Houses in this condition are rare today.

It seems that homes are either well maintained and improved as the years go by. Or they fall into disrepair and neglect, and then are trashed by renters before they are finally destroyed.

This home’s occupants though always cared for the house, seeing to it that it never leaked or went cold during the winter, but beyond that most basic level of care, no upgrades were ever made.

Originally posted 2015-06-08 14:29:23.

The bride was barefoot.

Way back in the 1980’s, when I was a carpenter, a dear friend of mine rented this old house which was located up a local holler here in the Piedmont region of Virginia. That friend eventually got married to a fine young lady in the back yard of this house and there I witnessed my first barefooted bride.

I remember little else about that wedding. I’ve attended so many over the years that they all tend to blur into one giant celebration. But for some reason there is something memorable about toes sticking out beyond that elegant dress.

It was about 20 years later that I received the call from the owner of this home that he wanted me to restore this home to her former glory for him to use as his primary residence. I had previously built his brother’s house and he was pleased with my work and his brother’s praise of the experience.

It’s funny how things work out in this life. There are so many “dots” in this life that one day connect, or so it seems.

Originally posted 2015-06-08 14:04:42.

Coming up this week… how I “upgraded” this home.  The photo above was taken near completion… the photo below was taken on Day One.

Originally posted 2015-06-07 19:59:58.