This House Was Built With Love And Leftovers

When you buy a house the reasonable thing to do is hire a reputable inspector to look for any flaws or defects in the home.  Most people base their final purchase decision on this report.  I on the other hand throw caution to the wind.  My husband and I closed our eyes and signed our lives away on the family homestead.  We thought we knew what we were getting into.  After all, we were teens when his folks built the place.  It was supposed to be the dream home.  We had been there along the way with updates and renovations.  We were sure we knew everything there was to know about the house.  Let me set the record straight.  One can never know everything there is to know about a house. 

After the initial buyers' remorse had passed we set out to make the house our own.  That meant making the needed changes to fit our lifestyle and taste.  As any do-it-yourself renovator will attest there are no simple projects.  Replacing rotten stair treads on the front porch revealed the uneven rise between each step.  The stair stringers have been cemented into the ground under the front concrete walkway.  There is zero insulation under the house's stemwall.  The wood floors are buckling and the kitchen is slowly disintigrating.  Numerous plumbling lines had to be reinstalled and most projects have taken longer than anticipated.  I still have no flooring in my master bedroom after two years of living here.  Every door in the house is a different size and swing direction seems to have been decided by a coin toss.  We removed one door completely because you had to close the door behind you just so you could reach the light switch.  I for one am not good with closing myself into a completely darkened room.  There is something that strikes me unnatural about that.

Despite the endless list of oddities in my home I love it here.  My mother-in-law explained it this way, "The house was built with love."  At first I didn't know how to react to that statement.  I wanted to laugh and cry all at once.  I can't blame them for doing their best.  They learned a lot along the way and so have I.  I appreciate my husband's handyman abilities.  I also love our local  habitat for humanity resale shop.  We have what they refer to as "the barn".  It is chock full of great finds and I have learned to visit often, especially when I get the vibe that there might be something great.  Our most recent find was a set of three interior doors.  But not just any doors.  No, these are the doors of my dreams.  Five panel, vintage reproduction, pre-primed, pre-mortised, special order, $100 dollar each doors.  Miraculously they were all usable sizes and bargain priced at $25 each.  My husband the wheeler dealer that he is asked if he bought them all could he get a good price.  I was already pulling out the debit card ready to pay the asking price.  Surprisingly the clerk said $30... total.  I felt weak.  Could I have heard that correctly?  Without hesitation we paid and loaded them into the car.  I would have tied myself to the roof rack at that point just to get these doors home.  We were thrilled beyond belief.  Who gets giddy over discounted doors?  I do. 

That inspired me to look at this project with new eyes.  Instead of criticizing my family for their lack of experience when constructing the house I am accepting the challenge.  Vintage style is all about reusing, restoring, and repurposing.  Sometime you buy new and sometimes you have to be creative.  Budget demands and an occasional can of worms can strain you and force you to your limits.  In the end, the results can amaze you.  Sometimes it turns out better than you planned.  My mother-in-law was right.  This house was built with love....and leftovers.  I wouldn't have it any other way.