“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
    your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
    for I have redeemed you.” – Isaiah 44:22

I’m not quite sure how much of this story my readers will continue to come back for; but for my part, I confess that every plot twist is captivating!

So here we are, getting into this very public house renovation destined to become “Maul-Hall East,” and we are beginning to move forward in earnest. Rebekah and I are making choices and commitments on everything from fixtures to appliances to kitchen design to tile to paint colors and more.

Tuesday Rebekah and I walked around the corner to take a quick look and the timing could not have been better. Our friend Aaron – the owner – was there talking with Eddie the carpenter and we were able to cover a lot of ground.

Overall a lot has happened since I first reported on this new adventure in my initial post (titled Restoration in Tarboro).

The master bath now has a door and a new shape. Facia has been cut away and repaired. The kitchen design guy is fine-tuning a plan. Serious renovations are underway on the beautiful front porch. The mason has drawn up plans for work around the crawlspace and the front steps.

It is like the wheels are turning, the train is starting to leave the station and we can tell that it is all beginning to pick up a head of steam.

Unique Situation:

One of the factors that makes this situation unique is that while Rebekah and I are captivated by the period design, at the same time we want to make this house as functional as possible in terms of how we live today.

Consequently we are picking out things like floor tile in the bathroom that will complement the hardwoods in the bedroom, and stone for the kitchen counter that honors the old bones of the house.

Meanwhile our friends have been doing some research and the consensus seems to be that this is likely a house from the late 1800’s. In my heart it would be beautiful and poetic if we found that our new home dates from 1874, the same year as the founding of Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church!

Shoutout to Aaron!

Finally, here’s a shoutout to Aaron Riggs, who is the one making all this happen. Aaron (having done an excellent job with the house next door) first dreamed of a restoration here, and we have hitched our dreams to his; he absolutely gets the revival and the renewal aspect of this project, and I know that he understands how our passion for the idea of redemption intersects with the faith we all share.

Stay tuned. And hang on tight, this is going to be quite the ride!

Peace, and joy – DEREK