Is it true that houses, especially old ones, soak up the emotions of the occupants? What about a new house with old things? Do the “things” bring the emotions with them? If so, I am in for a treat…. Let me explain…

I’ve always wanted to buy an old house and fix it up. Wisely, my sweetheart was opposed to this idea. I wanted my home in Washington to look like the old farmhouses that I took pictures of while we lived in Oregon. When we moved to Utah I wanted my home to look like the cute older homes we would see in the old neighborhoods of every once-small-town. I never got my old house (sigh of relief), but I still love the look!

You may recall that we had to build upon our original footprint. We turned our home so that the front door will face east and then gave it a small garage. This provided the hoped for facade. Now what else could I do to bring a little character and historical charm to the project? Purchase antiques and incorporate them wherever I could… of course.

Let’s begin with antique windows (it is mostly just antique windows). I knew that I wanted one for the front bay of the home – this was essential for the right look. I found one in Maine that took months to arrive. We finally received the message to come and meet the trucker who was driving all over the country delivering antiques. Her truck had broken down – thus the delay. There it was – not even wrapped up! We met her a truck stop, she dug through her wares, handed it to Mark and was on her way.

While awaiting the delivery of this window I found a dealer on eBay and ordered a stained glass window that displayed a fruit bowl – perfect for a kitchen. It arrived within a week and was incredibly well wrapped. It now has a place above my pantry door and will eventually be lit from behind. I thought this idea of mine quite ingenious. My builder just told me how skeptical he had been about the whole fruit-bowl-above-the-door thing… but I think he is ok with it now…

In truth, he was skeptical about all of my antique glass. Though he just admitted it to me last week, I have known the whole time. I perfectly recall how his face clouded over as I explained my plan to incorporate these old windows into my new home. Fortunately my designer – now project manager – was very patient with me and it has all worked out and the whole team loves them.

I loved them from the beginning and perhaps got a little carried away – well, I would love to have purchased a whole lot more but disciplined myself to know when to stop. There was one more I really wanted that had some pink glass…. oh well. Mark was very supportive and eventually chose a window of his own which is now a transom in our family room. (They are mostly transom windows.) I found a set of eight matching windows – they are only fifty-ish years old. Someone in Pennsylvania had them made to restore an old Victorian home. I thought that fifty was old enough, but all the rest are one hundred years old or more.

Not all of them have a story. Two were put into doors and they came from a salvage yard in Portland. We found them a couple years ago while on vacation. During this same time we found an antique fireplace surround which is now in my bedroom. Mark was happy to drive back to Portland for these items because he also found an antique desk that he loved. It will definitely have its place in our home as well. We would have had a very small attic-style upstairs if Mark had not wanted an office with a deck so that he could talk on the phone outdoors. He only had a few requests and I gave him whatever he wanted. So now I have a large upstairs, an antique desk and Mark’s deck (Dad’s deck)! I am sure that he is pleased!

I bought the rest of the windows from an antique dealer in Ohio. Fortunately Natalie was playing on the BYU racquetball team – they took first place in NCAA nationals that year and guess what? Their games were in Ohio! I was still too sick to travel but Mark flew out to cheer her on, then rented a van, picked up the windows and drove the two days home! What a guy!

There were two other items that I saved from our original home that will bring some emotion along with them. I really enjoyed getting to know Kathy, the previous homeowner. She was very friendly as well as being the most artistically talented person I have ever met. You name it, she could do it and do it well! She would be a great neighbor! We shared many of the same tastes and I know she loved this little piece of land as much as I do – so I wanted to bring a little “Kathy” into my home. Therefore I saved her clawfoot tub. She had it painted green with gold feet and I had it done black and white. There was also a quirky little light in one of her bathrooms that I thought would always remind me of her. It will hang in the front upstairs dormer – perhaps you will see it as you approach my home?

So then… I hope that my new home will soak up the emotions of its occupants… I am keeping it plural because I will have friends here with me whenever I can. I hope that these pieces I have incorporated will share the emotions they carry. Actually I don’t want to know what those 100 year-old windows know – might get weird – but I will feel the emotion of a devoted husband who drove for days to bring them to me! If I am lucky I might catch his ghost hanging out on that upstairs deck!!

ps – I keep being asked how the house construction is coming along. Right now lights are being hung, plumbing installed and hopefully the tile guy will show up soon. I am getting a little desperate to stop paying for storage units! Most of my things will be moved in soon and though I am anxious to no longer be homeless, I will be staying with my parents for a couple more months.