Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven

We've got another renovation story in this episode, a mid century modern house in Michigan. My guest is Laurie Hughet-Hiller, a Michigan architect who was lucky to find her gem of a house as her first house. We talked about her house, how she approached her renovations, how to work with an architect, what to look for in a contractor and how to find one. About our guest An architect focused on expe...

I do love talking about and thinking about residential landscape design. Steve Griggs, a straight talking landscape designer from New York, joined me to discuss one of my favorite subjects. We discussed what to keep in mind when considering your landscape design, why it is important to hire a landscape designer for certain projects, the high value low cost moves in the landscape and more. About ou...

We haven't touched on how to hire an architect or residential designer in quite a while, so here is another look at episode 68 with Jake Krowkoski. In this episode, you will discover……. - How do I know if I need an architect? - Where can I find architects online? - How can I tell which architect will be a good fit for me? - What should I bring to my interview with my architect? About our guest Jak...

I started following Kemp Harper on Instagram a while ago, his account @thecolonial_on_park. We talked about his experience with his 1930s/40s Brick colonial in Brazil, Indiana. He is a true artist who has infused his interior and exterior spaces with charm. about our guest: Nestled in the middle of an Indiana small town stands a stately 1930 brick colonial home. This maturely-grown 3 city lot prop...

Frank Cesaro and Jim Jones joined me this week to talk about the project they've taken on- a Queen Anne Victorian in Scranton PA. “Frank was born and raised in New Jersey and Jim in Pennsylvania. They met in 2018 when Jim relocated to New Jersey for work and as they say, “the rest is history!” Frank holds a project management role in business banking and Jim is a project manager in pharmaceuticals...

Is your door looking a little sad and you think your only option is to replace it? I just learned that there are specialists who will take your door away and bring it back looking like new. How did I not know this? Amy Baglan joined me this week to discuss her work at Door Renew Denver. We discussed door care, door refurbishment, working in this industry and the process. About our guest As a 4x CE...

Gabriella Somoza joined me in this episode to talk about her unusual Octagon House in Cape May, New Jersey, her love of historic preservation, interior design and advice about purchasing a house for investment vs your personal home. About our guest: Gabriella was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. Eight...

This week we are revisiting episode 51. Great for women in renovations season! A listener wrote to request an episode on insulation- here it is! Christine Williamson of Building Science Fight Club explains the factors to consider when insulating your house. I hope you enjoy this deep dive into the subject. Christine is an accomplished building scientist who has a large following on instagram throu...

Vana Carmona tells the story her ongoing revival of a derelict Greek Revival house in Maine. We talked about clearing up titles, the importance of understanding budget and timeline and renovating in the public eye. About our guest: (from Boothbay Register) Vana Carmona is the founder of The Prince Project, a database of over 2000 people of color who lived in Maine prior to 1800.  She has give...

This episode we are revisiting episode 9 with British architect Debbie Bentley. Designing your house for the future: Build less Do you really need to build more and increase your footprint? Think about how you use your house now and list everything that you would like to change. Are there areas in your house that are under-used? These days that is often the formal dining room. Can you change how y...

Mona Ying Reeves, architect, renovation coach and serial renovator, joins me in this episode to talk about gender roles in home renovations. How can we change the dynamic for the future? About our guest Feeling stuck when it comes to navigating your renovation? Mona Ying Reeves is the House Coach that will get you past the overwhelm and moving forward. A serial renovator, architect, and behind-the...

In 2021 I interviewed designer Cara Newhart about her mission to empower women to tackle home improvement and renovation projects on their own. I'm glad to revisit this interview in this season of women in renovations. About our guest: Cara Newhart is a designer and diy queen and the host of the Make Space Podcast.  After losing her dad to cancer and without his contractor-expertise to guide...

This episode is advice from just me, answering a listener's question about how to know if he should undergo a renovation at his house and how to start if he decides that is the course of action he should take. We haven't talked about this in a while on this show, so I thought it would be worth an answer. Thanks so much for being with us this week.  Please see the episode enhancement for this...

We revisited episode 62 this week, 2 years later. High Performance Architect Emily Mottram joins me in this episode to talk about the renovation she is undertaking at her home in Maine. She calls her renovation a pretty good renovation which is in keeping with the principles of the pretty good house ( https://www.prettygoodhouse.org ) which is building better than required by code until it doesn't...

Laura Parrish is my guest this week, talking about her historic Massachusetts properties. She bought her 1855 Italianate mansion in New Bedford about 10 years ago, and is now working on her third property, the oldest house in Bourne, MA. She loves to share her houses with others through AirBnB rentals. Laura shared what she has learned about working on historic houses and the hospitality world. In...

This week we revisited an episode from November 2021 on Return on Investments when it comes to renovations. I interviewed her about 6 months before we sold our house and I did take a lot of her advice! About our guest: Daryl Cohan has been helping home buyers and sellers since 2001. She is determined to help her clients reach their goals in considers her role one of education. Her excellence in li...

My guest this week is Katelyn Parker, an architect and podcaster working in Tulsa Oklahoma. Katelyn was my guest back on episode 54 discussing the renovation of her home in Tulsa. If you love old houses, check out her podcast The Keeping Room and her firm's website https://www.bungalowroots.com We talked about podcasting about renovations, how what is old is new again in the houses of today, resto...

Homes everywhere are susceptible to some sort of natural disaster. Carl Dugas of Storm Guard Roofing in Louisiana provides a firsthand account as to what recovery looks like and how to prepare for severe storms, as well as move forward after disaster strikes. about our guest: Carl Dugas has owned and operated a Storm Guard Roofing and Construction franchise in the New Orleans area for the last eig...

The last episode of season 5 is a new renovation story. Sarah and Kevin unexpectedly fell in love with an Italianate house a few hours from Toronto, which started their sustainable old house journey. They are now on their second house project and deep into considering sustainable restorations. Check out their blog at www.readmorehouse.com instagram- @readmorehouse Thanks so much for being with us...

We are taking a break for a few weeks and revisiting renovation stories from the past few years. This one is a cautionary tale with a happy ending, originally published as episode 88. Mitra Shahri is a well known and very successful attorney licensed to practice law in Oregon and California. After giving up on the idea of ever finding love, she bought her first ever property, a 2 bedroom 2 bath pe...

We are taking a break for a few weeks and revisiting Renovation Stories from the past few years. Missy was a first time home buyer and faced with a daunting full gut renovation. I happen to have been her architect. Join us as we discuss her experience renovating her old house. Thanks so much for being with us this week.  Please see the episode enhancement for this and other episodes at talkin...

Valerie Hill is an interior designer renovating a 1920s bungalow with her husband Justin in Seattle. We talked about how much time a renovation really takes, working with a spouse and building a local community. Instagram- @hillandvalleybungalow About our guest: Valerie is a creative BBC explorer based in Seattle who has taken her interest in design into an interior design degree, through some pro...

Dominic and Diedre Rubino joined me on this episode to talk with me about their grand and beautiful 1890 Late Victorian house in New Westminster, British Columbia (Canada). Check out my latest instagram post for some photos of this house, you won't believe the woodwork. I met Dom when he interviewed me for his podcast Profit Tool Belt. When he showed me photos of his house after the interview, I k...

In this episode we discuss reviving a delapidated former hoarder house built in the 1770s. This is a re-edit of episode 35, the first renovation story episode. My guest for this renovation story is Kim Tierney, owner and caretaker of Bloomfield Farm, a beautiful stone farmhouse in Virginia built in 1775. I have been following her account on TikTok and am grateful that she took the time to record h...

Liz and Triston Bowen joined me to talk about their 1868 brick house, called Thornhill. They are working on the significant project themselves after studying and researching for years. They encourage other young people to also get into taking care of historic houses. instagram: @thornhill.house Facebook: The Thornhill House Thanks so much for being with us this week.  Please see the episode e...