Stand up and be counted!

We are here in S.E. Lansing, wondering if there are any other hopeful modernists around, and I guess there is a couple.
We live in a late fifties semi-modern ranch, and are in the slow slow process of remodeling it to a slightly more modern space in our spare spare time. No, I dont stutter, we just don't have so much spare time.

I will try to post a picture another time.

:cool:

Welcome!

If you've read, you'll notice that Brook is in Lansing, too. I am in Howell, but will build in Novi. Butka is on eastside/Harrison township.

I don't know what you plan, but it seems like you could still partake in what we are trying to do - leverage multiple customers to get discounts with things from products to contractor work. I guess you are the only remodel, but you likely still require some shared things with us.

So far, it has been simple emailing and sharing big item data/info (window sources and prices). The biggest challenge we have will be distance as most contractors are regional.

You are NOT alone in the lack of time situation. I think we all share that and some have kids to boot (not literally).

At the early (design) stages that we are at, we felt our time is better spent right now gathering our own data/info and merely sharing by email. Once we get closer to selecting contractors... I think we will be meeting and seeing if we can leverage with our numbers and an incentive for discounts (group deals).

Sounds good. We are planning a roughly 30X30 addition next year, it is a two story garden room. We bought windows from someone in NC and drove out to purchase them this spring. They are 45X80 Pella fixed units with mullions between the glass. Not exactly what I had in mind, but we got fifteen of them for $200 each, which is a real steal. So, we will try to blend them in. Just need a few doors, some ICF blocks and a screaming good deal on concrete and we would really be in business.
My wife's uncle is a contractor on the west side of the state, and builds with ICF a lot, so I will see if there is any way we can wheel and deal with him on the cost of them. Would that interest anyone? I shall have to have a talk with him soon.
We knocked down a wall this last week (yay!) and have one more to go in order to open up the kitchen to the living area. What a mess. Glad I put up plastic and used fans to blow the dust out.
It looked like a haunted house for a few days while we wrapped it up and cleaned it up. :wacko:

Mramsey,

You should IM Butka. He is damn near 99% going to use ICF and has some contacts. The challenge of course is he's on one Great Lake on the east side of state and your uncle is on the other. THat might be a trifle challenging.

Phil and Company-

Hello from Grand Rapids... in South Hill.. one block South of the FLW Meyer May house.

I'm planning to do a little show and tell of contemporary modern homes in California and comparing that to some of what's in Michigan. So I'm looking for people that might help me locate some of the best examples of unique and somewhat affordable recently built modern homes here in my home state... Michigan.

Can you pls help me with any references or photos/stories of interesting houses to highlight?

I do see what's in dwell mag... but, lookin for more here. Any help would be very appreciated!

Thanks, Blaine

My husband and I are looking to move to the Hamburg/Hartland/GreenOak area. We currently live in Ann Arbor, but need to move b/c of a change of jobs. We've been researching prefab, but find that it really sounds impossible. We don't have 400K to spend, and it seems that unless you do, its out of the question. Anyone have any experience in this?

We're also looking for modern houses, but it is a difficult search! We have never remodeled and are scared to buy a place and then have to remodel it to fit our tastes.

Looking for some advice....
Anyone? Anyone??


Thanks!

There has always been a strong group of Michigan modernists dating all the way back to the original Dwell messageboards. Don't limit yourself to prefab. Remodeling a promising mid century house, either a strictly mod one, or one that is transitional and transformable is a good option.

Hello, I am looking for an MCM landscape designer in SE Michigan.  Anyone with ideas?

Hi Carrie:

I've lived in Hartland for the last 3 years.  It’s a great community from the stand point of not being pretentious (at least in my area).  It works great - you're free to do what you want with your house without having to seek approval from your neighbors.  If you want to do a modern remodel, no one's stopping you. 

Then again, we're about to get a Wal-Mart too......

That said, I do have almost 4 acres, and I'm almost completely surrounded by trees.  No one could really see what I'm doing anyway.

I have a '65 cape cod that's had a few additions made to it by the previous owner.  I bought it as a hobby house - my family thinks of it more as an insane experiment.  I've blown out walls, moved the kitchen to a different room, moved entry door locations - and that's just going to be the beginning.

In this area, you'll find brand new houses and you'll find 100 year old houses.  You'll also find land to build.  It’s whatever your insanity will allow.  If you’re trying to decide on where to move or what to take on, I would invite you to check out what I've done (or I can send pictures too).  I'm just about done with my kitchen - concrete counters, ikea cabinets, stainless appliances, a few carpentry pieces (I try to put the 'art' in carpentry).  I've done all the work myself (and with the help of a lot of family members) - electrical, plumbing, building.  I take the concepts from dwell and make them work on my humble paycheck (something that dwell doesn't understand). 

Good luck to you.  By the way, there's a house down the street from me that's been up for a while - its across from Cromaine library - 10 acres, buried in the back of the lot (probably will be noisy from 23 though).  No idea on asking price though.  If I remember right its kind of a rambling ranch....

Mike