Improvements
When David purchased the house
from the Myers family, there was vast unrecognized potential in the home. Although the yard was adorned with beautiful fruit trees (apple, pear, apricot, and walnut), the rest of the place was in shambles. Gardening debris was strewn about, interspersed with piles of coal and weed overgrowth. Walking through the porch was daunting as the column bases and fascia had given way to significant wood rot. Concrete was chipped and splotched with paint, and shingles were hanging on by a thread. The interior of the home was musky and the smells of old carpet permeated the barren kitchen and living room. The bedrooms were adorned broken windows, poorly repaired molding, and uninviting (yet uniquely charming) linoleum floors. What sounded like a broken toilet was actually a leaky water main that according to public utilities was one of the worst leaks in the city. And before the insurance company would agree to cover the house, all the old knob and tube wiring had to be replaced with up to date electrical.
However, upon closer inspection there were just so many redeeming eccentricities that reflected the true value of the home. Beautiful old light fixtures were hidden treasures under years of dust, and the peculiar basement begged to be restored into a functional shop/brewery. While installing a new outlet during the electrical renovation, the removal of old plaster gave way to the discovery of unique and beautiful handmade adobe bricks. We began to detail an entire bedroom wall to expose, grout, and seal the old bricks which lent a rustic charm so pronounced that we had to carry the theme into other sections of the house…