Stories Behind the Remodel: Preserving Charm with Michelle Kaufman

In this episode of DesignU, host Tina Guziec sits down with Michelle Kaufman, owner of Concierge Construction. Michelle shares fascinating stories from her experiences remodeling historic homes, the unexpected discoveries behind century-old walls, and her passion for blending modern comforts while preserving timeless character. From haunted houses to intricate plasterwork, Michelle offers insight into the realities of home renovation, the importance of trusted partnerships, and tips for a seamless remodel. Tune in to uncover the magic and mystery hidden within every home transformation.

Auto-Generated Transcript:

---

TINA: Welcome to Design U, a podcast for design enthusiasts and designers, sponsored by Studio41. My name is Tina Guziec, and I am joined today by Michelle Kaufmann, who is one of my favorite people in the industry. And I’m going to tell you why—because you’re a strong chick in construction, and I like that about you.

MICHELLE: Thank you very much. Thank you for having me today. Yes, my name is Michelle Kaufmann, and I’m a general contractor who owns Concierge Construction Company.

TINA: So tell me, what does that mean?

MICHELLE: Concierge Construction—it sounds so fancy, right? I basically make everyone’s life a lot easier. I help design the space that we’re remodeling, bring samples to you. I bring everyone to you, instead of you having to have that headache of going out there and trying to source people. So the whole remodeling process goes a lot smoother.

TINA: What kind of projects do you generally work on?

MICHELLE: We basically concentrate on residential—whole house remodeling, bathrooms, kitchens, new construction. I’ve only done a handful of commercial projects, but I really love residential. I love seeing everything come to life. And, you know, even if someone has a historic home, I love implementing those historic features and preserving them, and just bringing in a little twist—something of this era.

TINA: My background is in general contracting and construction. I did a lot of adaptive reuse, and I always felt like it was the ultimate in recycling.

MICHELLE: 100%. It’s 100%. And I felt like you could feel the energy of everybody who’s ever touched that building. When you take an old home and make it new again, there’s a story behind it. That’s the thing. So whenever we walk into these homes—like there was one specifically from last year, it was in Glencoe—it was such a beautiful home. But any time we had to open up a wall—because we were running new electrical or bringing the whole house up to code—there were stories behind it. You’re peeling away plaster and finding layers of wallpaper, and then there’s more layers of wallpaper, and then—oh wait—there’s a surprise. There’s like a secret brick wall. What’s behind that?

TINA: And look how they built it back then! Even those construction details, when you unearth them…

MICHELLE: They’re brilliant! Nobody does that anymore. How they put that wall together—that is so true. Because you don’t think about how much we put in so much insulation right now. And in those kinds of homes, the wall thickness—like 18 to 24 inches thick—and there was no insulation whatsoever. There’s plaster, there’s lath, mortar, and maybe a little bit of asbestos.

TINA: Oh yeah, put that back up.

MICHELLE: Yeah, so we do run into those kinds of hiccups, but we definitely take care of it the way that we should and ensure that our customers are always living in a healthy home.

TINA: Yeah. People are very often afraid of asbestos, but really, as long as you treat it properly and with care…

MICHELLE: It’s so true. It’s not the end of the world. The danger is when you try to dispose of it improperly—that’s when you can really hurt people.

TINA: That and mold.

MICHELLE: Yes. I go into homes with potential buyers of these properties. I help realtors sell a home or sometimes refer a client to a different home because there are red flags that I personally see. And I’m very honest. I’ll say, “There is mold running not just in this small little section because of a bit of seepage—but it’s spreading throughout the walls, into the ceilings, into the ventilation,” which means we have to take everything down.

TINA: People don’t understand—mold can be dangerous if not properly dealt with.

MICHELLE: Exactly.

TINA: I always say lead’s not bad, as long as you’re not chewing on it.

MICHELLE: Exactly! So don’t chew on the windowsill and you’re fine.

TINA: But if you have little people, it could be a problem.

MICHELLE: Yes, just make sure they’re not gnawing on things when they’re teething. You never know when that’s going to accidentally happen.

TINA: The thing about old homes that I find fascinating too is the little sneaky surprises that come up. What’s been your favorite? What’s the gem that you unearthed?

MICHELLE: Oh my gosh—so back to this house in Glencoe. I had to go through three different crews in this house because they all said it was haunted.

TINA: Fabulous.

MICHELLE: And in the Hispanic community, if there’s an omen like that—that a house is haunted—no one’s going to touch it. They’re not going to cross the threshold. But the story was that once we started demoing the basement, we found a wall that had names of people and dates on it, and a very weird elevated concrete floor that looked like it was over-poured.

TINA: My goodness.

MICHELLE: Thankfully, there were no bodies there. That’s what everybody thought! We were all puzzled—what were those names? This house apparently was so haunted that we had sheets of drywall that were falling off. My plumbers were there and said, “Michelle, someone is throwing rocks in the house!” You could hear pebbles just being thrown across the room.

TINA: Come on now…

MICHELLE: So I went over there at sundown with my husband. We were just standing there talking with the plumber, and all of a sudden we heard rocks falling. I had chills. I don’t believe in this stuff, but it was really weird. Even the owner heard it himself. He brought in a shaman, a priest, a rabbi—you name it.

TINA: You’ve got to call somebody.

MICHELLE: Holy water was flung out throughout the whole house, and supposedly the bad spirits were gone. We finished the house, and we were featured in Luxe magazine. It was fantastic.

TINA: That’s a huge accomplishment.

MICHELLE: Thank you.

TINA: Very nice. What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on?

MICHELLE: Oh my gosh, there are so many. Every project has a story. There was one in Glenview—husband and wife bought during the pandemic. They were busy living in the city, taking care of their kids. They basically handed me the keys and walked away. I lived close by, made sure everyone showed up, and that everything was ordered on time. I explained that the only way we’d meet the deadline was to order everything ahead of time—and they listened.

TINA: I love that.

MICHELLE: So I told them I could finish the remodel in eight weeks, and I finished in six. They got to enjoy Halloween there with the kids, then Thanksgiving. It was kind of like a live unveiling—I wish I had that truck that says, “Move that truck!” They had tears in their eyes. They still recommend me to the community.

TINA: What’s telling is that when I asked about your favorite project, you told me about a relationship. That speaks to how you approach your work.

MICHELLE: I treat each project as if it’s my own home. That’s why it’s so important to listen to the contractor. If they have the experience, trust them. Don’t listen to your friends suggesting change orders last minute.