The Story Begins

Chance. That is what brought us here. Chance and good luck.

We drove to a small town in rural Alberta to look at a house we had come across in real estate listings. That house was never found but we did come across a small house on a wide street with a huge pine tree standing in the front yard. It looked a little doll house. A far cry from the over sized, cookie cutter, crowded buildings people are building as homes today.

When we got home we checked the listings and found the little doll house listed for a reasonable price. A price that at least made it worth looking at, especially when compared to the half a million dollars they wanted for homes in Calgary. A call to the real estate agent and we soon had our chance to view the interior of this quaint little home.

It was a cold, snowy day in December of 2012. We pulled up to the front of the house and saw doors open and curious activity going on. It wasn't long before the real estate agent came out to greet us....with an apology. It seemed that the home had been rented out but that tenant had moved out. The heat was off. The water was on. It doesn't take much to guess the rest.

We had made the long drive out already so we decided to have a look in the house anyways. I had an idea of what to expect but Carole on the other hand looked rather shocked from the moment she walked in the door.

Ice crystals covered the walls and ceiling and the smell was of something old. Very very old. A couple of steps told us the floor was anything but even. That floor was covered in a deep, once orange, shag carpet that the moisture squished out of as we stepped on it. One look at Carole and I could see her only thought was how quick can I make it out the door!

We pushed through anyways. Well I pushed through while Carole bravely followed behind me into the dank bowels of the house.

If you have ever visited a heritage site and walked through one of those old homes then you will understand what we were seeing. A few very small windows that barely lit tiny rooms. Doors that you almost had to turn sideways to walk through. “Unique” construction to make some semi modern amenities fit into the old structure. Wiring that ran the gamut from ball and knob on up. Floors that were so uneven you felt like you were walking through a fun house at the midway. You pretty much had to be there to understand.

I popped down into the crawl space, fired up a flashlight, and saw what I needed to see. My mind was made up! And I am pretty sure Carole's was at this point too so when we got in the truck and she asked me what I thought with a knowing grin on her face she was shocked when I said we should make an offer.

It took some convincing, some explanation, and some discussion, but we made an offer. It was an extremely low offer, not even worth the property value alone. We were pleasantly surprised when the offer was accepted, though I am not sure “pleasantly” is the proper word. On December 30^th, 2012 the doll house became our “project” and launched our decent into more then a year and counting of renovation work.

People have a way of looking at old things and not seeing any value in them because the are old or broken down. They want new, shiny, big. What they miss is the character that age and love and use brings to things of age. A little love and care and that character comes out along with the stories and history and so much more. This doesn't just go for homes and items but people as well.

You can follow this chapter in this home's life in this blog. Feel free to join in the story and add your comments.

Larry.