701 Gilpin Street Part 1

First, I need to express my deep gratitude to the home on 701 Gilpin Street for not only housing us, but sheltering many others since its construction in 1940.  In so many ways it has done its job as a dwelling.  

I do not say this next thing lightly: it is 2011, oil is over $100 a barrel,  and this home's job is coming to an end.  

701 Gilpin.  Uncut. One naked baby on my hip and another in my belly.

When we first purchased this property I was clear that I would never never never live in the house on it.  It was fairly scary to me.  For instance, the neighbors affectionately refer to it as the, "asbestos spider ranch."  (They didn't share this name with me until after we moved in. Thanks guys.)  Yes, it contains asbestos and spiders.  The asbestos is safely contained and the spiders, contrary to the last tenants claims, are NOT Black Widows. 

The more we wanted to move to town, and build a little place on the lot, the more this home became a possibility for us. (What is that my friend Sarah always says about the word "never"?!?) We called our renters to see if we could do a walk-through and make a decision. 

It was pretty rough: broken windows, one of which was replaced by Plexiglass and cardboard, a stove with two broken burners, leaky faucets, a broken toilet top, another toilet falling through the floor, rotting wood in the shower surround, sagging ceilings and floors throughout, nasty carpet, holes in the floor, a bee bee gun target in the living room, a bullet hole in the front door glass, tons of junk all over the lot including a water heater, a mattress, 5 broken bikes, tires, dumb-bells (?), an old Pepsi machine (??).  I should stop.  We sound like slum lords.  This is the truth: OUR RENTERS LOVED THIS PLACE!!  We had a group of guys living here for 10 years before we owned it and they called it home.  For them it was ideal: inexpensive rent, close to town, and not fussy.  For a family with two small children, it didn't seem so ideal.  Specifically, the broken windows and the holes in the floor had me worried.