diy Archives - Page 7 of 10

What You Can Decide in an Hour

14 min readIn just one hour you really can make big or small decisions that put your remodel on the path for success.

In just one hour you really can make big or small decisions that put your remodel on the path for success.

Taking a whole remodel from start to finish is a big undertaking. Just planning to start your remodel sometimes feels like it’s taking forever…and it really can be a black hole that seems to absorb as much time and energy as you have to put into it. However, it is possible to set yourself up for bursts of decision-making that shift the momentum in your process.

Taking time to mull has its value. Doing your research is important. BUT, if you’re feeling stuck in analysis paralysis, today’s episode is for you. It’s all about what you can decide for your remodel in an hour.

How Do I Pick a Mid Century Faucet? (Or any other finish material for my remodel?)

14 min readIf you’re struggling to pick out a mid-century faucet (or any other part) of your remodel … start right here!

What should you do when you can’t make up your mind, when finding a mid-century faucet seems impossible?

Before I get into that: ARE YOU SIGNED UP FOR THE FREE MASTERCLASS? IF NOT, WHY NOT? Come (LIVE) on Saturday 27th at 11am central or watch the On Demand Replay as soon as the class is over.

The abundance of choice is a HUGE factor in feeling in over your head when you are trying to choose finishes for your home update. With the entire internet at your finger tips … or even the plumbing supply show room that your plumber directed you to … you can feel like anything is possible and nothing is certain.

Avoid Remodeling Overwhelm with a plan: get Help at this weekend's mid-century master plan master class!

Here’s the thing though – only a few of these myriad options are actually going to be right for your style and your house when you get right down to it.

Am I Wrong to Love Mid Century?

When HGTV, Home Depot, every contractor you’ve spoken to so far, and some of your friends and family are all questioning why you like that feature of your mid century house, it can feel like maybe they’re right and you’re not. You can ask yourself, am I wrong to love mid-century?

No, of course not! Your mid mod home is great!

How can you find other people besides me to reinforce you when you love mid-century? You need a community of people who can share war stories, advice, and wins from their experience and updating, repairing, and maintaining mid century homes. So, today, we’re going to talk about how to make that happen!

Can I open up a wall? And other questions about your structure!

14 min readIf you’ve ever wished to just open up a wall in your house but worried it would be too expensive, too difficult or downright risky, I hope you’ll feel less so at the end of this episode!

If you’ve ever wished to just open up a wall in your house but worried it would be too expensive, too difficult or downright risky, I hope you’ll feel less so at the end of this episode!

True, there are some areas of your house structure you don’t want to carelessly change – for fear of bringing down the whole thing!

You sure do need to know where your bearing walls are and what they are. But once you know where your home’s structure is … and isn’t … you’ll be better able to “see through the walls” and open up some great flow in your home!

Tune in for some rules of thumb for identifying structure AND some easy design cheats to open up space in the structure you have without costly re-engineering!

How Do I Get the Best Value in a Remodel?

14 min readMake sure you get the best value in your remodel and JUSTIFY your time, energy and expense by considering how you can tweak the layout of your home to fit your life!

Here’s how you can get the best value in a remodel … you can super charge any remodel using adjustments to your home’s layout. By the way … this episode and topic are the PERFECT preamble to this weekend’s Mid-Century Design Clinic. Listen up here and then go save your seat for the Workshop!

Look, beautiful finishes can make your life so shiny and pretty.

You can wake up in the morning and smile because of the color of your bedroom wall.
Touching the surfaces of your kitchen cabinets can bring you genuine joy multiple times a day.
The perfect paver stones under your feet on the patio can be warm, smooth, and classy.

But just changing the surfaces of things doesn’t have a power to change your life the way adjusting your layout can-do.

What if I Need to do Maintenance Before I Remodel Plan?

Today’s question is actually one I don’t get asked often enough. Here it goes: How can I get started now on my fun mid-century home update plans when I have this feeling I should do maintenance before I remodel?

Don’t forget to sign up for the summer Mid-Century Design Clinic by July 31st to get the early bird pricing!! Plan a deck or patio update perfect for you and your home!

I don’t get asked because way too many people assume it’s the wrong question to ask! Is this you? Do you think you have to take care of some maintenance and repair work first. You should replace the furnace, get a new roof on, repair that rotted deck – before you can do the fun things … before you can start making your house into your home?

I understand the logic of this. And if you are someone who likes to work before they play, eat a good dinner before desert or just generally earn their fun … I get it. It sounds adulting and responsible home-owning 101.

But it this case, it’s the absolutely wrong idea.

I Want to Update My Mid-Century Home. Where do I Start?

13 min readIf you are brand new to owning a Mid-Century Home and wondering “Where do I start?” Start small. Here are the first steps to get you on the right path!

What comes first when you’re brand new to your mid-century home and wondering “Where do I start?”

It doesn’t matter if you are a brand new homeowner, someone who’s been in their house a few years and feeling ready to make some changes or you don’t even HAVE a home yet but want to start making your life look a little more MCM!

Now, you’re ready to start planning what you would like to do to make your house into your home so … where do you even begin?

How can you start the remodel process without getting in completely over your head?

Today, let’s talk about how to stick your toe into the kidney-shaped pool of mid-century home updates.

Remodeling Dreams and DIY while you #stayhome

Whether you are sheltering in place, safer at home, or just staying home, you might be starting (continuing) to feel little stir crazy. I have too. Here are some prompts to help you imagine improvements to your MCM house and some ideas for manageable DIY while you #stayhome!

Progress: a (pretty painless) mini patio for the back yard

2 min readI’d thought my next move was to start framing in the new mudroom between the house and garage but then I remembered … it will never be easier to move the pavers from front to back than right now.

I did a quick about face and prioritized putting together my (mini) patio project. I’d had something like this in mind for a while but had to make some quick executive decisions about size and proportion. Continue reading “Progress: a (pretty painless) mini patio for the back yard”

Progress: Basement Bath and Bar Sink

2 min readProgress continues in the basement with the final plumbing work. Its about to go on hiatus, however, when I turn my attention outside for fall.

The basement isn’t quite finished but I made some great strides forward to prep for the final plumbing work down here. I also introduced myself to the Ikea kitchen system which gave me a few moments of confusion and then turned out to be even more straightforward and hackable than I’d hoped. Continue reading “Progress: Basement Bath and Bar Sink”