Nobody ever saved up to buy some demolition.
So why do so many people want to purchase houses that are in ‘move-in’ condition only to immediately start a mental list of everything they want to change? OK, I get it. Things are much easier to modify than create. You can better imagine what space would look like by taking down a wall than what it will feel like with an entirely new floor plan. However, with demolition there is a negative return on investment that you get to quite quickly, where the cost goes up disproportionately for things that need to come down. Better to spend your money on the things you want, rather than on stuff you just want to get rid of.
When I view a property full of things I need to change, I actually feel offended. Like someone deliberately set out to make my life more difficult. But not everyone agrees with me. I’ve seen the look on people’s faces when they first set foot on the property. One day the home insurance agent came out to evaluate the condition of the property and assess our monthly fees. He took one look around, waved his hand and told us not to worry about the fees yet. It was clear to him nobody would be living there. We brought over some local friends who were eager to see it, their smiles fading into something between suspended disbelief and pity. The photos we posted online were met with all sorts of encouraging remarks. It wasn’t until we saw friends in person, and only after a couple glasses of wine they came clean. “So, the place in France. Why did you… Um. The actual house. Can you uh, live there?”
Strange to think that when Roy and I first saw the condition of the place all four of our eyes lit up. But I suppose that’s one of the reasons Roy and I are married and have remained so. We loved the dirt floors and deteriorating stone walls, the holes in the roof letting in little rays of sunshine, cracked beams holding up who knows what and for how long. We weren’t left to imagine, but could actually see how life might have been in the early 1800’s. All of our time and effort would be spent creating with none of the guilt of tearing down something historic. And we actually felt grateful to time and to mother nature, who kindly picked up the tab for the demolition.
