This little gem had a scary 18” outward bow in one of the load bearing exterior walls, the steel beam holding up most of the second floor was sitting on a less than adequate foundation, and the already inadequate 2x4 floor joists installed by the previous owner were sagging beyond repair. My clients saw something in this house that other potential buyers couldn’t see and set out to create their “forever house” for themselves and their two young girls. The difference between the before and after photos is astounding. This was a two-phase construction project where they were to reconstruct the Main Floor and Basement first, move in, and build the second floor while living there. Once we opened up the Main Floor and found many new hidden challenges, we modified the design of the upper floor such that all of the structural loads were directed to the exterior walls to alleviate the need to use the weak interior walls to hold up the house…. in case we found more surprises later. In addition, the project schedule did not halt for wet winter weather. The creative waterproofing techniques employed by Reddan Construction allowed the family to comfortably live in the newly finished Main Floor, while he ripped off the entire second floor and roof and built anew. It was very impressive. The quantity of time and decisions required from homeowners throughout a regular, straightforward remodel already deter many feint-of-heart folk. This half-dilapidated structure delivered more surprises than Santa Claus. It was shocking how much they could digest while continuously making logical, thoughtful decisions.