The Backstory
My wife and I had agreed, “When we purchase our next home it will NOT be a fixer upper”. This was decided after the completion of an 8-year mild renovation of our first home, a tiny 1950’s bungalow in Nashville, TN. We had ripped out carpet, put fresh paint on the walls and anyplace it needed updating. We did some plumbing and electrical work and made the kitchen more modern with upgraded floors and added dishwasher. We put a new roof on the house, added a privacy fence and some landscaping. While this list may seem short, it did consume quite a bit of time and effort. We were tired of always having a project that needed to be completed.
But, on the other hand, one of our favorite past times was/is browsing home listings and going to open houses looking for deals, dream homes, or architecturally appealing houses and dreaming of one day owning something completely unique and OLD. I have always admired the craftsmanship and build quality of older homes. I like a house with history, one where you can reference the old saying: “If walls could talk”. Little did I know that in less than a year of our “No fixer uppers” conversation we would be diving into the biggest project of our lives.
The Search Begins
2015 was a good year for real estate in Nashville. Our neighborhood was the new “it” place and the dynamics and neighbors we loved were changing. On top of that, we were looking at schools for our then 2-year-old son. The 900 square foot house was starting to feel too cramped. Our housing needs were changing, it was time to move.
We wanted to be closer to family but, within a commutable range of Nashville. Our search began with older but, completely renovated homes. We looked at a few and even put in an offer on one. No luck! Looking online nothing really reached out and grabbed us. We began to browse for sale by owner listings and came across a somewhat neglected looking brown house. It said it was built in 1890 and the square footage was bigger than we had planned on buying. The photos of the house were terrible but, it did look like the kitchen might be updated. We figured it was worth a look.
The Hinges!
We scheduled a showing with the owner and brought along my brother and his wife for another set of eyes and unbiased opinions. Upon arrival we realized it was for sure a fixer upper… I had basically written the place off until I walked up to the front door to peak in. The wrap around front porch had two entrances and two huge Eastlake style doors. I loved them! After 30 minutes of poking around outside in the cold waiting on the owner, we gave him a call. He was out of town and had completely forgotten about the appointment but, he pointed us in the direction of a hidden key. We opened the front door and the first thing I noticed was the paint covered Eastlake hinges. I wanted those hinges. The house felt huge with 11’ ceilings and enormous interior doors. The centuries old poplar floors had been refinished and were completely unique. My wife had always wanted a fireplace and this house had three. This home had obviously been multiple apartments over the years with hasty repairs and rough walls. The kitchen and master bath were finished with more modern elements and appliances but, most of the work was not up to my standards. This place needed us. It needed a family to bring it back to its former glory. It needed laughter and gatherings. It needed a new set of caretakers to help it survive another 130 years, I needed those hinges… At this point all I could see was the potential. This was going to be our new home.
Gluttons for Punishment
Our ride home was filled with talk of what it could be and what we would do to fix it up and turn it back into a single-family home. We continued dreaming and planning for weeks and finally decided to move forward and make it ours. Continual projects are now our lifestyle for the foreseeable future. Are we just gluttons for punishment or visionaries making our dreams a reality? I guess we will find out in the coming years.
Follow along room by room as we take on our biggest project to date.