Mid Mod Remodel

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...

If you, like me, LOVE walking around looking at MCM houses, you've probably been relying on that as a primary source of out-of-the-house fun during the last few months.  Today, I'm going to share my top tips for seeking out the hidden mid-century areas in your town and some Madison mid-century neighborhoods that I particularly love! Check the show notes for a fun infographic to help you...

Today, Mid Mod Remodel Podcast has … a GUEST! I am so excited to share my chat with George Smart, AKA Mr. Modernism of US Modernist Radio. He is the founder and executive director of the UsModernist organization – which, among other things, is the  largest open digital archive of midcentury Modernist houses in the the world – THIS IS A RESOURCE CHECK IT OUT.  George is an archivist of and advocate...

You’ve had plenty of time to consider closely how your house is or isn’t meeting your family's needs right now.  It is clear that your home might need a few updates. But there are some new challenges tacked on to the process of a remodel at the moment. Still, I don’t want you to loose hope that you can make the changes you need.  This is where the doable DIY remodel comes in.   You CAN plan t...

I thought about calling calling this weeks episode a guide to get you to your ideal remodel but in actual fact … its much more a roadmap through the remodel process.  Today I want to share with you the steps I see as absolutely essential when you’re planning an update for your mid-century ranch.   This is going to be a lot. Here's a quick outline of the roadmap for orientation ... but if you...

 Today, let's chat about the gorgeous mid-century modern neighborhood of Collier Heights in Atlanta, Georgia which was planned for, built by, and lived in by Black Atlantans. Note: This isn't a story about a silver lining to the bad situation that is racism.  Nor is it any kind of an example of solutions that point the a way forward today.  (We will not make America better by building be...

If your parents or grandparents bought a house in America during the post war boom years … they and you benefited from a system of racial oppression that encouraged white wealth building through home ownership with one hand … and held back black families with the other.  Mine did and I do.   This isn’t the episode I was planning to record this week but I hope you’ll stick around to think about how...

So how has the battle to fight clutter been going at your house lately?  For me, housekeeping isn't my strongest suit at the best of times but I do know that I feel better about life and myself when I'm not looking at to-do lists (in pile form) all over the dining table.  Some amount of clutter-busting will always be a form of #adulting but we can make the job harder or easier when the h...

If planning a remodel seems like a superficial thing to be discussing right now, I want to tell you that I believe it is ANYTHING BUT.  The space we live in defines our experience of life.  Why not help that space be its best so that it can help us in turn.  If you love yourself, you should love your home too.  It will love you back! I listened to this interview with architecture critic Sarah Will...

Need more space (desperately) but don't want to plan an addition?  What if I told you you're sitting on top of doubling-your-square-footage right now.  No, I'm not a Wizard.  I'm just talking about your basement!  Pretty much every midwestern house has got one and in a one story ranch they are the same shape as the house up above.   Is a basement transformation in your future?...

So ... it looks like we may be social distancing for a lot longer than we initially signed up for while we wait for our public health apparatus to catch up with the virus.   That means, its time to make sure we have some good systems in place.  Here's how you can make your home multitask for you to fill the functions of office, school, play area and its regular daily uses! I've been givi...

Today, we talk about how to plan for a remodel that can grow with your family.  One of the things we can still do while we all #stayhome to flatten the curve is dream about and plan for the future.  So let's get into the details of planning a great remodel for (and with) your kids!  Grab my Free Download: How to Make Extra Space in your house Right Now with Nooks Right Here! In today's e...

One of the many weird side effects of our collective corona virus precautions is that almost every kid in the country is home from school right now.  Families are having to come up with new routines, creative kid spaces, and fresh inspiration to keep everyone active, happy and stimulated (and hang on to parental sanity if possible).   This week I share some kid-focused advice that could come in ha...

This week's episode gets into the why of our homes' need for places to gather and places to spread out and get away from each other.  Typical American homes were designed around the idea that we'd leave them for part of every day to go to work and to meet our social needs in the community at large.  Right now ... we can't.  So the house needs to do all the work that we typicall...

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! I want to make this clear.  I am NOT trying to productivity shame you right now.   But if you're looking for some non-s...

In all my years of helping homeowners plan remodels, I've seen two factors that really determine whether someone will feel happy with a remodel during and after it's done.  You need  a can-do, positive attitude, and you need real clarity about  what you want to get out of your remodel.   Today, I'm telling the tales of two clients. One couple who was (in my opinion) not really ready...

Wait. You do use Pinterest to strategize your remodel plans, right? Here's the thing: Pinterest can be your best friend, or your most stressful frenemy when you are planning a remodel. It all depends on how you use it. Here are some quick and easy tips for how (and when) to use Pinterest to plan your mid-century home update the right way! In today's episode you'll hear ... Pinterest...