We had a blast going on NBC LX to talk about home renovations and share the story of Sleeping Beauty! Stay tuned for follow-up segments as we share the rest of this adventure! Continue reading It’s the Madhouse Collection TV debut!

The Madhouse Collection started as almost a lark — a couple of friends deciding to fix up a house together. Nah, bigger, the universe said. So we’re adding multifamily to our portfolio, getting under contract this month on a small apartment building in our very own neighborhood. But that’s only the beginning. We have too much experience; too much passion for all things home, design, … Continue reading Buckle in!

There’s reality TV house flipping, and then there’s real house flipping. One of these things is not like the other. Because I have the best job in the world — the one where I get to ask all my burning questions to cool, interesting people — I hit up J Scott, who (literally) wrote the book on house flipping for the inside scoop on what … Continue reading So you think you wanna flip houses? #asseenontv

My most recurring dream is of finding rooms in my house that I didn’t know were there. The closest I’ve ever had that to happening in real life was today when I pulled back insulation from behind a false wall and found … a hidden window. Continue reading The one where we found a secret window

Just kidding, we don’t want to be one of those shows where all the houses look the same when they’re done and the hosts are a wholesome family unit. But we did want to document this project with video, so we’ve been working with a recent film school grad to capture some of the experience. The idea: we’re kind of the anti-Chip and Joanna, hopefully … Continue reading We couldn’t wait for HGTV to come calling so we made our own show

I’ll say one thing for sure about Michael. He’s a brave soul. I landed an assignment to write a piece for Apartment Therapy, where I’m a regular contributor, about what it’s like buying a fixer upper with a friend. He knew the general idea of the piece, but the way these things go is that nobody sees your work (other than your editor) before it’s … Continue reading In which I share what it’s like buying a fixer upper with a friend with Apartment Therapy

There’s demolition day and then there’s demolition week. Once we got in we found there was even more than we thought to tear out (and who can resist the siren call of exposed brick, especially in a kitchen!). I’ve done my fair share of demos, and what I should have learned by now but will for sure do from now on is put the entire … Continue reading Demo is a wrap! (+ three things we learned)

I probably read A Little Princess too many times when I was a kid. You know, the one with the the little girl banquished to the attic of the London boarding school (a Victorian mansion, I imagine). She transforms the cold and dreary place into hideaway of castoffs turned to treasures through her imagination. Every renovation site needs a place of calm, somewhere you can … Continue reading Get yourself a renovation hideaway in a cupola

Nothing gets me up in the morning like demolition day. They’re the most dramatic, the biggest, the most wow! factor days of a whole renovation. It’s when Before shifts to During. During is a long time, and After comes in increments. But demolition days? They’re major. Our crew rolled in yesterday morning ready to do some damage. And in short order, they did. We had … Continue reading The best days are demolition days

“When do we stop feeling this excited about closing day?” I asked. “If we do, it’s time to get into a another business.” Continue reading Closing time (it’s not for you it’s for me)