Nancy Drew and Mildew

A few days later I convinced my friends to trespass inside the house with me. I tried to call the owner to get permission, but unfortunately he was busy. As we worked our way to the front door swatting away cobb webs and creepy crawlers from every overgrown foliage, we noticed piles of shotgun shells in the carport.

“Was this a hunting clubhouse or something?” I said to my friends. “It was something, hopefully we won’t find any dead bodies” my friend said as I pointed to the excavated back patio.

We tried to open the front door and it was sealed shut. We could see that the moisture had swollen the door frame and we needed to push harder. One, two, three….

We finally made it inside and it was pitch black with wood paneling everywhere. It was clear that this house had not been lived in for 10 years. It was musty and the floors were blanketed in business sales sheets, old newspapers, and family photos from the previous owners. We moved the debris out of the way to look at the wood floors….1.5” red oak with a golden stain….the floors were perfect!

“This is a good sign, perfect floors!” I said. We went room by room around the house checking the floors under the carpet. We saw pink tile floors, green sinks, a laundry chute, and an intercom system…the house was like a time capsule from the 1950’s.

“Where is the kitchen” we all said simultaneously. We started to move our way downstairs. The mustiness and stench from mold or something was really thick. The electricity was off so it was dark and we used our phone flashlights to navigate the room. Wood paneling, wagon wheel light fixtures, moldy cabinets, and a wet cinderblock wall greeted us with a few critters in the ceiling.

We could see some water damage, but what I saw was an opening in the wall revealing healthy, sturdy and usable studs. After a while of peeling back moisture soaked paneling, we decided that the guts of the home were perfect.

“I need to check for moisture in the wood, asbestos, lead, etc and weigh the risk and feasibility of a remodel” (This would be my 5th, last and most extensive remodel).

I still needed to talk to the owner and find out more about this "scary orange carnage". We called a friend and she told us the home was built by the Williams family, Mildred and Bill, and the property was sold to contractors who wanted to build apartments next door. She said the home should not be torn down and that the new owners are supposed to remodel the home. Additionally, all of the details are in the Watkinsville City Council meeting minutes from 2019 and that night I found the minutes and details online. The board made a smart choice to preserve this home.

I went to visit the house one more time by myself when I knew that bats were not present. As I stood at the back of the home taking it all in, my heart was pounding…I could walk away, forget about it and let someone else forge this path or I could just keep pushing until every door closes. If I could get the house for the right price, I was confident that I could remodel the "scary orange carnage". I could live close to my best friends in the downtown area, recreate my dream home...the pros just kept stacking up. I let out a long sigh and a smile…

“This house needs a lot of work,” I thought. “This house needs me."