In the fall of 2017, a dumpster appeared in our neighbor’s driveway. Seeing its contents made me sadder than I expected. And looking back, it’s the exact moment where I fell in love with old houses.
It’s funny how such a small moment can set you on a new path.
Let me elaborate.
It was a perfect crisp New England autumn day. My husband Brad and I decided to walk our 3 girls and overgrown rescue dog down to the lake, which takes us right past this neighbor’s house. As we walked by I saw something sticking out the dumpster that made me and the double-stroller I was pushing stop in my tracks.
What Did I See to Make Me Fall in Love With Old Houses?
Popping out of the dumpster was an old interior door. It looked similar to the doors in our own house. Solid wood, five-panel, likely original to the house (which looks to have been built in the late 1800s).
At the time, I had just started renovating the doors in my house. They are not in horrible shape, but they have been neglected over the years. Layers of sloppy paint jobs, including paint over scotch tape (Yes, seriously. Someone painted over scotch tape! Who does that? How lazy can you be?! Sigh….. the joy of inheriting an ). Shoddy, cracked paint over hinges. Various sized holes from different sources. from a small pushpins to new door knobs and locks that didn’t quite fit, etc.
I’m a novice at home improvement, and fully admit my work is far from perfect. Due to a couple of reasons, I’ve decided not to fully restore the doors and sand them back to the natural wood. The doors will remain painted white. And I’m sure I’ve made mistakes, I’m also sure that overall I have improved my home’s doors.
And like my doors, I could still look past the layer upon layer of paint on this neighbor’s door sticking out of the dumpster and appreciate the beauty hiding underneath.
My neighbor’s door sticking out of the dumpster had more life in it. I wanted to rescue and save it.
I envisioned jumping into the dumpster and wrestling the door out, my twins leaning out the double stroller and watching mommy with curiosity. Somehow I would drag that heavy old door up the street and up to my house (with double stroller in tow). I’d squirrel it away in the corner of my garage until I could find it a new home.
Then Reality Sunk In…..
I realized that just wasn’t feasible. I squelched the urge to ring my neighbor’s doorbell to beg and plead until I convinced them not to throw it away. With just a little effort they could bring this door back to its former beauty. The new replacement builder-grade door wouldn’t be as good quality. Nor likely match the style of the other doors in their house. (Although it just occurred to me as I write this – maybe they will throw out and replace ALL their original doors…Argh!!)
A Few Days Later…
A few days later I had to walk by the dumpster again on my way to work. I was uneasy at what I would see. The door was no longer popping out the top, instead replaced by nondescript construction debris.
It saddened me that I couldn’t save it. This neighbor’s old door was part of the glorious charm and character of that old house. And it should have be saved or at least salvaged for re-use, not tossed away. I thought about this door for days, which seemed awfully strange. I mentioned the door to my husband, and he had no recollection.
Why was I so fixated on an old door? Why was I still thinking about sometime so ordinary for that long?
Unless maybe it’s not that ordinary.
Or, at least not that ordinary to me. Then it hit me. I have a soft-spot for old houses.
I’m not an architect nor in real estate. Nor even in construction. Heck, I don’t even regularly watch This Old House. I get lost in the aisles of Home Depot and Lowes. And when I use a screwdriver you might hear me muttering under my breath “righty tighty lefty loosey”.
What a simple thing to learn about myself. I found a passion I never knew I had. Huh.
I Fell in Love with Old Houses. What’s Next?
Feeling the urge to save that old door was the defining moment of when I fell in love with old houses. And from that moment on I decided to do something about it. I wanted to learn about the history of old houses.To study how to rehabilitate and restore old homes. Find and learn from others who have the same passion.
When did you fall in love with old houses? Was it a specific event? Or just a gradual awareness? Comment below and share.
This post (modified) was originally on my first blog – rightytightyleftylooseymom.wordpress.com. A few weeks into that blog I realized that URL was QUITE a mouthful and moved over to this URL.
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