Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven

Katharine White MacPhail//Gabl Media
  • 4.9 (67)
  • HOME & GARDEN
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven

Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven is an educational and entertaining podcast that will ease your fears about home renovations. In this fifth season, architect Katharine MacPhail focuses on old house owners and their home stories. She will continue to interview contractors, vendors, other architects and homeowners, gathering tips and getting answers. The first four seasons are full of information about everything from roofing to foundations, interior and exterior considerations, the emotional side of renovations, how to work with professionals and lots of homeowner stories.

  1. Midcentury Modern in Michigan

    10/18/2023

    Midcentury Modern in Michigan

    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 experience-driven design that makes an impact, Laurie Hughet-Hiller, AIA is a principal at McIntosh Poris Architects. Her portfolio comprises a wide range of award-winning residential and commercial projects in the Metro Detroit area, including renovations to Mid Century Modern homes. Laurie has completed two phases of sensitive renovation of her own 1960s modern home and is about to embark on a third. Born into an artistic family, Laurie’s late father, Roger Hughet, was Assistant Chief Designer at General Motors, credited with designing the 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am and having significant influence on the 1984 C4 Corvette. Laurie earned both her B.S. in Architecture and her Master of Architecture from the Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). Her individual honors include the 2017 AIA Michigan Young Architect Award and the 2020 AIA Detroit Young Architect Award, in addition to McIntosh Poris’ 100-plus awards.

    28 min
  2. Residential Landscape Design

    10/11/2023

    Residential Landscape Design

    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 our guest: From www.stevegriggsdesign.com: "Steve is not your typical landscape designer. He’s been getting dirt on his hands ever since he was 16, cutting grass to earn some bucks. Working hard got him through school, where he got advanced landscaping degrees from Mississippi State University and SUNY Cobleskill College of Environmental Design and Horticulture. He founded Steve Griggs Design when he was 25. Having previously worked with his father in the industry, he got some powerful values instilled in him: make no excuses, keep your promises, respect the deadline, and make things happen for the client. But what he saw happening in the industry was a different story. He decided to change the status quo for good. This customer-centric approach got him the reputation of the best landscape designer in New York." Thanks so much for being with us this week.  Please see the episode enhancement for this and other episodes at talkinghomerenovations.com Do you have feedback you would like to share?  Would you like to be a guest on the podcast?  Email me at thehousemaven@talkinghomerenovations.com If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends Don’t forget to subscribe to the show and get automatic updates every Wednesday morning with the latest episode of Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven.   Click here to get the episode enhancements sent directly to your inbox every week. Reviews and ratings help my show gain traction and credibility.  Please leave a review here- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-home-renovations-with-the-house-maven/id1481716218 Follow me on instagram: @talkinghomerenovations Join me on Facebook: Talking Home Renovations Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven is part of Gabl Media, the largest, most engaged AEC network on the planet.  Visit www.Gablmedia.com for great content.  Sign up for the weekly newsletter- I send out the episode enhancements every Wednesday morning,   sign up here Music at the beginning and end of the episode is The House Maven's Jig, written and performed by Neil Pearlman, www.neilpearlman.com Show Cover Art by Sam White www.samowhite.com This podcast is a production of dEmios Architects. www.demiosarchitects.com

    26 min
  3. How to hire the right design professional, revisited

    10/04/2023

    How to hire the right design professional, revisited

    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 Jake Krokowski is a Landscape Architect and Residential Designer based in Greenville SC, and founded JWK DESIGN in 2015 “to help families create their comfortable, modern homes”. He received his Bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture at Cornell University in 1999, followed by a Masters in Construction Management in 2003. Jake started his career in high-end residential work in the New York City area, but also spent years in resort planning & design, working in both San Diego and New York, on projects from Southern California and Baja Mexico to the Mediterranean and Middle East. He then put his construction knowledge to use in rebuilding the World Trade Center and surrounding streetscapes following the 2001 attacks, a project he says he’s the most proud to have been involved in. But, following a move to Greenville with his wife Kate in 2012, a sometimes grueling schedule as a traveling construction manager for a hotel developer, coupled with the pending arrival of his first son pushed him to return back to residential design and start his firm in 2015, a move that he says “felt like coming home”. Since then he has added another son to his family, as well as a podcast and a couple YouTube channels! Learn more about Jake Krokowski  Website: https://jwk.design Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtIpndhgB4YISmopKTAZHWw Instagram: jwkdesign Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jwkdesign/ Houzz: https://www.houzz.com/pro/jwkdesign/jwk-design Links and mentions from this episode AIA.org Houzz.com Thanks so much for being with us this week.  Please see the episode enhancement for this and other episodes at talkinghomerenovations.com Do you have feedback you would like to share?  Would you like to be a guest on the podcast?  Email me at thehousemaven@talkinghomerenovations.com If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends Don’t forget to subscribe to the show and get automatic updates every Wednesday morning with the latest episode of Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven.   Click here to get the episode enhancements sent directly to your inbox every week. Reviews and ratings help my show gain traction and credibility.  Please leave a review here-...

    32 min
  4. Brick Colonial in Indiana

    09/27/2023

    Brick Colonial in Indiana

    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 property is home to Kemp Harper and partner Kevin Boling. For eight years, the couple has worked to preserve and restore this Indiana relic. The home boasts country amenities with a chicken coop (home to 8 hens) and a beehive. Kemp documents this and more through his Instagram titled: "The Colonial on Park". Their home will also be featured on season 2 of Magnolia Networks "Diary of an Old Home." Instagram- @thecolonial_on_park Thanks so much for being with us this week.  Please see the episode enhancement for this and other episodes at talkinghomerenovations.com Do you have feedback you would like to share?  Would you like to be a guest on the podcast?  Email me at thehousemaven@talkinghomerenovations.com If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends Don’t forget to subscribe to the show and get automatic updates every Wednesday morning with the latest episode of Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven.   Click here to get the episode enhancements sent directly to your inbox every week. Reviews and ratings help my show gain traction and credibility.  Please leave a review here- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-home-renovations-with-the-house-maven/id1481716218 Follow me on instagram: @talkinghomerenovations Join me on Facebook: Talking Home Renovations Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven is part of Gabl Media, the largest, most engaged AEC network on the planet.  Visit www.Gablmedia.com for great content.  Sign up for the weekly newsletter- I send out the episode enhancements every Wednesday morning,   sign up here Music at the beginning and end of the episode is The House Maven's Jig, written and performed by Neil Pearlman, www.neilpearlman.com Show Cover Art by Sam White www.samowhite.com This podcast is a production of dEmios Architects. www.demiosarchitects.com

    27 min
  5. Queen Anne in Pennsylvania

    09/20/2023

    Queen Anne in Pennsylvania

    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. While handy, neither of them have prior experience in restoration or home building. In 2021, they purchased their first old home in Denville, NJ. After living there for 2 years and completing minor cosmetic work, they came across a Victorian home for sale on Facebook. On a whim, they decided to check it out. Three months later and three days before Christmas, their pods were packed and they were ripping out 70 year old carpets of their new 4100 sq ft home. Follow their journey on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/jonesrevival?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550185953998&mibextid=V3Yony Thanks so much for being with us this week.  Please see the episode enhancement for this and other episodes at talkinghomerenovations.com Do you have feedback you would like to share?  Would you like to be a guest on the podcast?  Email me at thehousemaven@talkinghomerenovations.com If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends Don’t forget to subscribe to the show and get automatic updates every Wednesday morning with the latest episode of Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven.   Click here to get the episode enhancements sent directly to your inbox every week. Reviews and ratings help my show gain traction and credibility.  Please leave a review here- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-home-renovations-with-the-house-maven/id1481716218 Follow me on instagram: @talkinghomerenovations Join me on Facebook: Talking Home Renovations Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven is part of Gabl Media, the largest, most engaged AEC network on the planet.  Visit www.Gablmedia.com for great content.  Sign up for the weekly newsletter- I send out the episode enhancements every Wednesday morning,   sign up here Music at the beginning and end of the episode is The House Maven's Jig, written and performed by Neil Pearlman, www.neilpearlman.com Show Cover Art by Sam White www.samowhite.com This podcast is a production of dEmios Architects. www.demiosarchitects.com

    37 min
  6. Door Refurbishment

    09/13/2023

    Door Refurbishment

    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 CEO, Amy Baglan has built multiple companies dedicated to connection and relationships over the past 20 years, raised over $10M in venture funding, and built an award-winning company culture. Two of her companies were acquired and continue to serve the world to this day. And more importantly, she has helped over 1 million people meet, connect, and deepen relationships of all types. After 20 years in high-growth startups (B2C and B2B), 10 years as CEO, mentor, and group facilitator, she is now a dedicated leadership coach to startup CEOs and teams. Amy also owns a fast-growing franchise in the home services industry: Door Renew. Amy Baglan, along with Matt Holzmann, are the local owners of Door Renew Denver – a high-end door restoration franchise focused on growing the value of a home for the fraction of the cost. Thanks so much for being with us this week.  Please see the episode enhancement for this and other episodes at talkinghomerenovations.com Do you have feedback you would like to share?  Would you like to be a guest on the podcast?  Email me at thehousemaven@talkinghomerenovations.com If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends Don’t forget to subscribe to the show and get automatic updates every Wednesday morning with the latest episode of Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven.   Click here to get the episode enhancements sent directly to your inbox every week. Reviews and ratings help my show gain traction and credibility.  Please leave a review here- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-home-renovations-with-the-house-maven/id1481716218 Follow me on instagram: @talkinghomerenovations Join me on Facebook: Talking Home Renovations Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven is part of Gabl Media, the largest, most engaged AEC network on the planet.  Visit www.Gablmedia.com for great content.  Sign up for the weekly newsletter- I send out the episode enhancements every Wednesday morning,   sign up here Music at the beginning and end of the episode is The House Maven's Jig, written and performed by Neil Pearlman, www.neilpearlman.com Show Cover Art by Sam White www.samowhite.com This podcast is a production of dEmios Architects. www.demiosarchitects.com

    25 min
  7. The Octagon House

    09/06/2023

    The Octagon House

    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 years ago, she teamed up with her brother Oliver to start S7 Real Estate. S7 Real Estate develops affordable housing in up-and-coming neighborhoods in Philadelphia, PA as well as short term rentals in Cape May NJ. She loves restoring properties to what they should be...and better. She has a passion for interior design, with an emphasis on historic restoration. Thanks so much for being with us this week.  Please see the episode enhancement for this and other episodes at talkinghomerenovations.com Do you have feedback you would like to share?  Would you like to be a guest on the podcast?  Email me at thehousemaven@talkinghomerenovations.com If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends Don’t forget to subscribe to the show and get automatic updates every Wednesday morning with the latest episode of Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven.   Click here to get the episode enhancements sent directly to your inbox every week. Reviews and ratings help my show gain traction and credibility.  Please leave a review here- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-home-renovations-with-the-house-maven/id1481716218 Follow me on instagram: @talkinghomerenovations Join me on Facebook: Talking Home Renovations Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven is part of Gabl Media, the largest, most engaged AEC network on the planet.  Visit www.Gablmedia.com for great content.  Sign up for the weekly newsletter- I send out the episode enhancements every Wednesday morning,   sign up here Music at the beginning and end of the episode is The House Maven's Jig, written and performed by Neil Pearlman, www.neilpearlman.com Show Cover Art by Sam White www.samowhite.com This podcast is a production of dEmios Architects. www.demiosarchitects.com

    26 min
  8. Insulation with Christine Williamson- revisited

    08/30/2023

    Insulation with Christine Williamson- revisited

    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 through her account Building Science Fight Club (@buildingsciencefightclub). She can also be reached through her website https://www.christine-williamson.com About our guest: Christine Williamson’s professional experience includes building-science consulting for the restoration of Belvedere Castle in New York City’s Central Park, forensic investigations of building failures at the air-traffic control tower of LAX, and the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, among other projects. She offers new-construction risk-mitigation consulting for residential towers, mid-rise mixed-use buildings, and production homes, as well as some of the most extraordinary private residences in the world. She has worked across North America from the Canadian Arctic to the Caribbean.  She began her career working for architect Chris Benedict in New York City, where she performed blower-door tests on gut rehabs in Harlem and Washington Heights and assisted in the design of one of the first multi-family Passive Houses in the United States. In her current practice, she reviews drawings and makes recommendations that promote appropriate water control, air control, energy efficiency, constructability, and durability. For clients with a portfolio of upcoming projects, she assists in developing design standards commensurate with their tolerance for risk. During the construction phase, she reviews work in progress and addresses conditions or changes in sequence or scope that were not anticipated during the design phase. In existing buildings, she investigates failures related to enclosure design and mechanical systems as well as material and installation defects. Failures include leaks, corrosion, rot, mold, odors, poor indoor air quality, and discomfort due to poor temperature or humidity control. Her experience in new construction and attendant understanding of the division of labor among the trades, and typical sequencing and construction practices inform not just her analysis in forensic cases, but also her repair and retrofit recommendations, which are designed to minimize disruption in occupied buildings. Christine Williamson is a member and former chair of ASHRAE Technical Committee 1.12, Moisture Management in Buildings. She is an associate member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and is a member of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA). She is the founder of @buildingsciencefightclub (BSFC), an Instagram community dedicated to teaching building science and construction to architects and other building professionals. She received her bachelor of arts from Princeton University and her master of architecture from New School of Architecture + Design. Thanks so much for being with us this week.  Please see the episode enhancement for this and other episodes at talkinghomerenovations.com Do you have feedback you would like to share?  Would you like to be a guest on the podcast?  Email me at thehousemaven@talkinghomerenovations.com If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends Don’t forget to subscribe to the show and get automatic updates every Wednesday morning...

    50 min
See All (182)

Trailers

4.9
out of 5
67 Ratings

About

Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven is an educational and entertaining podcast that will ease your fears about home renovations. In this fifth season, architect Katharine MacPhail focuses on old house owners and their home stories. She will continue to interview contractors, vendors, other architects and homeowners, gathering tips and getting answers. The first four seasons are full of information about everything from roofing to foundations, interior and exterior considerations, the emotional side of renovations, how to work with professionals and lots of homeowner stories.

Information

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada