Would you ever write an ode to your home? Well-known author, satirist and journalist P.J. O’Rourke, 65, does just that in a recent piece for the Wall Street Journal. In the piece titled “A Home Renovation by Frank Lloyd Wrong,” O’Rourke embraces the love he has for his 18th century New Hampshire home.
While the structure has its faults, which O’Rourke describes as “a place with the size of Downton Abbey, the charm of Levittown and the value of a FEMA trailer on a Colorado flood plain,” the New England home really does hold some charm.
O’Rourke describes the many renovations and home remodeling projects the home has sustained over the years — those upgrades simply adding more charm.
“The 1950s brought a picture window for the dining room, placed to frame the magnificent view….” O’Rourke writes. “And during the 1970s, the front wall of the living room…. wall was replaced by a bay constructed of three floor-to-ceiling sheets of insulated glazing.”
While he writes with humor and describes a handful of renovations that perhaps today don’t quite make sense, deep down O’Rourke embraces the changes his home has undergone over the years, and ends his piece saying perhaps now that his children know the history of the home they will keep it in the family.
Would your family feel the same way? Does your home hold charm and history that you want to maintain? Renovating and remodeling the most-frequently used areas of your home can add the lifespan you desire. Remodeling doesn’t mean every component needs to change either. We can help you maintain the history that made you purchase your home and preserve it for generations to come.