I recently read David Giffels All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House. I did this mostly to feel better about my house, which at least had electricity and (semi-)working plumbing when we bought it. Ironically, it has had neither for months now.
Giffels bought his money pit in Akron, Ohio, and his story rang true with me on several points. Here are my favorites
- p 83 Of staying married: “You know there’s a danger of divorce, don’t you? … I’ve seen it happen. It’s going to be stressful. A constant mess; no privacy; and there will be the inevitable ‘uh-oh’ factor. Something will go wrong. Fifteen percent of what you deal with every day will be something going wrong. Guaranteed.”
- p 172 Of cleaning up drywall dust: “It’s like cleaning up mud with a muddy rag and a bucket of mud.”
- p 225 Of finishing: “The last 10 percent of a project takes as long as the first 90 percent.” Noooooooo.
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