Mid-Century Modern ADU: Adding a Unit Without Fighting the House
What California ADU law allows on a single-family lot, why a conversion often fits a mid-century house better, and how to design a detached unit that respects the original architecture.
Repair Requests After a Home Inspection: A Guide for Older Homes
How to sort an inspection report on a mid-century house, when to ask for repairs or a credit, the California and EPA rules that apply to the work, and how to write a request a seller can answer.
Sell a House As Is in California: Original Mid-Century Homes
Selling as is changes what you repair, not what you disclose. The California rules that apply to 1950s and 1960s houses, and a simple way to sort fix, credit and leave.
Selling a House With Unpermitted Work in California
What California sellers must disclose about unpermitted work, how to choose between disclosing, legalizing or removing it, the state's path for unpermitted ADUs, and how lenders view it.
Selling a Mid-Century Modern Home: What to Fix and What to Leave
Which repairs to handle before selling a mid-century modern home, which original features to keep, the gray zone in between, and the California disclosure items that shape the list.
Renovation Loan for an Older Home: Options for Mid-Century Houses
How FHA 203(k), Fannie Mae HomeStyle and Freddie Mac CHOICERenovation loans work for a mid-century house that needs a roof, glass or heat, plus home equity options for current owners.
Lead Paint Disclosure for Pre-1978 Homes, Plus Asbestos Testing
The federal lead paint disclosure steps for pre-1978 homes, how California's disclosure form treats hazards, where asbestos may be in a mid-century house, and renovation rules.
How to Check Permit History on a Mid-Century Modern Home
Where permit records for Bay Area mid-century homes live, how to search them step by step, how to request original plans, and what to do when the house and the records don't match.
Eichler Atrium Cover Options: Drainage, Roofing Over or Enclosing
Everyday atrium care starting with drainage, then the trade-offs of shading, roofing over with glass, or enclosing an Eichler atrium as interior space.
Slab Leaks in Mid-Century Homes: Signs, Tests and Repair Choices
Why slab-on-grade post-and-beam houses hide leaks, how to tell a supply, drain or radiant leak apart, how leaks are found, and the trade-offs between repairing and rerouting.
Eichler Siding Replacement: Grooved Plywood, Redwood and Your Options
What original Eichler and mid-century siding was made of, how to repair or match it in kind, which alternatives suit the style, and what to check while the walls are open.
Mid-Century Modern Bathroom Remodel: Restore or Reimagine?
How 1950s and 1960s baths were planned, a checklist for deciding what to keep, and the California fixture, fan and lighting rules that apply when you remodel over a radiant slab.
Mid-Century Modern Kitchen Remodel: Keep the Architecture Intact
How to update a post-and-beam kitchen without losing the ceiling, sightlines or radiant slab, plus the lighting, plumbing fixture, lead and asbestos rules to check before demolition.
Eichler Mahogany Paneling: Restore, Refinish or Replace
What original Eichler wall paneling is made of, how to identify its finish, how to refinish thin veneer without sanding through, the lead rules for old finishes, and how to match new panels.
Mid-Century Modern Window Replacement: Retrofit, Film and Title 24
How to upgrade original mid-century windows: repair and retrofit options, where window film fits, the 2025 Energy Code rules for replacements, and how to keep slim frames.
Mid-Century Sliding Glass Doors: Repair, Replace and Keep the Look
How to evaluate an older mid-century slider, when glass counts as a repair, what California's 2025 Energy Code requires of replacements, and how to keep thin frames and full-height glass.
Post and Beam Repair: Inspecting and Refinishing Exposed Beams
Where exposed beams on mid-century homes decay, how to inspect them with simple tools, the repair options preservation specialists use, and how to refinish beams without losing the look.
Eichler Roof Replacement: Foam, Membranes and Above-Deck Insulation
Roofing systems for flat and low-slope Eichler roofs, the 2025 Energy Code rules that apply when you reroof, how to keep a slim roof edge, and how to care for a foam roof.
Eichler Radiant Heat: Copper vs. Steel, Repair, Replace or Retire
How Eichler radiant floors work, how to tell copper tubing from steel, the warning signs of a slab leak, and the three paths owners take: repair, a new heat source, or a new system.