The Morning After

After winning my "back-up-plan" house in the Wayne County Auction, I was super excited and eager to get inside and see what I had gotten myself into!

The next morning, I drove over before heading to work, not figuring on getting in or anything (it was boarded up pretty well and I was dressed for work in heels, etc.), but I just wanted to see it in daylight.  I peeked in the windows as best as I could (most are well over my head) and ventured into the muddy jungle of a backyard. It was a jungle, seriously. And there was random discarded furniture back there, like a chair and this mattress. Oh, and there was a two-story addition precariously hanging off the back of the house that I hadn't noticed before.

After a few minutes, a neighbor came by and asked what I was up to. I excitedly told him, "I just bought this house!" He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "on purpose?".  Oh boy, what did I get into? Haha. He offered to help me get in, disappeared, then quickly reappeared bearing a power drill to remove the barricade from the back door. After removing a door screwed to the door, my new neighbor hopped through the window, finished removing screws from the inside, then opened the door and welcomed me into my new house. I was disappointed that I hadn't even brought a camera to document my first visit, but I suppose not looking through a lens really allowed me to take it all in.

I realize that most sane people will look at my photos (I documented everything as it was on my second visit) and think that this was a bad idea, but, really, I immediately fell in love with this house. The wood floors looked beautiful under their thick layer of dust. I loved the tilework in the entry and in the second floor bathroom. The diamond pattern leaded glass windows add great historic detail without being too fussy or ornate for my taste. The floor plan was as perfect as it could be for what I now have planned for the house. Probably my most favorite feature right off the bat was the fireplace. I've always wanted a fireplace and I just scored one. Love.

Here are those photos that I mentioned. It's a little tour of the house, before any clean up attempts were made. You may notice some evidence of squatters (clothes and other debris littered about), but overall I had seen much worse damage and messes in other houses that I checked out. Feel free to play the slideshow or scroll through at your leisure by using the control buttons at the top of the pictures.

So what do you think? Can you see the beauty of what once was and the potential for the future or are you thinking I've lost my mind? You can tell me, believe me, I've heard it! : )