make It Mid Century. Susan is an absolute treasure trove of knowledge when it comes to period-appropriate choices for your home, whether it’s mid-century modern or mid-century modest.

Mid-Century vs. Mid-Century Modern

We kick off with a bit of myth-busting around the terms “mid-century” and “mid-century modern.” Susan beautifully analogized it to the difference between a square and a rectangle: mid-century modern is mid-century, but not all mid-century is mid-century modern. Think of mid-century as the broader era, spanning roughly from 1945 to 1975, encompassing a variety of styles from faux colonial to streamlined modern. Mid-century modern, on the other hand, is a subset with its own unique flair—think clean lines, large windows, and funky rooflines.

Unicorn Houses and Tight MCM Markets with Adrian Kinney

19 min readIn our latest podcast episode, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with the amazing Adrian Kinney. Adrian has joined me on the pod before. He’s a realtor, mid-century modern (MCM) guru and heads up Mid Mod Colorado. Listen for his insights into what makes mcm homes so special and how to navigate today’s tricky market to find a mid-century gem.

We kicked things off by talking about how Adrian defines his ultimate mcm home—the elusive “unicorn.” For Adrian, the unicorn is an untouched mid-century time capsule that’s stayed true to its origins. A house where every detail, from the kitchen cabinets to the bathroom tiles remains from the 1950s or 60s.

While I share Adrian’s passion for these vintage beauties, I also love rolling up my sleeves and blending the old with the new. We discussed how to go about creating spaces that honor their mid-century roots and keep their retro charm alive while making the home work for modern life.

Mid-Century Hardscapes and Feature Elements with Ginkgo Leaf Studio

24 min readRemember the delightful Jim Drzewiecki from Ginkgo Leaf Studio? We barely scratched the surface of all the listener landscaping questions we received last season. So, naturally, I had to bring him back on the podcast to continue our chat! Today, we’re diving in on hardscaping and adding feature elements to your landscape.

Hardscaping includes any solid surfaces in your yard – think patios, walkways and driveways. These elements aren’t just practical; they set the stage for the entire landscape design. While many folks think landscaping is all about plants, according to Jim it’s actually the hardscape that lays the groundwork for everything else.

An Architect Chat – The secret to planning your Dream Remodel

27 min readWhen you find yourself in a remodeling time crunch, the most frequently skipped step in the process is actually the most essential part of any well planned and executed remodel.

Planning your dream remodel takes time. It takes introspection, at least. There’s no getting around that. But often, time is exactly what you don’t have. Life happens. You might need to move or have sudden changes in your family’s scope and scale. You might have an opportunity to take advantage of that requires fast action.

When you’re in a hurry, do you sometimes skip important steps?

Same!

So … when you find yourself in a remodeling time crunch, watch out for THIS! Because the most frequently skipped step in the planning process is actually the most essential part of any well planned and executed remodel.

How do I un flip my mid-century house?

26 min readStraight outta the DM’s “Do you have an un-flip quick start guide?” If you’re wondering what there might be to salvage about your farmhouse flipped mid-century house, the short answer is there’s plenty.

I encounter many brutal flip examples of mid-century homes through both students and clients. Kitchens that look like a Home Depot display. Vast expanses of gray LVP flooring. So many six panel doors. Like so, so many.

What do you do when someone beat you to the mid-century home of your dreams and stripped the charm right out of it? Can you ever go back? Well, sure you can. And you may even find that the flippers did you a few favors.

One of the things about a flipped house is that it becomes hard to see what is possible. And to hone in on what could change when it isn’t possible to roll the whole thing back.

In Today’s Episode You’ll Hear:

How to de-farmhouse your fireplace. (Sadly, you probably won’t be able to unpaint the brick.)
Strategies for deciding which changes to invest in undoing/redoing and which to work around.
Quick changes that will shift you homes’ feel from farmhouse flip to mid mod fab.