I’ve always thought it’s kinda funny how we treat hallways in American homes. We spend thousands on their flooring, paint, and lighting—then use them for absolutely nothing except walking through…
My first memorable encounter with a truly disastrous fireplace design happened during a home consultation in Chicago’s northern suburbs. The owners had recently purchased a lovely 1920s Tudor with what…
You know what haunts my renovation nightmares? That client call six months after a cabinet painting project when they sheepishly admit their “beautiful new kitchen” is now chipping like crazy,…
The first deck I ever built was a disaster. I was 22, fresh out of college, helping my buddy Jason create a “simple” 10×12 platform behind his starter home in…
I still remember the moment I realized how much a front yard matters. It was after a particularly grueling day consulting on a problem-plagued renovation in St. Paul—the kind where…
Last spring, my neighbor Tom put his 1970s split-level on the market. Nice house, good bones, but man—that front yard looked like it had given up sometime during the Obama…
I spent four hours last Saturday watching my friend Derek nervously circle a slab yard, looking increasingly like he might pass out from decision fatigue. “I just wanted new countertops,”…
I knew we were in trouble when my father-in-law Bob tried to navigate our guest bathroom during Thanksgiving dinner. At 78, his knees aren’t what they used to be, and…
The kitchen in my grandparents’ house had this wild floral wallpaper behind the sink that somehow survived thirty years of Minnesota humidity. When we finally peeled it off during my…
I thought I’d seen small bathrooms before, but my friend Eliza’s Manhattan apartment took cramped to a whole new level. The entire bathroom was roughly the size of a phone…
