mid century home Archives - MidMod Midwest

The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Where are all my history nerds? Raise your hands. This week is for you. I’m talking historic maps, digitized collections and crowd-sourced cartography projects. I KNOW!

I was so tickled when a Ready to Remodel student showed up to an Office Hours call a few months ago with so much fresh confidence derived from finding the Sanborn maps of her own property.

Her local permitting office was willing to accept the map she found as proof of a grandfather in the structure that meant they were able to carry on with their plans for a WHOLE LOT LESS paperwork!

Plus, turning up a historic resource had helped her feel confident in her interactions with her local building department and advocating for her remodel plan. This is what Discovery is all about!

I was delighted to hear her name check the Sanborn map collection, because it took me right back to my university days.

Why does your house need a remodel … really WHY?

You’re thinking about a remodel. You have a budget in mind, a Pinterest board full of perfect tile, and a list of things in your house that just aren’t working. But stop right there.

Before you hire a contractor or pick out a single fixture, I need you to answer the single most important question you will ask in this entire process:

Why does your house need a remodel? I mean, does it? Seriously?

Knowing the underlying why, what you are truly trying to achieve in your life, will ultimately control what your remodel costs, how many parts of your house it affects, and everything down to the last tile choice.

It’s the only thing that will keep your remodel on track, keep you going when the planning gets slow or expensive, and help you avoid all the “shoulds” that will make a project unnecessarily stressful and pricey.

Oh AND without sticking to your why, you’re much more likely to take on a remodel that ends up damaging your home’s mid-century character!

So let’s talk about how to get under the surface of your remodeling why …

Getting to a Plan for Your Remodel

29 min readA clear plan for your remodel is the key to avoiding stress, staying on budget, and making sure your mid-century home updates improve your daily life.

You’ve been dreaming about updating your mid-century home. But you feel overwhelmed about where to start. Let’s explore how to create a clear plan for your remodel—one that helps you move forward with confidence, avoid costly mistakes, and makes your home work better for you.

What you DON’T need to get to a plan

The best part? You don’t need a 50-page architectural set of blueprints and specifications to make a successful change to your home.

What you do need …

How to Fit Your House for a Home Office

26 min readWith so many of us working from home, it’s more than time to chat about how mid-century homes can accommodate modern home office needs.

So, how do you design a functional, charming and stylish home office that fits in to a mid-century-sized house?

Mid-century homes weren’t originally built with home offices in mind, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create a workspace that fits seamlessly into your home’s aesthetic.

Name Your Mid-Century Remodel Era (Part 1/4)

18 min readQuick! Name your favorite Mid-Century remodel era! Do you love 40’s fab or 50’s space-race or earthy late 60’s vibes?

What is your mid-century remodel era?

I know you are here because you love mid century design. I know this because I love mid century design! And we all love to talk about “mid century” style…and then wonder what does that actually mean in terms of hitting that just right tone in an MCM remodel.

What does Mid-Century Even Mean?

Mid Century is a broad term that covers anything from the immediate postwar building boom, up into the late 60s (or even the early 70s!).

When I’m planning a remodel for a design client, I need to know which end of the mid century era really lights them up in order to create a remodel that is right for them.