TALKING HOME RENOVATIONS
with THE HOUSE MAVEN
Are you planning a home renovation and worried that you don’t know what you are doing? Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven is an educational and entertaining podcast that will ease your fears. Join architect Katharine MacPhail as she interviews contractors, vendors, other architects, and homeowners and gathers tips and cautionary tales about home renovations. Learn about materials, what to expect, what to avoid, and how to make the most of the money that you will spend on your renovation.
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...