Our Journey
Jake and I became building owners almost 8 years ago. Our ambitions ideas to renovate a downtown building didn’t come without a backstory. We had both grown up with parents who remodeled the homes we were raised in. Then Jake and I bought my childhood home for our first home together and remodeled it again in our own style.
It was a life experience that is not for everyone, we always had a project going on, or a room that was gutted. I think we were without a kitchen for at least 6 months maybe a year in our young twenties. But when each project was finished, there is an amazing feeling of
accomplishment we love. Which is what has kept us going over the years with our buildings, we now own 4 buildings, 3 in our Downtown area. And some days it can feel like too much. The amount of time, energy, money and grief some days, it doesn’t feel worth the sacrifice.
There are a lot things that go into remodeling a building, and most of our spaces we have done a large majority of the work ourselves. This means working day jobs and then working on the buildings at night. It means that our children have learned how to crawl at some of these spaces and have done their homework on the floor while we install new trim. It means family pizza night is also bring your scooter to the new apartment we are working on while Mommy and Daddy take down the wallpaper someone so wonderfully put up in the 90’s. It means when there is toxic work like demolition Jake has to do the work by himself while I am a single mom for a few months. And when the project is done, and all of the colors and flooring and tile has all been shopped for, the walls are rebuilt, the trim is up, the kitchen and bathroom is completed and all the fixtures and appliances are installed, it is time for everyone to grab a broom and a towel and clean everything so we can start showing the space to possible tenants.
These buildings are quite an investment, and at times bitter sweet. But they are all done in love; sure we have moments when we are ready to sell everything and move to a tiny house in the middle of nowhere and just relax for the rest of our lives. But then other days we love remembering all the fun times and the laughter we have had remodeling each and every one of these spaces. We have fun giving them new life, and each one is a little different than the other space. When we are designing them we think about what we would like if we lived in each space. And we have fun with it. And so far we have had wonderful tenants, who have all enjoyed living in the spaces we are rebuilding, and we feel blessed by each one and blessed to have the ability to create a space people can be happy in!
