Episode 87 – Listener Chat – Hoarder Houses

3rd generation soybean and corn farmer Michaele Novinger wrote to me asking about my experience renovating a hoarder house. She is about to take on her own hoarder house renovation project and isn’t sure what to expect. I invited her to come on the show in the first of what I hope will be a […]

Episode 77 – Renovation Story – Aging Pines Homestead

Cover graphic for Talking Home Renovations Episode 77 "Renovation Story - Aging Pines Homestead". The background is a photo of three pines in winter in front of a farmhouse renovation. The red Talking Home Renovations logo appears in the bottom right.

Jake Flitton and his family bought an abandoned house in upstate New York–this episode is about their farmhouse renovation journey. About our guest: Jake Flitton is a licensed architect, practicing in East Aurora NY. He runs his firm from his home office or dining room table, or the living room couch, whichever is most comfortable […]

Episode 74 – Renovation Story – Transitions

Cover graphic for Episode 74 of Talking Home Renovations, "Renovation Stories - Transitions". The background is a photo of a house with an ornate front porch, with lots of detailed trim. The red Talking Home Renovations logo appears in the bottom right corner.

This episode is a renovation story, told by Teresa Younkin. She describes four major renovations she has been through and what they taught her about life. About our guest: Teresa Younkin is a Leadership Coach, Consultant, and Expert specializing in helping healthcare leaders and teams bring their multi-level health IT initiatives to fruition and deliver […]

Episode 66 – Renovation Story – Split Level Outside of Chicago

Cover graphic for Talking Home Renovations episode 66, "Renovation Story - Split level outside of Chicago". The background is a photo of a small white two-story house with wooden steps leading up to the front doors. The red podcast logo appears on the bottom right.

Just today I was visiting a split level entry house for a potential project. Sometimes there are two levels and sometimes there are 4 levels. Either way the entry is raised and the basement/main floor is partially submerged. The ceilings on the ground floor are typically 7 to 7 1/2′ feet. On top of all […]

Episode 66 – Renovation Story- Split Level Outside of Chicago

Cover graphic for Talking Home Renovations episode 66, "Renovation Story - Split level outside of Chicago". The background is a photo of a small white two-story house with wooden steps leading up to the front doors. The red podcast logo appears on the bottom right.

Today’s episode is a split level renovation story about a house in the Chicago suburbs owned by two architects. Katharine MacPhail  00:00 Hey, it’s the House Maven. Are you on Clubhouse? I just started a new club called Talking Home Renovations. It has a room every Saturday morning at 10am Eastern, where we can talk […]

Episode 64 – Renovation Story – California Ranch in New England

Cover graphic for episode 64 of Talking Home Renovations, "Renovation Story - California Ranch in New England". The background is a photo of a bold, modern kitchen with red cabinets, white countertops, and blue drawers.

This episode is about renovating the rare California Ranch in New England. You don’t see them here much, but Jenny created her dream kitchen in hers. Katharine MacPhail  00:11 Welcome to Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven. I am your host, Katharine MacPhail. I am an architect who practices in eastern Massachusetts. Most of […]

Episode 56- Renovation Story – Indianapolis 1939

Jeff Echols met me over Zoom to discuss the experience of renovating and caring for his Indianapolis house built in 1939. This is a great example of an old house renovation in Indianapolis. Jeff is the Director of Brand Strategy at EntreArchitect, and we met through his daily Context and Clarity sessions – now we […]