9 months of Labor in 10min

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.“

​Years ago, I told my neighbor that if she ever decided to sell her home to let me know because I was interested in expanding my business. Sure enough, she approached me just as the Covid pandemic had begun. After negotiating a price and looking at the prospect of losing my income as a boxing coach, I decided to move forward. With the "shelter in place" edict in effect, I was becoming stir-crazy and having a project like this would give me a goal or something I could look forward to that would benefit both me and my residents who were left without income themselves.

I thought that I could remodel the home myself much like, one of my literary heroes, Henry David Thoreau would have done. I would work two weeks in Dallas, and spend a weekend back home in Austin as my work cycle. This proved to be most difficult, as I would forgo many of my return home trips in order to meet schedules. Sleeping on an inflatable mattress hurt my back and left me with poor sleep. It was very tough mentally, in addition to the stresses faced by the pandemic. It was also tough financially on my residents, but this project gave me an opportunity to let them work off their debts. I am glad I can say I did it, but I'm not sure I would do it again. Thank you Lord for being with me and for sending your Angels to help me!

This is how I spent the last 9 months...

May​:

June​:
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I am not a professional; however, I really learned a lot on this project and developed my skills in flooring, electrical, plumbing, carpetry, stone, and tile.

July​:

August​:

September​:
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I had planned on getting a dog after the project, but a family friend was giving away puppies.  After seeing him, I knew he was the "puppy" for me!

October​:

The project slowly crept along, despite many set backs and obstacles... But at least I got to spend time with Family and even take a trip to NYC (aka Ground Zero) during the pandemic!

November​:

Just before the holidays I managed to squeeze in a 10 day water-fast!

December:

Tackling the stairs was quite an awesome challenge!

January:

Finally I could see the light at the end of the tunnel as the project drew to a close!  I was tired of sleeping on an inflatable mattress, and missed my comfortable life in Austin.

I would like to thank everyone who gave of their time, treasures, and talents to help build our community and new home:

Mom and Dad
Uncle J
Terry - Demolition & Paint. Tile, Flooring, Insulation & Carpentry Apprentice
Ethan - Demolition & Paint
Christina - the Best Helper a guy could have!!! Tile, Flooring, & Carpentry

Shout outs to:

Aiden - Counter Install Assistance
Blake - Tile Assistance
Joshua - Tile assistance, Dog care-taker, Heavy Lifting
Ian - TV Mounting Assistance

All of my residents, without whose support none of this would be possible

and most of all...
Thank You God!