GOOD BONES
By Yelena Sapin
SEARCH: Good Bones
One House at a Time: A Mother-Daughter Team Revitalizes Their Indianapolis Neighborhood
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f there’s a gene for can-do spirit, it might be linked to the gene for striking red hair. Home renovating team Karen E Laine and daughter, Mina Starsiak Hawk, share both traits and more, on their HGTV show Good Bones. About to launch its second season, the show follows Karen and Mina — whose business is called Two Chicks and a Hammer — as they revitalize their Indianapolis neighborhood by buying up rundown houses and transforming them into brand new homes. In a recent phone interview, Karen and Mina talked about working together, shared thoughts about the renovation process, and offered a little DIY advice. Readers can hear the duo at the KyCPA Women’s Leadership Conference at the Parklands of Floyds Fork in Louisville on November 11.
How did Two Chicks and a Hammer get started? Mina: When I graduated from college in 2007, Mom helped me buy my first house. We had free time — evenings and weekends — but very little money, so we renovated it together. And right around the same time, we worked on her home office (Karen is an attorney. Then we continued working together on other projects, and it grew from there.
Did you have any prior remodeling experience? Karen: My parents moved us into an incomplete house when my older sister and I were barely toddlers, so I grew up around renovation. I have three sisters, and my dad always said we can do anything we want to do. My first (college) apartment was an old farmhouse, and I learned how to finish old plaster walls from a guy I was dating at the time. And I have a defiant thread — I got it from my mother — that makes me look at something and see how it can be something else. It’s how my brain works.
How do you navigate that mother/ daughter relationship while working together and also living next door to each other? Mina: [laughing] We’re working on it! Karen: Mina is an adult. I don’t need to mother her anymore. I do correct her grammar, but I correct everyone’s grammar.
What should all homeowners learn how to do? Karen: Clean gutters. Mina: Paint. Anyone can do that, even if you can’t cut a line without tape. With all the materials available, it’s an easy and fun thing to do.
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OCT 2016 / TODAY’S WOMAN
Have you discovered anything about yourselves while filming your show last season?
Mina: I’m very controlling, but I always knew that. Karen: The first season for any television production is stressful for everyone. And what I discovered is that when I get stressed, I get quiet. When Mina gets stressed, she talks. So it’s the perfect storm: she’s standing there chattering away at the camera, and I’m standing there looking at the camera with dead eyes. So I’ve learned that when I feel overwhelmed or stressed I need to remember to just talk anyway, because it’s boring for people if I’m just standing there looking at the camera. Mina: I pretty much talk nonstop no matter what, unless it’s really hot. That’s about the only thing that stresses me out.
What is your favorite job on a renovation project?
Karen: My current favorite is matching stain, but that might change. They’re going to let me do some wallpapering soon. That may become my new favorite. Mina: A big part of my job is sourcing all the materials, and it’s awesome because I get to shop for really cool stuff, and it’s always different. I have all the numbers in my head, so I know that if I can find a nice laminate flooring for a $1.50 per square foot, then I can splurge on tile or sinks.
Is there something you hate to do? Mina: Finishing drywall. Karen: And installing countertops. Those are the two jobs we both swore we would never do again. There are people who are much better at it than we are, and we would literally end up killing each other if we did those jobs together ever again.
The mother and daughter team are giving run-down homes a facelift.
Is there something homeowners shouldn’t tackle?
Karen: You can switch out an outlet or a light switch and put in fixtures, but unless you really know what you’re doing, I wouldn’t mess with a big electric job like rewiring the house to the circuit. Mina: Moving or removing any structural wall. That’s a big deal, and you can really damage your house if you don’t do it properly.
Are there any projects in your own homes that are on your to-do list?
Mina: I’ve got settlement cracks in my drywall, and there are a couple of holes in my doors from the little stoppers pushing through them. I could definitely use a fresh coat of paint, but there’s no time. Karen: I have a rod in my closet that fell down two years ago. It’s still down. We’re just living with it because I haven’t had time to get to it. And the sump pump in my basement is not plumbed to go anywhere, so we drain it into the kitchen sink. When we finished production last year we thought we’d have plenty of downtime to catch up, but it turned out there really is no downtime. Which is great, but I think I’m going to have to hire a handyman. You can attend the KyCPA women’s leadership conference, no matter what your occupation. Go to kycpa.org. Win tickets — see page 14 (24 Things).