You know what's funny about moving? You discover you've been hauling around boxes of stuff you haven't touched since the last move. Then you carefully pack it all up again, promising yourself you'll definitely use it this time. I'm trying to break that cycle with our latest move - emphasis on trying.

The Downtown Gem (2014-2022)

In 2014, Kathy and I fell in love with a 1906 fixer-upper downtown. It had this gorgeous gambrel roof and all the character you'd expect from a century-old house - including drafty windows, questionable wiring, and mysteries hidden behind every wall.

At 4,000 square feet with a wraparound front porch, it was a beauty waiting to be restored. We spent eight years bringing it back to life, maybe even better than its original glory. The local historical society helped me dig up some history, and I managed to track down a couple of mentions in old newspaper society pages. Not much, but enough to know this house had seen some parties in its day.

The real game-changer was replacing those gorgeous but impossibly drafty floor-to-ceiling windows with premium vinyl. The house suddenly felt solid and quiet - like it could finally relax after decades of letting the weather in.

The roof decision nearly killed me. Those original Courtright tin shingles had been painted so many times that sheets of paint were peeling off like confetti. But they were original. After much internal debate (and Kathy's patience), we went with architectural shingles. No regrets, but I still think about those tin shingles sometimes.

The real treasure was upstairs - 1,800 square feet of unfinished attic space that a 1950s real estate ad confirmed had been "unfinished" for decades. We turned it into a great room, bedroom, and my office. Finally, that space got to fulfill its potential.

Out back, we transformed the old mudroom into a pool room with a bar setup, complete with the original swing-in windows facing the backyard. We added a deck, installed a gunite pool, and went full tropical with hybrid palms and yuka plants. At the very back of our nearly three-quarter-acre lot (unheard of for downtown), I built a garage and utility building with metal roofs and a rocking chair porch on the utility building. It looked like a mountain cabin had wandered into our backyard.

It was our oasis. Summer parties, quiet evenings by the pool - I told Kathy they'd have to carry me out before I'd ever leave that place.

I was wrong.

The Grandson Effect (2022)

July 2022 changed everything. Our daughter had our first grandchild - Leo. We lived 4½ hours away but made it for the birth. A month later, she brought him to visit us.

That visit sealed our fate. We didn't want to be that far from family anymore.

By November 4th, we'd sold our downtown dream and bought an 1870s house with a wraparound front porch and good bones. Round two of restoration began.

This time: new roof, paint, flooring, HVAC ductwork, electrical, plumbing, septic, kitchen appliances, covered patio, fencing, and extensive decking for an above-ground saltwater pool. The works.

Plot twist: A year later, I discovered the original owner was my fourth cousin. I had no idea I had relatives in the area. Sometimes the universe has a sense of humor.

Living 20 minutes from Leo instead of 4½ hours was incredible. We babysat regularly, helped our daughter and son-in-law when needed, and my son-in-law became my go-to guy for heavy lifting on projects. In May 2024, granddaughter number two joined the tribe.

The Logic of Location (2025)

But here's the thing about perfect houses - sometimes the location isn't quite right. The distance from town and the direction away from our daughter's work kept nagging at us. After much discussion (and probably some spreadsheets on my part), we decided to move closer to town.

March 2025: Enter the modern cape-cod style home in a golf community. Completely different from our restoration projects, but not without its own needs. New roof, new appliances, pantry doors, fencing - because apparently, we can't buy a house without immediately improving it.

The walk-in attic became our latest project (you can see the video on this page) - office, movie area, fitness area, and hobby space for Kathy. Now we're in landscaping mode because, well, why stop now?

The Pattern

Three houses, three major renovations, one common thread: We can't seem to leave well enough alone. But each move taught us something about what matters most. First house: We learned to love restoration. Second house: We learned that being close to family beats having the perfect house. Third house: We learned that sometimes you can have both.

Now if I could just figure out what to do with all these boxes from the last three moves...

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