Mid Mod Remodel

Everyone likes to add a little extra charm around the holidays to their home. Bringing out seasonal decorations makes us take a fresh look at the space where we spend all of our days. Shortening daylight makes us think about how to maximize the comfort and joy in our homes. As well it should - we need a recurring chance to reevaluate our homes are doing for us To me, this seems like a great time t...

Everyone likes to add a little extra charm around the holidays to their home. Bringing out seasonal decorations makes us take a fresh look at the space where we spend all of our days. Shortening daylight makes us think about how to maximize the comfort and joy in our homes. As well it should - we need a recurring chance to reevaluate our homes are doing for us To me, this seems like a great time t...

I work with three distinct types of mid century homeowners. Which one are you? ✨ Are you a brand new mid century homeowner still unpacking your boxes?  ✨ Have you had your house a couple years now with a number of DIY projects under your belt? ✨ Or have you lived in your ranch for decades making do with what it is and learning to live with its  challenges? Short answer: It doesn’t matter which...

Nothing is more expensive in a remodel than changing your mind after construction is underway.  It will tank your timeline too.  The best way I know to avoid both of those problems - to save time and money as you remodel - well (Surprise) it’s a master plan.   The cost of construction has rarely been higher.  Everyone wants to remodel and there aren't enough skilled tradespeople or (boards of...

When you’re at a loss for how to solve some particular problem area of your mid-century house, your go-to resource should not be HGTV, and it should not be whatever they are pushing this week at Home Depot might be. Those are solutions for non-ranch houses.   The key is to play to your home’s strengths.  Mid-Century Houses are great!  They don’t need much to take them from a bit tired and looking...

I suspect you might be a little like me, and find yourself scrolling on social media more than you mean to these days!  This is where we catch up on news from our friends, check out all the latest pictures of the little ones in our lives, and … bask in beautiful midcentury imagery! But if you’re thinking about any home update projects, you could be putting some of that social media scroll time to...

The common wisdom is that you should save up money for a remodel and then plan one that fits your budget.  I want to pitch an alternate plan. It can be better to let the design drive the budget, rather than the other way around.  Let's talk about diving into your master plan before you decide what your home update should cost. Try a hybrid approach.  Keep your ballpark budget in mind.  But ra...

While today’s episode is all about how lead your remodel like a woman, it is also universally good advice for anyone planning to take on a home update.  If you want clarity and confidence to direct how your remodel can go … this is what you need to do! Knowledge is power. Empower yourself to lead your home remodel by gathering as much information as you can about your house and focusing your plans...

What do you think of when I tell you that you can personalize your home?  Does it call to mind choosing furniture, painting the front door, and perhaps eradicating the color "mint-green" from a house that still feels a bit like it belongs to the previous owner? Those are all great things to do.  But I’m what I'm talking about here is adjusting the house - sometimes its very layout a...

A great home remodel needs more than a good floor plan. It needs a master plan. Having a master plan is more than pinning a bunch of things you like. It's more than having the furnace guy or the roofing guy come out and say, 'Oh yep. Your home inspector was right. Plan for a remodel.' And it's more than having a perfectly tidy, organized blueprint for your house.  A master plan...

Don't have time or the budget to plan something really big for your kitchen right now? You can still have a kitchen you love with a Level One quick kitchen update. This week we’ll be discussing quick fix, small budget, DIY solutions that turn your house into one you can live with while you wait to remodel. And sometimes, this is all you need if your house is pretty close to what you want. Thi...

Is your kitchen actually too small or does it just feel too small?  What Kitchen problems are you really trying to solve with your remodel?  Let’s make sure you know the answer! A crucial step in planning a successful remodel is understanding the scale that you are looking to take on and knowing what kitchen problems you are really trying to solve.   Once you know those two things you can find a s...

A good kitchen remodel is more than pretty new appliances and tile.  It really needs to work on a number of levels - it needs to be sturdy and safe, it needs to be practical and it still needs to look lovely.  That’s a lot to keep track of which is why - like every home remodeler - you need a master plan to get the kitchen planned the right way!   Today we discuss how to put together a master plan...

Will your kitchen remodel stand the test of time or look dated in five short years?  One of the best ways to make sure that your kitchen update won’t feel immediately out of date is to seed it with ideas from the original idea.  If your house was built in the MCM era, looking to mid-century materials for inspiration is the way to go! Today’s episode breaks down what you need to consider when you p...

Let’s talk about our friend the building code.   Why am I so excited about this topic that usually elicits a set  of grumpy complaints?  Because the kitchen building code and the inspectors who enforce it are meant to keep us safe and secure.   Following code needn’t be a hassle or make you tie your design process into knots.  As long as you can see potential kitchen code issues coming you can add...

Today we are going to talk about mid-century kitchen layout problems.  Nearly every ranch kitchen has a layout that can be problematic for the way a modern family likes to use their cooking and eating space.   When it comes to kitchen layout changes you want to weigh a number of factors.  If your layout is close to being workable and you are blessed with your original cabinets, I encourage you to...

Today’s episode is an interview with Sarah Archer, author of the Mid-century Kitchen. I’m so excited to share this conversation about the history of the mid-century kitchen we all love so much. We are going to talk about how the mid-century kitchen came about - the influence advertising, war time deprivations, the great depression, freezer goods, keeping up with the Jones and our cold war race to...

There's a saying that the kitchen is the heart of your home.   That’s a little trite but still true.  The kitchen update is THE first element that I hear about from new clients wanting to plan a remodel.  In any house, of any era, the kitchen is one of the most complex, expensive, and personally specific parts of the home.   So ... your kitchen update serves as a microcosm of your whole home...

I’ve talked about the value of design planning SO MUCH you might be sick of it.  If so, sorry, not sorry.  Your remodel is your home. It's important!  Creating a master plan for your home update will help you prioritize what you and your home need most ... then make it happen! But you also need to keep an eye on the details. Creating a Style Guide for your project works to keep those "li...

Today, I call on another expert to help explain landscaping for your mid-century home. Listen in while I chat with Sara A. Meier, aka Green Thumb SAM, about how to bring a mid mod vibe ... to your yard! Sara is a freelance landscape and garden designer who helps homeowners create a road map for their landscape that they can implement or give to a qualified landscape contractor to install.  I becam...

Mid-Century ranch houses appeal to just about everyone. They are great starter homes for young families and just as great for couples looking to age in place over time. They also work well for people with disabilities … especially with a few essential updates. Today let’s talk about how to make sure your remodel improves your home’s accessibility! IN TODAY’S EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR … A quick over view...

Do you ever think of remodeling your ranch as a strike for sustainability? I do. There are so many ranches across America waiting to be someone's dream home ... and choosing one to remodel is green - as in sustainable - compared to any new construction except maybe the most dramatic of Passivhaus or LEED Certified new homes.  Why? Because the choice to remodel is green, inherently. You are pr...

In the 70 plus years since mid century ranches were built, these homes have had a lot of different stories, different owners, and different histories. Some have changed hands many time; some have been in a single family since the day they were built.  Whether your ranch is an MCM time capsule or flip, I can help you figure out how to make it your own..   What's the diff: MCM time capsule or f...

Some people are looking for their turn key dream house but others want a fixer upper they can make their own. Fixing up modest little ranch houses into mid mod show pieces is kind of my jam.  I have some THOUGHTS on how to choose a house that you can remodel well. Here are this architect's ideas for how to win at the house hunting game. In today's episode you'll hear ... Skip to the...

Finding the right Mid-Century home to make your own is an exciting challenge for a first time home buyer. To kick off Season Four of Mid Mod Remodel, this week I chat with my sister, KJ Hansmann. She is in the earliest “Zillow” phase of planning to buy a modest MCM ranch to fix up with her partner. We’ve been talking about her house hunt process so much in recent weeks. Finally, I realized that I...