A House Story

You've heard the saying, "If these walls could talk...".  What if they could?  Every house has a story to tell, most with many chapters.  The first chapter includes the first homeowners and the memories that were made.  Perhaps these homeowners built the home, in which case the chapter includes decisions on floor plans and fixtures.

Succeeding chapters follow the lives and updates of subsequent owners.  The story embraces the changes these new occupants made to the house to make it their own.

There is a house on my block that has a long story, but only one chapter that spans 62 years!  Until recently, the house was occupied by the original owner.  The three bedroom, one bathroom 1200 square foot bungalow served the family well.  It offered shelter from the snow and rain and it provided a safe place to sleep at night.  The small, cozy kitchen supplied nourishment of both food and family time.  And the yard was a source of much joy through the years.

The owner has a notebook that documents everything about the house, from the cost of building materials and construction labor to the roof that was recently replaced due to hail damage.  The house, and the notebook, date back to 1940.

In more recent times, we have become a transient society, moving from home to home whenever the mood strikes us.  We wanted more.  More space, more bathrooms, more bedrooms...more, more, more.

For one family in my neighborhood, less was more!

Soon, this one-owner home will have a new family residing within it's walls.  This strong, sturdy house will again offer shelter and a safe place to be.  It's unlikely that the new homeowners will live in this house for 62 years, but hopefully the memories they make will last a lifetime.