Kaage Homes

09/03/2026

08/30/2026

$1.85M to buy it. Seven figures to renovate it.

That’s a big number. But a big number isn’t necessarily a bad number.

The math just has to work. 🏚️

And part of making the math work is understanding what you’re actually paying for.

There is a real premium attached to ‘fine’.

A dated-but-functional house appeals to more buyers. The kitchen works. The bathrooms are decent. You could move in tomorrow.

And you pay for that.

But if I already know I’m going to comprehensively renovate, I don’t want to pay a premium for things I’m going to rip out anyway.

I’d rather put those dollars into the house I’m actually trying to create… the architecture, millwork, stone, lighting and craftsmanship.

This isn’t about spending less. It’s about spending the money in the right places.

That’s how I’m evaluating this one.

And apparently Soren is too. 😂

If you like thinking about houses this way, this is exactly the kind of decision-making I’m teaching this fall inside live courses you can watch from anywhere.

Because making a beautiful house starts long before you design anything pretty.

Enrollment opens Sept 28. Waitlist is live now for real updates.

xo,
Grace

08/29/2026

bless this man he knows not what he says

08/28/2026

We bought our last house for $1.685M and sold it for $3.75M. We also put seven figures and two years into it. A true labor of love.

In the end we created real value, and we never planned to sell in the first place.

Those of you on my Substack already know I blame this on Swedish Guilt. An inherited inability to sit still. So even with two toddlers, a store, a design-build firm, a real estate team and roughly zero free hours, I expect my houses to work as hard as we do.

These are the questions I get asked most, answered honestly. 🏚️

Save this one for the next time a house sits on the market and you can’t figure out why.

And if you want the long version of all this - how to price the scary stuff before you buy, how I approach designing a beautiful home, and how to know if there’s enough room left for the pretty stuff - that’s what I’m teaching this fall inside The Design Office.

And we’re going to do it alongside my next project: Old Man Marley’s house.

You’ll get to watch me use the same process in real time as I teach you how to use it on yours.

Enrollment opens September 28.

Waitlist is in my bio.

xo,
Grace

08/07/2026

“Open concept” has entered the chat.

How to get the layout you want without destroying the integrity of your home.

Examples are of past work… we’ll bring you along as we walk you through this phase in real time over here.