The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

Lighting in a mid-century home was part of personalizing the house. Choosing your lights went along with choosing your furniture or art. Which means there are often few wired in lights in homes built in that era. So, what’s a modern mid-century homeowner to do about lighting?In Today's Episode You'll Hear:Why you don’t need all those can lights.Which lighting you need in a given area.Where to start applying lighting theory in you mid-century home. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2220 Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify | YouTube. Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

I have to admit being a reluctant provider of gift guides. The “check your inbox”, “must have gift lists” and “buying guides” kind of give me the ick. Especially since we've just been hounded by all of this Black Friday Energy, all of this “buy right now energy”. Today I'm going to take a slightly different approach to the nature of a gift guide, and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, that you already know you can gift someone more than an object. But sometimes the “what” of it all is the challenge. In Today's Episode You'll Hear:When a movie night might be the perfect mid-century gift. How to ensure you get your picky mid mod connoisseur the perfect vintage find. Where to find great mid mod inspired stuff for when gifting stuff is the right move.Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2219.  Like and subscribe at Apple | Spotify | YouTube. Want us to create your mid-century master plan? Apply here! Or get my course,  Ready to Remodel.

Thanksgiving is here! And while the holidays bring their fair share of chaos, they’re also the perfect opportunity to rethink how your home works for you. From design tips to thoughtful additions, here’s how to turn the hustle and bustle of the holidays into a launchpad for your dream mid-century home.Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2218

I love a good Q&A session! During the masterclass and design clinics I make (and honor!) a promise to answer every attendee question. This last session lasted AS LONG AS THE CLASS. And everyone stayed up to the end.  It was a great Q & A. So, I'm going to share it with you!This episode is packed with answers to some of the most frequent questions I get, including:Which tile patterns are appropriate in MCM kitchens? Which types of flooring work for mid-century homes? Where to source wood paneling? Catch the most recent masterclass right here!

Let's get the scary part out of the way first. Your mid-century house, the one you love for its charm and quirks, does not comply with the modern building code. Now, no one is going to knock on your door tomorrow demanding you rewire every outlet in the house. Your home is currently grandfathered into every code statute written and approved after the day it was built. This status is a free pass for your house to just exist ... until you decide it's time to actually start remodeling.In Today's Episode You'll Hear:Why your home's grandfathered status ends the moment you start remodeling.What the building code is really for (hint: the answer is not “making your life difficult”).How code compliance requirements create design opportunities.Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2216

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! Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps are large-scale maps created to help fire insurance agents determine the risk associated with properties. They contain a surprising amount of detail about a building's size, shape, construction materials, and fire protection systems that might just help you plan a great remodel. In Today's Episode You'll Hear:What old insurance maps can tell you about your home and neighborhood. How old maps might save your garage.Other surprising places to look to learn about your home’s history. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2215

In honor of spooky season, let's talk nightmare mid-century remodel scenarios. Can you picture it? You can file this under schadenfreude if none of it applies to your house. Or it can serve as a what not to do guide to help you avoid mistakes. If you're already living one of the nightmare mid-century remodel scenarios I'm about to describe, then let's focus on the fact that you're far from alone. And I really believe that a good, solid master plan can bring any mid-century house back from the brink of horror.In Today's Episode You'll Hear:Why a nightmare remodel scenario is absolutely coming for you. How to outsmart terrifying trends. Where you can find mid-century safe zones. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2214

Today, some more excellent advice on planning the landscape the yard of your mid-century home from Jim Drzewiecki of Ginkgo Leaf Studio. I bet you're wondering why mid-October is a good time to talk more about landscaping. Aren't Jim and I in the Midwest? Isn't this the time of year when there's less to do and less beautiful growth happening outside? Well that's exactly today's subject. We are talking about how to winterize your mid-century yard, both what you can and should do outside in these weekends and late fall, and how to plan a yard that's lovely in all seasons, including the winter.In Today's Episode You'll Hear:Why a critter friendly yard is also a winter friendly yard.  How worried you should be about drunk robins. Where to invest in the spring for an interesting garden year round. Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2213

So many of our sweet ranches were sadly re-wrapped in narrow strip beige vinyl during the 80s and 90s, when appreciation for MCM was at a low ebb, covering up their original colors and patterns. If you've been dealing with that kind of generic cover-up, or if your siding is simply damaged or in poor repair, you might be considering a replacement. Before you call a contractor or pick a sample, let’s talk about what mid-century siding is and how to make good choices for your home.In Today's Episode You'll Hear:Why vinyl siding is always a bad idea. Who to talk to before you decide to replace original wood siding.  How to pick a replacement siding with the most mid mod flavor.Get the full show notes with all the trimmings at https://www.midmod-midwest.com/2212 

We all know the story. You find an MCM ranch in your desired neighborhood, only to click further into the listing to discover a flipper has been there first. They’ve ripped out the character and replaced it with trendy, generic finishes. But what if I told you that it’s not impossible to reverse the damage done in a flip? I was thrilled to chat with Dana Jenkins and Colin Davis of the Instagram account @un.flipping (who may have coined the phrase!) and have blown up online sharing their five-year journey to add the soul back into their thoroughly flipped mid-century home.In Today's Episode You'll Hear:How to see past a flip to what might be your dream home. Why taking your time unflipping makes sense.Where you can add charm back on a budget before tackling bigger projects.