The Houses of My Life!

Ramblings

The Houses That Made Me Love House 173

Long before House 173, two simple homes quietly taught me how to work, how to appreciate old houses, and why their stories matter.

173 is a simple house. As a matter-of-fact, if you ask 10 five-year-olds to draw a house...9 of them will draw mine! Of course the 10th one will be a prodigy and will draw some Frank Lloyd Wright Craftsman bungalow with mission-style touches throughout. Yep, 173 is a simple house. But I love it! I drive a lot for my job, so I often have 2 to 4 hours to just think about stuff. Today I thought about the houses in my life, and how they probably lead me to 173.

Looking back, I don't think we choose our favorite houses entirely on our own. The places where we grow up quietly shape what feels familiar, what feels comfortable, and even what we dream about owning someday. I didn't realize it at the time, but long before I ever saw House 173, two other homes had already taught me exactly what "home" would look like.

The House Where I Learned to Work

I have no idea how many places I've lived in my lifetime.  I know there were at least 4 or 5 apartments when I was too young to remember, and several apartments in the '80s when I was just learning how to scratch out a living.  But there has been three houses that were truly important to me.  The first one is my parent's house.  This is the house I really grew up in, from the age of 8 (ish) through high school. And this is probably the most important house in my life, from reasons esoteric to practical!  

A House That Needed Us

When my parents bought their house it was in pretty rough shape.  Here's a picture to give you an idea:

That's the back of the house.  I don't know what year it was, but my Dad and I (okay, almost entirely Dad) spent the better part of a summer (and precious baseball time) to take a wire brush to every single shake on the house.  Thaaaat's right...wire brush, scrub scrub scrub, next shake.  One infernal shake at a time.  I believe the picture  shows where Dad pulled off shakes to replace rotted or broken shakes on other places on the house.  After all that, the house looked like this...

Lessons That Took Years to Appreciate

And I guess that's the point here...I spent some time when I was a kid helping dad work on the house.  I won't pretend to be able to put into words what those years mean to me.  Not only did I learn how to do things, but I learned how to work.  Not so much at the time though...I was kind of a lazy kid, just wanted to play "guns" or baseball or whatever else was going on in the neighborhood.  But I did do some things, I learned how to fix cedar shakes, some electrical work, plumbing, sheetrocking, and who knows what else.  More importantly I learned to appreciate what I had, and that you couldn't wait for just weekends and vacations to get work done on the house.  My only wish is - I wish I didn't complain as much and paid closer attention to what was going on!  Youth is wasted on the wrong people.  By-the-way, here's Mom and Dad's house some 40 years later:

Grandma's House and Simple Beauty

Then there was Gramma and Grampa's house.  I spent a lot of time in this house.  I was fortunate to have two uncles who were just about my age, so the house was a second home to me.  I never did any work there, with the exception of mowing the yard a time or two (I probably griped about that too), but this little house holds a lot of memories:

Simplicity and Character

I think the house is a simple "American Farmhouse" style.  I love the simplicity and the lines.  It has character, life, it has stories to tell!  These are the two houses that really influenced my life.  Is it any wonder I fell in love with 173?

Why House 173 Felt Like Home

It's old, it's simple, and it reminds me every day of my childhood.  There's not a wall, door or floor that's plumb, square or level, but that's what we call "character" these days!  I've learned to live with its crookedness, straighten up what I can, and appreciate what I can't.  I love the story of 173. The father of the guy across the street built almost every house on my block, including mine.  I know the family that owned this house since it was built, they lived in it for 60 plus years!  

Every Old House Has Its Stories: Zapping Raccoons

It has funny things about it.  When we first bought the house we found some rolled up wired with clamps on them attached to a transformer in the basement.  I wondered what kind of weird stuff went on down there!  Turns out, they used to run the wires out the basement window and attach them to the old metal trash cans.  When the raccoons got into the trash - ZAP!  A little shock chased them away!!

I love that story.  There's other stories like that, maybe I'll save them for another post, but isn't great to know the stories of your house?

So these are the houses of my life.  Two great houses that lead me to 173.  I'm a lucky guy!

Hey, thanks for stopping by... see ya' next time!

This didn't read like a history of three houses, it read like an origin story.

By the end, I realized the real subject wasn't cedar shakes, crooked floors, or even House 173. It was inheritance, not the kind measured in money, but in habits, values, and ways of seeing the world. A father who taught by example. A grandmother's house that quietly became part of your emotional landscape. And finally, a house that somehow felt familiar before you ever owned it.

The line that stayed with me was your wish that you'd complained less and paid more attention. Nearly everyone who has worked alongside a parent or grandparent will recognize that feeling. It's honest, a little bittersweet, and deeply human.

Then, just when the post could have become overly sentimental, you ended with raccoons getting a harmless jolt from electrified trash cans. I laughed out loud. That's classic House 173: thoughtful, nostalgic, and always willing to leave readers smiling with one last neighborhood story. - Anonymous Reviewer

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do childhood homes leave such a lasting impression?

The homes we grow up in shape how we think about family, work, craftsmanship, and what "home" feels like long after we've left them.

Why do you enjoy old houses?

Older homes often have unique craftsmanship, history, and character that tell the stories of the people who lived there before us.

Did working on your parents' house influence your DIY skills?

Absolutely. Even though I didn't always appreciate it at the time, helping my dad taught me practical skills and a work ethic that still guide projects at House 173 today.

Why keep an old house instead of buying a newer one?

For many homeowners, an older house offers personality, history, and a connection to the past that newer homes often can't replicate.

Does every old house have stories?

Maybe not all of them, but many do. Sometimes they're found in old photographs, longtime neighbors, previous owners, or quirky discoveries hidden inside the walls.

Why is House 173 special?

Beyond its architecture, it's a home with known history, familiar families, and connections to the neighborhood that make it feel like part of a continuing story.

Keywords

old house stories, childhood home, family home memories, historic homes, DIY homeowner, House 173, home restoration, old house character, preserving old houses, homeownership journey