Season 4 Episode 9: How to decide which home projects to prioritize
When your budget is limited, the pressure of how to spend it well is enormous.
What should you prioritize?
Is there a right or a wrong way to spend on home projects?
That's where we're going in this week's episode.
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All Episodes from Season 4
Season 4 Episode 1: Microscopic vs Macroscopic Design Approaches
Season 4 Episode 2: How to Make Design Choices in a Home With No Architecture
Season 4 Episode 3: How To Embrace The Art Of ‘Slow’ (Thoughtful) Decorating
Season 4 Episode 4: Decluttering: Practical Ways to Make Space for Better Living
Season 4 Episode 5: Should Modern Architecture and Interior Design try to Look Old?
Season 4 Episode 6: Should We Seek to Live in Humbler Homes?
Season 4 Episode 7: How to think like a designer
Season 4 Episode 8: What if you live in a crappy old house?
Buy or sell your house with us.
The Lived In podcast is hosted by Femi K, realtor and design advisor, and is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group.
Hemby Home Co. is a home design and real estate company that helps you live beautifully within your budget. Whether you’re buying or selling a home and need an agent, or want someone to support you as you begin to redecorate or renovate your home, we’re here to help.
Hemby Home Co.
Season 4 Episode 8: What if you live in a crappy old house?
Not all old houses have good architecture.
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Buy or sell your house with us.
The Lived In podcast is hosted by Femi K, realtor and design advisor, and is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group.
Hemby Home Co. is a home design and real estate company that helps you live beautifully within your budget. Whether you’re buying or selling a home and need an agent, or want someone to support you as you begin to redecorate or renovate your home, we’re here to help.
Hemby Home Co.
Season 4 Episode 7: How to think like a designer
The average homeowner and the average designer don’t think alike. So what can homeowners and DIYers do to be better informed and more design aware?
Toby Witte Episode (Part One, Part Two)
Buy or sell your house with us.
The Lived In podcast is hosted by Femi K, realtor and design advisor, and is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Hemby Home Co. is a home design and real estate company that helps you live beautifully within your budget. Whether you’re buying or selling a home and need an agent, or want someone to support you as you begin to redecorate or renovate your home, we’re here to help.
Hemby Home Co.
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group.
Season 4 Episode 6: Should We Seek to Live in Humbler Homes?
While DIY and TikTok design are at all-time highs, more and more people are embracing the idea of the ‘unaesthetic’ home.
But is the idea of idealizing an ugly home just as problematic as idealizing a beautiful one?
Today we’re asking ourselves the question: Should we seek to live in humbler homes?
Let’s get into it.
Buy or sell your house with us.
The Lived In podcast is hosted by Femi K, realtor and design advisor, and is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Hemby Home Co. is a home design and real estate company that helps you live beautifully within your budget. Whether you’re buying or selling a home and need an agent, or want someone to support you as you begin to redecorate or renovate your home, we’re here to help.
Hemby Home Co.
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group
Season 4 Episode 5: Should Modern Architecture and Interior Design try to Look Old?
What should modern homes strive to be?
Have we made too much of trying to make history repeat itself?
How do we celebrate the past without making everything an homage to it?
In this episode, we’ll be talking about when to ‘go historic’, when not to, and what mistakes to avoid.
Schafer Buccellato Architects - Instagram | Website
Christian Bense - Instagram | Website
Annie Meyer-Shier - Instagram
Beata Heuman - Instagram | Website
Buy or sell your house with us.
The Lived In podcast is hosted by Femi K, realtor and design advisor, and is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Hemby Home Co. is a home design and real estate company that helps you live beautifully within your budget. Whether you’re buying or selling a home and need an agent, or want someone to support you as you begin to redecorate or renovate your home, we’re here to help.
Hemby Home Co.
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Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group
The podcast takes a brief hiatus over the Easter Break, but we still want you to start thinking about this question:
Should modern construction try to look 'old'?
Tune in on May 7th to find out.
Season 4 Episode 4: Decluttering: Practical Ways to Make Space for Better Living
How much of what you own do you actually use? How much of what you have do you actually need?
To live well in our homes is not just a matter of the right layouts and furniture, but also how we live with all we have.
Join us as we get practical and self-examining when it comes to the ‘stuff’ we have in our homes, and what to do with it.
Buy or sell your house with us.
The Lived In podcast is hosted by Femi K, realtor and design advisor, and is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Hemby Home Co. is a home design and real estate company that helps you live beautifully within your budget. Whether you’re buying or selling a home and need an agent, or want someone to support you as you begin to redecorate or renovate your home, we’re here to help.
Hemby Home Co.
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group
Season 4 Episode 3: How To Embrace The Art Of ‘Slow’ (Thoughtful) Decorating
De-influence Yourself and Embrace ‘Slow Decorating’
Join us for the third episode this season as we discuss the 'slow decorating' concept and break down what it really takes to accomplish it in our ordinary homes.
Buy or sell your house with us!
Read the House & Garden Article about Slow Decorating here.
The Lived In podcast is hosted by Femi K, realtor and design advisor, and is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Hemby Home Co. is a home design and real estate company that helps you live beautifully within your budget. Whether you’re buying or selling a home and need an agent, or want someone to support you as you begin to redecorate or renovate your home, we’re here to help.
Hemby Home Co.
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group
Season 4 Episode 2: How to Make Design Choices in a Home With No Architecture
Many of the homes built in the last 25+ years have been built without the help of an architect. So when a house lacks the consideration for finer details, attention-to-detail, or distinct style and character, how do you begin to make design choices?
That’s where we’re going in this week’s episode.
Season 2 Episode 8: Jennifer Vreeland McDermott On How To Make Your Builder-Grade Home Feel Custom
Sign up for an Interior Design Consult!
The Lived In podcast is hosted by Femi K, realtor and design advisor, and is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Hemby Home Co. is a home design and real estate company that helps you live beautifully within your budget. Whether you’re buying or selling a home and need an agent, or want someone to support you as you begin to redecorate or renovate your home, we’re here to help.
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group.
Season 4 Episode 1: Microscopic vs Macroscopic Design Approaches
There's a problem with the way we go about designing our houses. Let's talk about it.
Sign up for the First-Time Homebuyer Webinar on March 12th!
Hemby Home Co.
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
The Lived In podcast is hosted by Femi K, realtor and design advisor, and is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Hemby Home Co. is a home design and real estate company that helps you live beautifully within your budget. Whether you’re buying or selling a home and need an agent, or want someone to support you as you begin to redecorate or renovate your home, we’re here to help.
Lived In is back for Season 4: Changing the Way We Think About Our Homes!
This season, we're exploring the disconnect between what we see online and in print, and the way we live. What lessons can we learn? Why are things the way they are? Why are we marketed what we're marketed? And, what are we missing?
Join us as we cover topics like:
Thanks for joining us as we discover more ways to live beautifully, whatever your budget.
Season 3 Episode 11:
Interviews with Experts: Drew Bennett
- Where do you begin in creating a real estate investment portfolio?
- What are the different ways to invest in real estate?
- How do you protect and insulate yourself from big losses?
- What kind of ratios ensure the best profitability?
In this, our final episode of Season 3, I’m joined by realtor, builder, and real estate investor Drew Bennett. Involved in real estate investing since 2016, Drew has enjoyed great success through his portfolio of long-term and mid-term rentals, and shares how to start, which ratios to keep in mind, and the need for a good exit strategy.
Drew Bennett is a realtor, real estate investor, and licensed general contractor. Since 2016, Drew has bought, flipped, and rented properties in the Pitt County, NC area.
Connect with Drew here:
Website: www.bennettgroupnc.com
Instagram: @rentals_and_renos
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
The Lived In podcast is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group. Schedule a call to see how we can help you live beautifully.
All Episodes from Season 3:
Jae Goess: How to Finance Your Dream Home
Tiles, Flooring & Countertops: What You Need To Know with C&C Stoneworks
How to Grow a Green Thumb: Houseplants 101 with Plant and See Nursery
The Most Common Issues with Houses and How to Prevent Them
Which Updates Make the Most Impact on Your Home’s Value?
Home Renovations: How to Make Your Home Your Own
Designing for Better Living: How to Create a Healthful Home - Part 1
Designing for Better Living: How to Create a Healthful Home - Part 2
Toby Witte: We Need Better Homes, Not Bigger Ones (Part 1)
Toby Witte: We Need Better Homes, Not Bigger Ones (Part 2)
The Magic of Belaboring the Details — with Overlook Projects
Housing as an Investment: How to Build a Real Estate Portfolio
Season 3 Episode 10:
Interviews with Experts: Austin Simmons of Overlook Projects
Happy New Year! We’re back after a long, much-needed break with an episode that makes for the perfect follow up to our last two episodes.
Austin Simmons, founder of Overlook Projects, shares their unconventional, holistic approach to home building and how it’s setting the homes they build apart from the rest of the pack.
Austin Simmons is a licensed general contractor and the founder of Overlook Projects, a design-build construction company serving the research triangle and high country North Carolina. Their contemporary-forward architecture and client-centric approach make them a highly sought after team.
Connect with Austin and Overlook Projects here:
Website: www.overlookprojects.com
Instagram: @overlookprojects
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
The Lived In podcast is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group. Schedule a call to see how we can help you live beautifully.
Season 3 Episode 9 (Part 2):
Interviews with Experts: Toby Witte of Wittehaus
What dictates the types of houses we live in?
Why are architects so far removed from residential home design?
What should we prioritize when it comes to designing our homes?
Do bigger houses really lead to happier lives?
Join Toby Witte, founder of Wittehaus for part 2 of our conversation on what he hopes for when it comes to residential design.
Toby Witte is the principal of Wittehaus, a Forbes Magazine 2025 Americas Top 200 Residential Architect, and he is a modern, luxury home designer who thinks like an architect. Author of the 2023 book Supersizing Bliss, Toby is passionate about rethinking the way we think about our homes and approach home design.
Connect with Toby and the Wittehaus team here:
Website: www.witteha.us
Instagram: @wittehaus
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
The Lived In podcast is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group. Schedule a call to see how we can help you live beautifully.
Season 3 Episode 9 (Part 1):
Interviews with Experts: Toby Witte of Wittehaus
Who dictates the types of houses we live in?
Why are architects so far removed from residential home design?
What should we prioritize when it comes to designing our homes?
Do bigger houses really lead to happier lives?
Toby Witte, founder of Wittehaus joins the podcast to share what he has observed and what he hopes for when it comes to residential design. Tune into this episode to have your preconceptions about house and home challenged, broadened, and turned upside down.
Toby Witte is the principal of Wittehaus, a Forbes Magazine 2025 Americas Top 200 Residential Architect, and he is a modern, luxury home designer who thinks like an architect. Author of the 2023 book Supersizing Bliss, Toby is passionate about rethinking the way we think about our homes and approach home design.
Connect with Toby and the Wittehaus team here:
www.witteha.us
Instagram: @wittehaus
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
The Lived In podcast is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group.
Schedule a call to see how we can help you live beautifully.
Season 3 Episode 8:
Interviews with Experts: DeeDee Birch of Make Good Places
Can design benefit people and the environment?
How can we bring healthier, biophilic design into our everyday spaces?
Is it really possible to change the quality of your life through your space?
And is what we’re being sold actually what benefits us most?
While living in a beautiful home is negotiable, all of us should be able to live in homes that keep us healthy and strong. Biophilic design, by definition, strengthens the connection between humans and nature and leads to healthier people and a better environment.
DeeDee Birch, creator of Make Good Places, helps DIYers and designers implement biophilic design elements to achieve homes that go beyond looking good to actually make them feel better.
DeeDee Birch, MDS, LFA has a Masters of Design Studies with Focus in Sustainable Design, and is the brains behind Make Good Places, an online resource designed to equip both professional interior designers and DIYers as they work to create homes that benefit people and the planet.
For access to the Make Good Places resources, head to makegoodplaces.com.
Connect with DeeDee and Make Good Places here:
www.makegoodplaces.com
Instagram: @makegoodplaces
Hemby Home Co.
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
The Lived In podcast is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group.
Schedule a call to see how we can help you live beautifully.
Season 3 Episode 7:
Interviews with Experts: Leigh Baker from Carolina Farmhouse Furniture
Which materials should you use to create a more healthy home environment?
Which healthy swaps should you prioritize?
How do you renovate a space without breaking the bank?
What hidden costs can drive spending up?
The only thing often more challenging than creating a beautiful home is creating a healthful one. Knowing which materials to pick, what to prioritize, and evaluating how well you’re doing can all be hard to figure out. Enter Leigh Baker from Carolina Farmhouse Furniture.
Carolina Farmhouse Furniture is a furniture and home accent store in Greenville, NC. They also offer high-quality, custom-made furniture and home accents, like hand poured candles, clean laundry products. Leigh Baker, co-founder and owner with her husband, also runs wellness events through The Wellness Workshop where workshop participants can learn how to make mocktails, candles and more.
Their website says, “Our philosophy revolves around the belief that your home and the spaces you inhabit profoundly impact your life. We aim to collaborate with you in crafting spaces that evoke a sense of wholeness and belonging.”
Connect with Leigh Baker and Carolina Farmhouse Furniture here:
Website: www.carolinafarmhousefurniture.com
Email: info@carolinafarmhousefurniture.com
Phone: 2529177033
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
The Lived In podcast is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group. Schedule a call to see how we can help you live beautifully.
Season 3 Episode 6:
Interviews with Experts: Ronnie Warren from Precision Renovations
How do you maximize a renovation budget without sacrificing quality or style?
What separates a good contractor from a bad one?
How do you renovate a space without breaking the bank?
What hidden costs can drive spending up?
While our last episode was all about how to build equity, this episode gets a lot more practical. When it comes to home renovations, it can be challenging to know how to pick a good contractor, where to focus your budget, and what you may need to compromise on. Join Precision Renovations founder Ronnie Warren as he shares his knowledge and expertise in the area of home renovations.
Precision Renovations is a renovation company based in Greenville, NC. Ronnie Warren, its founder, is committed to high quality workmanship and a customer service that goes above and beyond, and is far removed from the poor experiences many of us have had in construction.
Precision Renovations offers renovation for the whole home, including kitchens, bathrooms, full interior renovation, and porch and deck renovations.
Connect with Ronnie and the Precision Renovations Team here:
www.precisionrenovationsnc.com
precisionrenovations2019@gmail.com
O: 2529177033
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
The Lived In podcast is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group.
Schedule a call to see how we can help you live beautifully.
Season 3 Episode 5:
Interviews with Experts: Ashley Barker and Hannah Martin from Appraisal Advantage
Does landscaping add value?
Which rooms get you the greatest return on investment?
Do material choices matter in an appraisal?
Is the age of your home always a negative?
Ashley Barker is the founder of Appraisal Advantage, where he works together with Hannah Martin assessing home values and conducting comprehensive audits of their features and comparables to determine objective market value. This episode equips homeowners who want to know where and how to add value to their homes, where they can lose money, and what absolutely doesn’t make a home worth more money.
Appraisal Advantage is a Greenville, NC - based appraisal company founded in 1992. Its founder, Ashley Barker, is a North Carolina State Certified Residential Appraisal with over 30 years of experience. Hannah Martin trained under Ashley and now works alongside him appraising properties across Pitt County, NC.
Appraisal Advantage offers unparalleled real estate appraisal services, conducting appraisals for estate purposes, investments, refinancing, and mortgage financing.
Connect with Ashley and Hannah here:
O: 2527589116
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
The Lived In podcast is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group.
Schedule a call to see how we can help you live beautifully.
Season 3 Episode 4:
Interviews with Experts: House inspectors Derek Hedgepeth and Mike Benson
What should you do to protect and maintain your home?
What does a home inspection cover?
Which home issues are minor and which are major?
Do you need a home inspection on a new build home?
Mike Benson and Derek Hedgepeth, Pitt County based home inspectors, share insights from their combined 33 years in the home inspection industry. Listen in to find out why crawl spaces are the root of all evil, when homeowners should (and shouldn’t) DIY, which home issues are worth worrying about, and why you’ll never hear a house inspector tell you not to buy a house.
Mike Benson and Derek Hedgepeth are seasoned home inspectors with a combined 33 years of experience inspecting properties in and around Pitt County, North Carolina.
Their expertise, attention to detail, and passion for their clients make them great resources for those looking to cultivate a deeper understanding of the condition of their homes.
Connect with Derek here:
www.yourdependablehomeinspections.com
dependable_inspections@yahoo.com
O: 2523555480
Connect with Mike here:
O: 2527141409
Hemby Home Co.
Hemby Home Co. Instagram
The Lived In podcast is produced by Hemby Home Co. in association with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about selling your house with Haystack Realty Group.
Click here to learn more about buying a house with Haystack Realty Group.
Schedule a call to see how we can help you live beautifully.