mid century remodel Archives

Let’s Review: You’re not done DEVELOPing a master plan till the house is done.

31 min readI’m taking July off from recording the podcast this summer but that doesn’t mean YOU have to. In fact, I’m actually pretty excited about what I’ve got planned for you. I took a dip through our deep archives (did you know we have over 250 episodes recorded) and pulled together some throwback episodes that have great content but may be SO FAR BACK in your podcast feed that you’re unlikely ever to hit them. For these four weeks I’ve chosen some fun episode pairings from the past that will take us on a little spin through the master plan method. So sit back and relax and get read to get inspired to do little more for your home and for yourself.

Creating a great vision for your remodel is the goal of everything I do for my clients and with my students. But it actually will only take a mid-century remodel so far.

If that vision lives only in my mind, I can’t share it with my clients.

If that vision only exists in your head, you can share it with anyone who’ll be helping you make your remodel a reality.

So clearly documenting what you’ve designed is a key element to bringing a remodel to fruition.

I could have called the last stage of the master plan method Document. But I didn’t. I called it Develop.

Let’s Review: Discover what’s great about your Mid-Century Home

36 min readI’m taking July off from recording the podcast this summer but that doesn’t mean YOU have to.

Instead, I’ve rounded up the BEST of our back catalog to take you on a journey through Master Planning your remodel. Let’s start with making it fun and easy to learn more about your home!

I want you to become an expert on your home before your remodel.

Note, I did not say that you need to become an expert on remodeling … just on your house.

Why? Because it’s going to smooth every step of your remodel journey!

One good reason to take a few of your own measurements, skim an inspection report, or dig into some MCM history about the original owners by chatting with elderly neighbors, is that these activities will set you up for clever design ideas for your remodel. And they will.

But another super important reason getting familiar with your home is essential to a successful remodel is that the more you feel like an expert in the specifics of your house (not even all of them, just in certain parts of it!) the more you interface confidently with everyone else in the project.

Remodeling a (mostly) Mid-Century Gem

44 min readIs your house a (mostly) mid-century gem? The “mostly” means that your house that has some really great, intact mid-century features…and then an area or two where a maintenance failure or unfortunate remodel has wreaked havoc on the charm.

Is your house a mostly mid-century gem?

And by “mostly” I mean that your house that has some really great, intact MCM features … but there’s a room or three where someone made a few bad calls. Now you’re left holding the bag on a sweet place with a super tired kitchen, a really strange bathroom or even a structural issue created by the previous owners.

I see houses like this all the time!

Full of wonderful, intact details set against the backdrop of an over large kitchen or unfortunate addition. And the good news is they are perfectly suited to the master plan process.

While I love working on everything from grandparent time capsule houses to places that have experienced a brutal flip and need to be entirely hauled back from the brink … the (mostly) charming house is one of our most common projects.

Today, lets take a spin through three recent Mid Mod Midwest master plan projects. I’ll share some fun history, common design challenges and my favorite approaches to upgrading mid-century homes that are in (mostly) great shape. With a big focus on putting back the appropriate mid-century materials in those not-so-great spots.

In Today’s Episode You’ll Hear:

Why homes with just a few problem areas need a master plan, too.
How to approach right sizing a space post remuddle.
Where to consider if “decorative” mcm elements might be much more.

Listen Now On

Apple | Spotify | YouTube

Loving Your Home is the Real Remodel ROI (with Adrian Kinney)

38 min readAdrian Kinney is back to talk all my latest obsessions – housing history, passive solar and planning YOUR perfect home for a grea remodel ROI. Adrian has joined me on the pod before. He’s a realtor, mid-century modern (MCM) guru and heads up Mid Mod Colorado.

I can pretty much talk all day with any number of my mid mod friends. And Adrian Kinney is definitely in that number! He’s a realtor, mid-century modern (MCM) guru and owns Mid Mod Colorado. Here’s one thing we agree on today: loving your home is a huge part of your real remodel ROI.