Design Project of a Lifetime
We have flipped houses, renovated and created an Airbnb, purchased an old laundromat and turned it into apartments, and helped restore and redesign homes after disasters. But this current project might be my favorite yet!
In the spring of 2024, we were given the opportunity to purchase a 1900 Queen Anne Victorian home—something we hadn’t even considered. In fact, we had just purchased land and finished designing custom house plans for a barndominium, 30 minutes from our current home. Then, an offer came along—one so good we would have been foolish to walk away.
Just two years ago, we met a woman I will call “Mary.” She had suffered a water leak from her second floor down to the first. Unfortunately, we weren’t called in until the damage had progressed to the point of mold remediation. Mary didn’t want to leave her home for the restoration, and I don’t blame her. At the time, she was 95, and this home had been in her family since 1927—two years before she was born. She loved this home dearly. However, between the water and mold damage and the accumulation of nearly a century’s worth of belongings, the project became overwhelming—too overwhelming for her to restore in her lifetime and too daunting for any of her family members to take on.
My husband had already been working with the family for a year when they approached him with a proposal: Would he be interested in purchasing the home? They wanted it to go to someone who would do the right thing—cleaning it up and restoring it properly. After consulting with multiple professionals, including appraisers, the family ultimately decided they needed to release the house. And so, they made us an incredible offer: we could purchase the home for $1.
Yes, you read that right. We purchased the home for $1. That may seem like a ridiculous amount to pay for a house, but the cost to restore this home will be quite large—nearly that of building a home from the ground up. Included with the purchase of the home came the entire contents of the home—one family’s possessions from nearly 100 years of a full life lived.
One year later, we are still working through the removal of the contents of the home. The restoration process cannot begin until all the contents are cleared. This hasn’t been a simple junk removal job like you see on TV. It has been a slow and meticulous process—every item must be thoroughly sifted through. Amidst 97 years of dirt, mold, and evidence of being a haven for rodents lies treasure—antiques beyond my wildest imagination. As I go through each room, I think of Mary daily—her life, the beauty she lived, her family.
The cards. Oh, so many cards. Every single one saved. This woman was deeply loved, and the evidence is spread throughout the home in the hundreds of thoughtful notes written to her over the years. Priceless photos and family heirlooms surface, yet not everything can be salvaged. Due to the conditions, only items that can be thoroughly sanitized can be saved.
As excited as I get about the treasures unearthed, I am reminded of the Bible passage in Matthew 6:19-21:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
This scripture resonates even more considering the numerous thefts we have already endured while owning this property. Mary knew this truth as well. Though she allowed the accumulation of too many belongings to clutter her home and impact her ability to live freely, she also loved Jesus.
Amongst all the contents are books—hundreds, if not thousands, of books. Every single one filled with notes and bookmarks, nearly all of a spiritual nature. Notebooks brimming with her reflections, scriptures, and insights she wanted to remember. Yes, she had too much stuff—but she also had an immense amount of faith. Now, as she lives out the rest of her days at 96 years old, she embraces a simpler life with fewer possessions—but with unwavering faith and love for God.
