Once Upon

Once upon the seventies, a cabin was built in the woods outside of Nevada City.

The cabin was purchased by a couple from the Bay Area who enjoyed it for many years. Since it was a summer retreat, the cozy house stayed mostly the same throughout their tenure.

It was then purchased by a young family who fell in love with the area and then fell in love with the house. Many of the home repairs that had been put off were fixed, including a new roof, updated paint, and a bit of updating in the bathroom, but other maintenance was put off. The young family had bought the property at the top of the housing boom, and as their circumstances changed, they found themselves upside down. They placed the home that they loved on the market and waited and waited.

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Then a couple who had never considered owning a home until the prices became approachable viewed the house. After seeing the view and lingering on the deck, they knew they were in love. The couple offered full asking price, but the house was a short sale, so they waited and waited.

Finally, six months after making an offer, the house was theirs, and the dream of home ownership had been attained! The house seemed turn-key, but there were many updates the couple wanted to do to make it their home.

But then the deferred maintenance reared its ugly head, and the piece-meal way the house was originally built presented itself. There was more to be done than just cosmetic updates in the cottage. There was some major fixing to be done.

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And so the couple spent weekends and evenings for the next few years repairing the neglected cabin, slowly improving the building and making it their own. Each time they thought they were done, they found more that needed their help, but hopefully -- for the love of all that is holy -- hopefully, the major work was almost at an end and things like new counter tops and vanities and lighting and cupboard handles would finally get to have the spotlight.

And while the couple tried to complete the repairs from 35 years of water damage and neglect, at least there was beauty on the property to remind them of why they were working so hard.

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