When I was a younger person, I dreamed that one day I would own an old house, preferably a brick Italianate Victorian. It would have those beautiful long narrow windows, and it would have a window seat. I think the whole window seat idea was inspired by a favorite book, "The Velvet Room", in which the heroine discovers a secret library in a boarded up mansion, complete with velvet-curtained window seat for reading.

Anyways. I loved old houses. Our first home was built in the 1930s, which doesn't really qualify as old, but possibly vintage. That home taught me how to glaze windows, fix sash weights, paint, drywall, and many other things. I still hoped to live in an older house.

When it came time to find a new home though, we had other priorities-like closet space, and an attached garage. Which is how we came to be living in an even newer house. I still admire older homes though, and especially those people who take on the labor of love that is an old house.

Two books I've read recently cover this topic, David Giffel's "All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House", and "House: a Memoir" by Michael Ruhlman. Both authors are Ohio authors, and these stories are set in Ohio as well. David Giffel's house is in Akron and Michael Ruhlman's house is in Cleveland Heights.

There are similarities in these stories. Both houses are in deplorable condition, bought by folks who can see that behind the neglected facade is a future home for their families. The condition of the homes allows both families to buy much more house than they would've been able to afford if the houses had been carefully maintained.

The story of each restoration reads like a horrifying episode of "Renovation Realities" with finding raccoons in the attic, large rodent nests in the wall, and plumbing and electrical nightmares. And yet...beyond the expense of repair, there is always hope that someday this will be a home.

I finished both books too quickly and was sorry when they were over. I can't really imagine handling that type of renovation now. I think I could have done that when I was in my twenties or thirties, but now even thinking about standing on a ladder for any length of time makes my feet hurt. And honestly, I don't know if I could ever have handled the type of massive renovation these houses required. Some of it maybe. I couldn't handle the raccoon.

If you are interested in the history of homes, perhaps you would enjoy Bill Bryson's "At Home" which pretty much covers the history of everything, and I do mean everything in and pertaining to your home. Although I have to say that I prefer Bryson's travel books, ( A Walk in the Woods, The Lost Continent, In a Sunburned Country, etc), he has the ability to take what could be a pretty dry subject and make it entertaining.

I think I will also throw Emma Donoghue's "Room" into this post. This is a book I am listening to on CD. It is a compelling story told from 5 year old Jack's point of view. He has lived his entire life with his Ma in an 11'by11' room. At first Jack has no idea that he and his mother are prisoners, and that his mother was abducted at age 19. (She is 26 as the story is told) I am not quite finished with this story, but suffice it to say, it is disturbing. Well written, but disturbing. I don't know that I like the audio version all that much, I don't really care for the voices of the readers. I wish I would have tried this one as a book first!

Finally, remember that if you want to try home improvements yourself, the library has books on every topic, and if we don't have it at our library, we can almost certainly find it for you. How do you think I learned how to glaze windows?