A New Adventure with an Old Friend (House)

This story begins way back in 1983.  I was in high school and had been assigned the duty of prop manager for our drama/theater production.  For a particular scene, we needed to find highball drinking glasses.  My good friend David suggested that his grandparents could possibly have the items needed, so we paid them a visit at their home.

What I remember about this visit was not only how delightful his grandparents were, but also what a beautiful home they had.  David’s grandfather built the place following a tornado that had destroyed their former house at the same location.  I immediately fell in love with this home and the story behind it.

I visited this place several more times over the next forty years, finding more to love each time. After his grandparents passed away, David actually lived in the home for a few years.  When David moved out, this beautiful home sat empty for around ten years.  His mother Patty now owned the property after inheriting it from her parents.

I cannot count the number of times that I jokingly mentioned to David that his mom should just sell the home to me, but it was never a really serious discussion.

In early 2022, I inquired again and Patty indicated that she might finally be interested in selling.  Unfortunately, the years of sitting empty had taken it’s toll on the property.  I began to have hesitations about the repairs needed and the costs, but still adored the home.  There were foundation, plumbing, and electrical issues that needed to be addressed, as well as updating/remodeling.  My husband and I were discouraged from proceeding , and my heart was broken.  We instead decided to do some remodeling at our current home and I attempted to put this house out of my mind.

Well…easier said than done.  Every time we drove by this home, I felt overwhelming sadness to see it empty and continuing to deteriorate.  This was a place that I just could not get out of my mind.   How could we make this work?   I contacted David again and asked him to have a conversation with his mother about what she would feel comfortable selling the place for, given the work that needed to be done.  When he came back with a number, both my husband and I agreed that this just might work!  This would allow us to do the necessary structural repairs, remodel, and still hopefully stay within my budget.

So, now what?  We contacted a foundation repair company to inspect and quote a price before we purchased, just to assure this could be done.  Once we scheduled the work, I made the necessary calls to the local title company to begin the process of purchasing the home.

After the foundation and electrical repairs were made and we closed on the house, we were ready to figure out the steps to begin getting the place into livable condition!

In my next post, I will introduce you to the house and all of the little pieces of character that made me fall in love with it.  Stay tuned for this, as well as updates as we move closer to living there!