Unless the Lord builds a house,
Proverbs 127:1
the work of the builders is wasted.
One of the serendipitous side-effects of hosting friends for a dinner party is the clean house (well, most of it). So Wednesday morning I took a quick tour with my camera to document the evidence.
More than that I am on a mission to encourage investment, restoration, commitment and “the good life” here in Tarboro’s unique and amazing historic district.
If you live in any city where property values are escalating this is an opportunity you do not want to pass up. Come be our neighbor. Restoration can be affordable and it’s a decision you will not regret.
Something to share:
Also, looking back over the past few months, I can see it’s been a long time since the last “Tour de MaulHall.” So (and as I still have absolutely nothing to share in the way of landscaping excitement) here is the latest – one year in – in terms of progress.
Our entry, and I think I mentioned this to our friends when they took the tour, is the room that tipped the balance for me when we were first considering the restoration. Things looked pretty grim in general, with holes in the floor, missing boards, holes in the walls, rot, foundation issues and more.
My gut said “Have nothing to do with this house” but Rebekah was falling in love. I did not feel any better when I walked around for a more detailed look, in fact the tour only served to confirm my skepticism. But there was something about the entry hall, its original twelve-foot ceilings and those heart-pine floors. Walking in through the front door gave me just a smidgen of hope – so I guess I could say that this place “had me at hello.”
I have written before about how important the ability to “vision” is when moving forward with any kind of a project. Rebekah has always had this gift, and it is one of the reasons her ministry initiatives have always proved so powerful and successful over the years.
She could see “the possibilities” with this house from the get-go, whereas all I could see was the “before” pictures to the left. She was imagining the image on the right before I could even grasp the fact that it was – in theory – possible.
So let me offer one more shout-out to realtor/contractor/investor Aaron Riggs, who took on this project without fully understanding just how much belief and imagination and energy and insistence Rebekah was bringing to the restoration.
I’m going to share one more “before and after” and then put in a gallery of the photographs that tell the story.
This next side-by-side is the second entry, right off the dining room. Our house had spent several challenging – and decaying – years split into two apartments. In fact, even though I have presented both the closing documents and the deed, the Town of Tarboro still insists that our electricity, water and waste bill is for “Apartment B.”
It is a rewarding exercise to take pause, once in a while, and reflect on what has happened over the past year or two. I am still very much convinced that, here in Tarboro’s amazing Historic District, we are at a tipping point, and that just a couple more thoughtful restoration projects are all that it will take for interest – and investment – to ignite.
If you are even vaguely thinking about it, then please talk with me. We will happily show you our house so that you can experience what is possible, and help you to understand exactly how this can be a cost-effective decision – as well as a solid investment. What we have done is more accessible than you know.
Restoration, renovation, rehabilitation, resurrection, renewal – all our favorite “R”-words and more.
We are grateful, in so many ways – DEREK
