In late January of 2001 I bought a distressed property in Davidson County on the west side of Nashville, TN. The house sits just outside the city services zone but still a 10 minute drive to downtown. The lot is one acre with country vistas and the promise of upwardly moving property values due to suburban development.

I've been renovating ever since...mainly on my own, with the occasional help of my multi-talented and sometimes willing brother and the good luck of a friend or two when I really needed someone to help, or just hold something. There have been a couple of unsuspecting friends that have commited to help on a bigger project without really understanding what a big job it would be.

By now, all my friends have figured out that if I am actually asking for help...they need to be previously committed. So I've learned how valuable a lowly clamp can be and how ingenious I can become when there just HAS to be an extra pair of hands...and there isn't. I've also paid done some projects for other friends and family that don't quite understand why I am so willing to help them. I believe that you put your energy out into the world - good or bad - and it comes back to you in kind. So I decided I was overdue giving help instead of getting it, and some lucky people have unsuspectingly been the benefit of my karmic balancing act.

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The original floorplan was basically a small "four square". The large area at the bottom of the plan (the front of the house) was two 15x15 foot rooms. The wall dividing those rooms came down first and in 2009 I finally figured out that by sacrificing some space in the entry room I got an inviting entry and a really nice BIG walk in closet.

I have since turned the front (entry) room into a full blown office since I am now working primarily from home. After years of walking through that area and not knowing what it needed to be, it has a function other than a place to drop my road gear. My biggest challenge is to keep it neat since it is the first thing you see when you walk in the door.

Below is the floorplan in 2008. The only change in 2009 is the utility room. I put up a wall with a sliding door and turned that area into a jewel box of a guest room.

Thanks so much to all my dear friends and family for lots of support and enough patience to listen to my constant chatter about projects and plans.

I also need to thank all the people and companies that have put energy into solid, informative websites and books with step by step instructions on how to do a myriad of projects. Your pictures and descriptive How TO pages have enabled me to plan and complete projects that were far beyond my level of expertise.