by Candice Whitlow
Alright restoration raiders, how many of these apply to you?
1. There’s always at least one unfinished project going on.
I know, I know. It’s hard to pick just one.
2. You forget about certain quirks your house has until company comes over.
Seeing a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste by the kitchen sink, because the bathroom is mid remodel is totally normal right?
3. There are tools EVERYWHERE.
We would like to think of the air compressor in the living room as a conversation piece. Not to make you feel like you live in a constant construction sight.
4. People look at you like you’re crazy if they have never lived the fixer-upper lifestyle.
But it’s the most awesome kind of crazy!
5. A weekend without plans is always the best because you have two whole days free to work on your house.
Spend an evening out on the town? No thanks! I would rather spend an evening covered in sawdust, plaster, and paint at home.
6. You lose your sanity from time to time.
I thought it was important to put this in the middle of the list because this tends to happen to me mid project.
7. Your garage, basement, or attic is where you hoard all of the various old house parts you’ve collected over time.
Light fixtures, windows and doors! Oh my!
8. People come up to you and ask when your house will be finished, and all you can do is laugh.
Finished? Don’t they know the work on an old house is never done?!
9. You seem to forget about losing your sanity once you finish a difficult project, and you can’t wait to take on another one.
That’s probably still classified as insanity but seriously, sanity is overrated.
10. Through all of the ups and downs that you face while fixing up an old house, you know a new, finished house would just be boring.
There’s no place like an old home!
AUTHOR CANDICE WHITLOW
As CIRCA’s resident old house restoration expert, Candi has lived her whole life in fixer-uppers. Her love for old houses stems from growing up in Doniphan MO, where there is an old house on every corner and the roots of her family tree run deep. She currently manages her father’s company, BARCO Construction and Design. Candi is on the board of the Doniphan Neighborhood Assistance Program and has worked closely with the City of Doniphan Historic Preservation Commission, documenting the city’s historic downtown buildings. She devotes most of her spare time to restoring her 1920s cottage-style bungalow that she shares with her husband Jake and their two dogs Rowdy and Mac.