Getting to this dance

We did not land here by any mere accident of fate. My husband and I chose this path with eyes wide open. We might be brain-dazed by age, hardening of the arteries and years of sawdust and child rearing, but we are compos mentis.

Our first dance was over 35 years ago when we renovated a 400 sf cabin on Lake Zoar in Sandy Hook, CT. That was our initiation to the language of tool sharing, costly mistakes and design disputes. Four renovations and one design/build later we have prepared for what we hope is our best performance.

We first saw 29 West Street this summer. It was vacant, derelict and uninhabitable. It was exactly what we had been looking for. It had city water, city sewer and it was within walking distance of Main Street. It was less than half acre and 980 square feet. So we moved forward as quickly as possible to secure it from the family that inherited the property. That’s our son, Ian, in the photo with us. He is our biggest cheerleader.

He and our daughter Sarah have seen us through all our homebuilding adventures.