I appreciate the time viewers have taken to reach out in response to watching me renovate one of my houses on television or on-line. People have asked about my background leading up to these projects in front of cameras. This is the beginning of a longer answer that I will share as I search for the best words.
Building has always been something I’ve enjoyed, and I came from a family that built and renovated their own homes. Playing in the sandbox as a boy was one of my favorite things to do in the backyard and LEGOS, or houses of cards were indoor go-tos. So, I spent a lot of time imagining how it might be fun to build things for real when I grew up.
In college I majored in international affairs and years later picked up an associate degree in construction engineering. Jobs during these years stoked this passion for building. I spent three summers working at a hometown lumber yard, loading and delivering supplies and materials throughout Darke County, Ohio, regularly peppering local homebuilders with my questions. And I spent five other breaks traveling as the low man on foundation and erection crews building glass and steel water tanks.
But during this decade, I was finding time to watch This Old House on Saturday mornings. And week after week, my dream to buy and renovate a home of my own, something that I would know needed to be renovated from the start, began to really grow.
I was thirty-one before I was able to call myself a homeowner, and because of student loans, I didn’t qualify for much. A bank was willing to partner with me as I took on a house condemned by local officials due to a devastating fire in the laundry room. To some, I’d made a big mistake and was wasting my time. However, twelve months later I received the certificate of occupancy, having overseen the transformation of the worst house on the block into the most valuable. And my career as a home renovator grew from there.
The Lifestyle of Rehabbing - Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 2 (January 26, 2026)
No comments:
Post a Comment