Origins: That house from Hell

The Problem

I lived in New England for nearly 30 years in a house that was built in the 1920s. It was not well maintained and for the years I was in it, believe me, it wasn't "Made Better" for a long time. I was depressed. I went through some really sad times in that place. Okay, a lot of sad times, but in 2018, I came out here to Colorado to visit my sister, who had moved here nearly 30 years before that. I saw the mountains. I knew I was leaving New England. I didn't know how or when, but I knew.

The Turning Point

The house was, as they say, "underwater" for over 13 years! The market turned around in 2020 and now that house was, well, kind of my ticket out. Now it was something I could finally fix, sell, and come out here!

I had a strong background in construction, but not in home repair. It was all commercial, and believe me, they're different worlds. Still, I had to fix that place up, alone! The ticket had a big price. That's all I did from 2021 to 2022. This leads to how I actually got into the business. I never dreamed I would do this.

The Work

I worked to the bone in that house. I was about 210 lb when I started. When I left, I was 167 lb—gaunt, malnourished, and exhausted. I lived on coffee, sugar, Snickers bars, chewing tobacco (which I have long since stopped), and maybe some water. I worked at the house every waking hour, 18–20 hours a day. In fact, to keep the Colorado goal in view, I hung a painting of the mountains in the living room you can see below.

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Stairs Before

Stairs After

It was more like obsession. When I finally went to sell the place, this was the turning point. My first agent didn't do so well, and then I found the second one. Little did I know I met, kind of an accidental angel—someone named Lynn Aucoin.

When she found out that one person did all this work from the very bottom of that house in the basement all the way to the roof, she really couldn't believe one guy did all this. As we were going through the process of listing the house and selling it, she said, "You know, you really should be doing this." I said, "Doing what?" She said, "This is what you should be doing: fixing things, solving problems. You should make this a business."

The Result

I finally sold that house in late 2022 and only made a few thousand dollars more than I owed between the mortgage and a mind-blowing circumstance that took all the profit. Otherwise, I still had nothing!

Then I had to go to my sister's in Massachusetts. I meant to stay for a month or two and then come out to Colorado. I wound up fixing, well, almost her entire house, too. I didn't expect to be there another couple years, but there was a lot to do! But anyway, when I finally came out here to Colorado, all I had was my eyes set on starting over, starting a life, and doing exactly what I do. And here I am. Thanks for reading.