All the Way Home Building a Family in a Falling_Down House

by David Giffels

Finding the perfect house is never easy. Rebuilding one from a crumbling pile--to say nothing of making it into a home--is even harder.With their infant son in tow, David Giffels and his wife comb the environs of Akron, Ohio, in search of just the right house for their burgeoning family. Running through David's head the whole time are the lyrics of a Replacements song, . . . Look me in the eye, then tell me that I'm satisfied, and it gives all the more purpose to their quest. But nothing seems right . . . until they spot a beautiful, decaying Gilded Age mansion. A former rubber industry executive's domain, the once grand residence lacks functional plumbing and electricity, leaks rain like a cartoon shack, and is infested with all manner of wildlife. But for a young man at a coming-of-age crossroads--suspended between a perpetual youth and an inevitable adulthood--the challenge is exactly the allure.All the Way Home follows Giffels's funny, poignant, and confounding journey as he and his wife and a colorful collection of helpers turn a money pit into a house that will complete their family. Nothing could prepare them for a home restoration epic that includes evicting squatters (both four- and two-legged), battling an invading wisteria vine, hunting a ghost, and discovering thousands of dollars in hidden Depression-era cash. But the story's heart lies deeper, in an unexpected series of personal hardships that call into question what home really means, and what it means to grow up.Written with the humor and insight of Bill Bryson and John Grogan, All the Way Home is the engaging tale of a young father's struggle to restore a house and find his way . . . without losing himself.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Biography Memoir, Family, Biography, Book Club

Paperback

First published May 27, 2008

About the author

"Barnstorming Ohio" author David Giffels has written six books of nonfiction, including the critically acclaimed memoir, "Furnishing Eternity: A Father, a Son, a Coffin, and a Measure of Life," published by Scribner in 2018. The book has been hailed by the New York Times Book Review as “tender, witty and ... painstakingly and subtly wrought,” and by Kirkus Reviews as “a heartfelt memoir about the connection between a father and son.” It was a Book of the Month pick by Amazon and Powell’s and a New York Times Book Review “Editors’ Choice.”

His previous books include "The Hard Way on Purpose: Essays and Dispatches From the Rust Belt" (Scribner 2014), a New York Times Book Review “Editors’ Choice” and nominee for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay, and the national-bestselling memoir "All the Way Home" (William Morrow/HarperCollins 2008), winner of the Ohioana Book Award.

​Giffels is the coauthor, with Jade Dellinger, of the rock biography "Are We Not Men? We Are Devo!" and, with Steve Love, "Wheels of Fortune: The Story of Rubber in Akron."

A former Akron Beacon Journal columnist, his writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic.com, Parade, The Wall Street Journal, Esquire.com, Grantland.com, The Iowa Review, and many other publications. He also wrote for the MTV series "Beavis and Butt-Head."

His awards include the Cleveland Arts Prize for literature, the Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, and a General Excellence award from National Society of Newspaper Columnists. He was selected as the Cuyahoga County Public Library Writer in Residence for 2018-2019.

Giffels is a professor of English at the University of Akron, where he teaches creative nonfiction in the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts Program.

Reviews

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

How many of us harbor a secret desire to rescue an old wreck of a house, lovingly restore it and live in it happily all our days?
How many, like me know we just don't have what it takes? Heck, I can't even get around to painting the ugly walls in the dining room of my only 34 year old house. They were that ugly Poupon mustard color when we moved in 14 years ago, and I will probably paint them when I sell the house.

So, I loved reading "All the Way Home," David Giffels' account of how he and his wife Gina have done just what I have the desire but not the ambition to do with a wonderful 100 year old home in Akron, Ohio. They have made this home their life's work, and have raised their children there.
This is not a sugar coated account. All the bad smells, dead animals, rotten floorboards, and other nasty surprises are there, including a tiny old lady who refused to leave the premises after she sold them the house. On the plus side, they did find something in a wall!

[Chris Aylott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this might just be a repeat of Michael Ruhlman's House, but it might actually be even better. A few years back, David Giffels and his family bought a 1913 mansion in Akron that was days from being condemned and torn down, and being an inveterate fixer-upper, Giffels did his best to fix it all himself.

(No, he hasn't seen The Money Pit.)

The story is funny and touching, as such things should be, and Giffels can write. You can feel the collapsing grandeur of the house he bought, and it's easy to understand why taking on the challenge of rebuilding it was irresistible.

Now if I can only use this as motivation to finally get the various cracks in our drywall fixed. David Giffels rebuilt a house, so there's no reason we can't fix some drywall, right? Right?

[CatReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his 2008 book All the Way Home, writer David Giffels recounts his misadventures buying a dilapidated, possibly haunted, early 20th century mansion for a song (complete with a real-life Miss Havisham he has to evict) in Akron, Ohio, and deciding to rebuild the house himself. Though Giffels' humor is self-deprecating, it's probably not for everyone; it missed more often than it hit for me.

Further reading: misadventures in renovation/construction
A House Restored: The Tragedies and Triumphs of Saving a New England Colonial by Lee McColgan
Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Death Valley by Brent Underwood

My statistics:
Book 176 for 2025
Book 2102 cumulatively

[Gayle Pritchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the best creative non-fiction reads of my life. Giffels is such a talented writer, and he outdoes himself here, as he deftly sets the pace and tone from the very first scene. The story is beautiful, funny, profound and banal all at once. I especially enjoy the chance to see the world through the eyes of a guy, especially one who is willing to put his honest feelings on the page. David Giffels is by turns goofy, dense, funny, sweet, heroic, smart, sexy and charming. He is my idea of a man. Here's an example of what will surely lure you in: "The wall in the far corner had crumbled; water from somewhere. More moss carpet; a dirty chandelier dripping with diamonds; windows we couldn't see behind draperies we weren't allowed to touch. It had a fireplace with green-and-black marble and a mantel decorated with Beaux Arts garlands and ornate rose medallions in half relief across the front. Slender, Colonial-style grooved spindles supported the delicate manteltop. It looked like a trophy wife's wedding cake."
Can you see it? Are you there? The entire book is this: real, honest, clever and funny with a wonderful story worth reading.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because it is about a man with a young family restoring an old mansion in Akron, OH. Having lived in that area for 10 years..I was curious. It is at times funny and sad. He gives a good mental pictures of the house and how completely awful it is. Big holes in the roof, animals, walls crumbling, no plumbing or electricity.
He talks about his love for his wife and child..his role as a father to provide for them (the house) but also how he feels guilty about neglecting them, because of the house. I think we all feel this way as we try to balance being with our children and spouse and trying to get our work done, and having time for ourselves.
I liked how I could relate to the setting. The only thing missing was pictures! I would have loved a visual of the house.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just enjoyable start to finish. As someone who lives in an older home (of the "semi-remarkable" variety, by the author's description), I have to admire anyone with the vision to take on a project of this magnitude.

Given my own experience with home renovation and those of my friends, I expected a certain level of discomfort to accompany my reading, the kind born of familiarity with impending disaster--but no. Giffels manages to carry the reader along on a tide of optimism.

[Jaz Prez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read unexpected read. Joined a work book club - our work is preservation focused. The book was hit incredibly close to home in many ways. Squirrels in the home are truly devastating, wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy, the raccoons around Akron that I’ve seen are large (weird), WOOD OVER PLASTIC everyday of the week. Here’s to purchasing old homes and doing our best to keep them alive and well.

[Mary Kay Bidlack · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband and I watched our new house being built. Ten years later I lived in a house built in 1866 for five months while my contractor restored it all around me. And we loved the Cary Grant movie "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House." So I was already for "All the Way Home." I liked the writing style; I feel I would really like the family that lived in the house. I applaud them for actually living through their experiences. The ending seemed a little abrupt, but maybe the house owners and the book readers just could take any more disasters.

[Aris Slabaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a worthy read, especially if you live in a rust belt city, even more especially if you’re familiar with Akron, OH. Giffels is a very talented writer, and the story he tells of restoring a condemned mansion to be made into a home for his young family mirrors the story of Akron itself - a city with former grandeur that has seen decay, but that has also seen a lot of ongoing and renewed life, and as a result has a deep character and sense of home for those who live there.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You've heard the old adage, "stranger than fiction". Well, this book about buying and remodeling an old house while at the same time, building a family is just this.

I had lots of respect for columnist, David Giffels, before and have even more now, but the man is insane!

Most people go to work and when they come home want to relax -- not Giffels. He is easily bored and looking for that next BIG home project.

Gina Giffels says that most women say they have a hard time getting their husbands to do work around the house ... not Gina. Her husband is obsessed with this house. He's always trying to finish just one more project.

Anyways, they bought a house in a nice section of Akron -- part of the roof was missing, critters such as raccoons and squirrels were living in the ceilings and walls and to top it all off, there was the smell of cat urine everywhere!

Twelve years ago, the Giffels started rehabbing this house. First, was just getting the house structurally sound and then came other things like obtaining running water and rewiring the house; not to mention "fixing" all that areas that contained lead based paint.

The really scary thing about all of this is the realization that this was not some uninhabited house that they bought. Rather, there was an old lady living here when they made the deal and bought the house.

Also, during this time, the Giffels had one child, Evan who was a toddler at the beginning of this project. The Giffels' not only had to make the house safe and habitable for them, but for a toddler, as well. They were also trying to have another baby and suffered 2 miscarriages before baby Lia was finally born.

This book details their lives through the first few years of this project and all the problems and obstacles they encountered along the way. This is a real life version of the movie, The Money Pit!

[Jill]

I read this for a book club and was surprised at how riveting it was! It helps that I live nearby Akron (in Cleveland) and live in my own almost 100 year old home. I also related to this couple because they bought their house around the same time as me, when they were starting a family 10 years ago, and also decided to live in an old historic home with lots of character. This house has so many stories, from animals in the attic, to a Miss Havisham type old lady who almost doesn't leave, even to the possible ghost! The only downside is that I desperately wanted photos of the before and after! There is one photo in the book of the house either right when it was built or after the renovation. I'm definitely going down to Akron to check it out!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this book! Having grown up in akron, I figured I would like reading about my hometown but I never thought I would like it so much. David is a talented writer with great snarky comments. We see the world the same way. I always wondered if I could buy one of those dreamy houses and fix it up. Now I can simply live vicariously.

[Vicki Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, kept me involved right to the end, however, I expected more humor. It was kind of a flat description of the difficulties involved in resurrecting an old house. I wanted more of the history, I wanted to know more about the old lady who was sitting there. I wanted more humor, instead I got some pretty depressing information and lots of psyche insight. Not exactly my cup of tea.

[Traci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved Giffel's writing in this book. Very cute story. Probably helps that I was born & raised in Akron. Overall very enjoyable -- I especially loved his descriptions of the Goodyear Blimp. :)

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very close to perfection for me, like an extended and updated version of my beloved Dreaming In The Dust . Except with a house that started in waaaay worse condition -- the subtitle is not an exaggeration; parts of the roof were GONE and bricks would literally randomly fall off the outside wall. Giffels gave me spades upon spades of detail about the beautiful architectural design they were trying to save, as well as a mammoth amount of detail about how much work it entailed just to make the health-hazard house HABITABLE, let alone restored to its former glory. Bonus: there's also a fair bit of detail on the much smaller but still Victorian home they first lived in did some renovating on.

He certainly doesn't look like a guy who would have a lot of hands-on knowledge about home construction, as opposed to a white collar office guy with more experienced relatives plus personal unlimited enthusiasm for researching things and Trying Stuff, so I'm all the more impressed by his ability to take on a project of his magnitude. I still can't believe they even considered bringing a toddler into a disaster house like that, let alone were able to do so (albeit a little later than planned, and with restricted access to some areas).

I'm SO glad I was able to borrow the paperback edition with several before and after photos included, because it really enhances the text. I also appreciated the blueprint sketch of the layout for the first and second floors at the beginning, because I was frequently flipping back and forth and comparing it with the exterior photos to get a sense of the house and where he described being at any given time.

I enjoyed his personality -- the packrat-like aspect of saving every possible piece of building material for future use, although it sounds like he actually is pretty successful at repurposing what he salvages. Love to see respect for the old parts even when the whole can't be saved. I really appreciated that one of their motivations for buying the house was its "story" -- its history -- because that's the kind of person who SHOULD be buying these houses, instead of the people who want to totally modernize them inside, or worse, knock them down to build their own dream house because they really bought it for the property/location.

The house's history isn't fully explored until the end (in a very satisfying and beautifully told manner that was very much worth the wait), but there are enough bits and pieces sprinkled in throughout to get a sense of how it slipped into such decline, beginning with the death of the family's patriarch some 30 years before in 1965. I felt very sorry for poor Mrs. Radnor, because that could easily have been me in her shoes. My family has lived in the same house since 1950 and I love it, despite not being nearly as grand or beautiful as hers once was, but I have little to no concept of proper home maintenance. (Thankfully, my dad was and is handy enough to keep up the basics, and my brother is very much like Giffels and has spearheaded numerous repair projects.) I am still curious how her daughter let it get that bad without intervening, though...

Anyway. I also liked that his wife, Gina, was given a few chapters to share her own perspective on things, because she was just as excited to get the house, even though at times it (very fairly) began to seem overwhelming on top of raising a young child ("people don't spend $55,000 [in home repair alone] to have raccoons in their attic!" She's right and she should say it.).

Really, the only thing that didn't click for me with this was his sometimes overly-chatty writing style. (If I had to read "(a billiards room!)" one more time... it's not that incredible, dude. Certainly not more so than having a whole separate set of servant staircases, or a reflecting pool, or a solarium, or a master suite that takes up half the second floor, complete with a second "summer" bedroom.)

But my annoyance with that has faded quickly, to the point that I remember nothing but enjoyment, and I look forward to reading his next memoir.

[Patty Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is David’s story about buying a condemned tudor mansion in Akron, Ohio and re-building it — brick by brick and stick by stick — and making it a home for his growing family.  Built in 1913, the home had been neglected for decades.  With barely any roof overhead, the house was filled with rodents (of unusual size), and 55 roasting pans used to collect water.  No plumbing, minimal electricity, and walls that literally crumbled upon touching, David and Gina took on a challenge that no one else would dare dream of accepting.  Certainly not a journalist with minimal construction-skills, except a life-long passion for re-purposing everything from couches to driveways.

“This was my custom:  instead of learning the right way to do something, I applied arrogance to my ignorance, forging ahead despite my self-created obstacles.”

I will admit that it seems odd to feel at home in a book — especially in regard to a book that is written about renovating a home that you have never seen.  But that is exactly how I felt reading  All the Way Home.  Perhaps it is because I used to live within a mile of this house during a recent one-year tenure in Akron, and unknowingly drove by it a thousand times.  Or perhaps it is because, as I was reading David’s story, I could imagine myself having a beer with him at the local pub we frequented when we lived there.

Regardless, reading Giffels' book was like putting on warm, fuzzy slippers and nestling into my favorite reading chair.  His writing is witty, charismatic, and captivating.  I found myself laughing out loud to myself, and then looking around for my husband to share the funny anecdote.  David is also painfully honest as he describes the trials and tribulations that they endured — the strain on his marriage; his guilt at missing his son’s toddler years as he slaved over the house; the numerous miscarriages his wife suffered; and his own ignorance at the enormity of the project.  The story is as magnificent as the house itself.

David had to literally kick out the prior owner -- an elderly woman carrying a 1972 Avon catalog with her as she walked out the door for the final time — one week after he took possession of the home.  He used his vintage amplifier and electric guitar to try to evict a family of squirrels camping out in the attic above his son’s bedroom (note: it didn't work).  He wrestled with an over-sized raccoon growling in the space above the master bedroom.  And he found $14,000 of wrapped bills minted in the 30s, buried and forgotten in the space between the walls.  He endured endless uninvited strangers meandering through his house, curious to see who was crazy enough to tackle this condemned nightmare.  And courtesy of a local psychic, he discovered the melancholic ghost of a previous owner, roaming the halls upstairs.

But more than all of that, David Giffels discovered what it means to find peace amongst the chaos.  He learned that a home is not defined by a roof overhead or the walls that enclose it.  Home is the love you build with your family.  And like all renovations, love is messy, complicated, always a work in progress, and incredibly fulfilling.

[Jessica King · Rating 5 out of 5]

There it is on page 54, "potential" in quotation marks. YASSSS!!!! That is how I've always described my love of old beat up houses to my friends who all like (nightmare) subdivisions and modern places (with too little detail). I fall in love with potential every time. I "ghost hunted" for years, not because I thought I'd find a ghost, but because it gave me access to countless old gems like the house he describes. I interned at Stan Hywet (a mile away from Giffels' house and mentioned in his book) and was slightly bored because - even though it is fantastic and I did relish my behind-the-scenes pass which I'd smirk at tourists with as I went behind doors they couldn't - it's finished (except those floors. What the hell, Tyler Perry? Why don't people remember that they were grey and had grout before?). It is a realized dream. It doesn't need me to see it's beauty - everyone else does. Giffels says that the love for these old beasts is also a love of chaos. I'd never thought about it that way, but there's definitely some truth to that.

If you love old houses, if you've wandered through abandoned spaces finding that you draw and exert energy from the horror everyone else seems to recognize, this is a book for you. If you're thinking about buying your first house, this is a book for you (even on a less grand scale, Giffels' experience should be considered because no matter what you buy...you will inevitably be faced with some of the same conflicts). If you want them to remake The Money Pit (although we might be the last generation of folks it would speak to), you should read this book. If you are continually upset by "tiny houses" and "this couple made this house out of a brand new shipping container" and "this modular home folds together like a puzzle and can be repacked and moved later" because there are plenty of decent houses going to waste out there where you have plenty of room to read while on the toilet if you'd just give them the consideration and updates they need, this book is for you. If "tear down the old houses to raise the property value and move everyone into shared spaces" horrifies you, here you go.

I stayed up way past my bed time falling in love with Giffels' house. And also "draped in the velvet of decay" might be one of the most gothy yet accurate description I've ever heard. Wabi Sabi. Entropy. You know what it means to miss New Orleans. Whatever you call it, if that's your thing, Giffels is one of your people and this book is for you.

PS - put ammonia on a rag and put the rag where ever squirrels are living and they'll go away (for at least 2 weeks, and then they'll come back and have babies in your walls - but no one tells you that).

[Bookslut · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. He was often really funny, sometimes really interesting, but I never had serious draw to pick it up. I have lived through something like this myself, though not on a scale of this grand magnitude, and I hoped to feel more kinship than I did with the author. I wanted to feel like I was back in that situation, in that lifestyle, but I couldn't feel that special affinity with him. Maybe because his manly search for a way to be alone in a justified way (working on the house/providing a place for his family to live) is too alien to me. Maybe because he wrote it ten years after they bought the house, and hindsight changed his experience too much, and he lost the immediacy of what it is like to live in a house you're fixing. I also missed the long term journey--the book only follows the first year they owned the house, really focusing on the first couple months, and it was the marathon of owning a house like this that was memorable to me. He skipped all that, just gave us a quick epilogue, saying they hadn't finished yet. I was also bummed that, after a book that lauded his wife so much, he put in the section about the hot psychic near the end. It seemed really disrespectful to his wife, and generally sexist. Archaically, cave-manishly sexist.

I am really impressed with how much he was able to do. Almost dispirited. There was a section that talked about his frenzy to prepare the WHOLE HOUSE for contractors to come in (big, big house) in just one week, and he still had time to stack some salvage lumber he'd pulled during that week, with the old nails all pulled out. That is crazy. I just can't believe he was able to accomplish so much in so little time. We never could move at that pace, even before any of the kids were born.

[Chrisinny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Next in a long line of "find old house and fix it up" memoirs. This time the house is in Akron, Ohio and is a former Gilded Age mansion in a decrepit state, but still occupied by one little old lady. An enjoyable addition to the genre- readers get to know some quirky characters and speculate why lives turn/turned out the way they do/did. Despite two miscarriages that take place during the time described, not a melancholy or particular deep memoir. One exception to the light subject matter is the author's describing how the house, and fixing it, fits in with his relationship with his wife and how the work can take up the space that would otherwise be used for intimacy in that relationship- and why he sometimes made that choice.

[Tom Bilcze · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the Way Home has been on my to-read list for many years. I lived in the Akron area for 20 years and was a regular reader of David Giffels’ Akron Beacon Journal articles. Early this year I read Furnishing Eternity, a memorable book and good read. That led me to finally pick up and read All the Way Home.

Finding myself driving down Portage Path and the surrounding streets, I was intrigued by what the lives and people were like who lived behind the walls of those large Tudor homes. David Giffels' story was not only about restoring one of these homes of the glory days of rubber. It was a story of a family and how people are as much about the home and the bricks and timber. Well done and well worth a read.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally, I probably would have given this book 4 stars but seeing as though I own an 1893 Victorian myself (that doesn’t need a fraction of the work this guy’s home required), I absolutely adored the underlining plot of this book and felt inspired to tackle any obstacle that comes my way (I also battle squirrels in the attic and vines the size of a giant squid engulfing my house). Agreeing with most other reviewers, it would have been nice to see pictures! But the author certainly gave visionary details (so many details!) when he was describing the condition of the house. It blows my mind that David and Gina decided to live there. But it warms my heart that they did. I only wish I could see it in person.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding the perfect house is never easy -- rebuilding one from a crumbling pile -- making it a home -- is even harder. Along with his wife and infant son the family searches for just the right house but nothing seems right until they spot a beautiful, decaying Gilded Age mansion. The once grand residence lacks functional plumbing and electricity, leaks rain and is infested with all manner of wildlife. "All the Way Home"follows the author's funny, poignant, and confounding journey as they turn a money pit into a house and home for their family. The tale of a young father's struggle to restore a house and find his way ... without losing himself.

[LINDSAY · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband would have given this book one star and I know will hate me for giving it four. He quit after thirty pages because the writing is just so terrible. It is written like a college freshman trying to sound intelligent - and failing. That said, I was fascinated by the story. I see so much of myself in the author and his obsession with home improvement. I could easily see myself in the same remodeling situation. And even after reading this book I still want to. Is it fair to rate a book highly because of such a personal connection? Perhaps not. But at least I’ve warned you all why.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently I read about Giffels's influence on a first time author at his MFA course at U of Akron, so I decided to check out his writing, which mainly seems to focus on Ohio and Akron in particular.

I started with "Barnstorming Ohio" but put that down quickly. I've had more than enough politics and Trump over the last few years. "All the Way Home" was much more interesting to me - a memoir of Giffels's years spent rehabbing a condemned mansion near Stan Hywet Hall for his young family to live in.

I still nearly put this down near the beginning, but he won me over before the 25% mark (my typical deadline) and there was occasional brilliance through the slog of renovation prose.

If I had to break down the stars, it's more like 3.5. He would have lost me at the psychic visitation if that section hadn't been in the last few pages of the book. The fantasizing of this woman, as he stood next to his wife and children, was uncomfortable and made me look at Giffels more warily, which was a shame for a closing impression.

[Linda Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book about ten years ago and recommended it then to my brother, a talented DIY-er who could build or fix anything, and an excellent writer who appreciated good writing. I don't know if he ever read it, but I know he would have enjoyed it immensely.

I read this book again because I needed a good read that wasn't too heavy after my last read which was pretty dark. All the Way Home is light without being shallow and humorous without being silly (although there is some silliness). It also has depth and meaning skillfully woven into an entertaining saga of turning a crumbling mansion into a young family's forever home.

[Austin Rasmussen · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Giffels' evocative prose is a pleasure. His descriptions of the Tudor house implant themselves as memory. I can see and smell that house.

David's honest and vulnerable inner monologs throughout this crazy adventure are appreciated, but also occasionally disagreeable.

It's refreshing to have an author be so completely transparent.

For those wondering, this is not a guide to remodeling and has no specific instruction. It is designed as a moment of time and a recording of David's experience.

Most importantly, it is a 314 page definition of what "Home" is.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good, so I don't know why it took me so long to read, I guess life was just finding other things to keep me busy with. I was drawn to this book because it was about restoring an old house in Akron, and since I used to own an old house in Akron (not as old, not as impressive), it seemed up my alley. And oh boy was some of this relatable. But I think it would be for anyone who has ever done DIY, especially on an old house. Giffels writes with a sense of humor and some of the things he went through seem so crazy it's amazing it's all true.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining narrative

Giffels has an excellent voice, like listening to an old friend. The idea of restoring a grand mansion compelling. As you go through the book, you get to understand how relentless such a task is, as the story seems to be like being on a treadmill: something destroyed and decaying that has to be repaired. It never ends, which is a huge point of the book.

[Rhoda Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A house rehabbed

I was fascinated with the way the author worked on the house and how it affected the family. I was confused about the tuck pointing. Having grown up in the middle west I am familiar with the concept. He kept talking about the mortar disintegrating and the bricks falling down. When and how was that fixed?
All in all a good read.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stopped reading on page 102 made myself not mark it read and pick it up again, that was a mistake. It was just a ok book but made me nervous all the way through. I could not get into the do it all without a clue, a overall picture of might and could happen before you jumped into projects. Writing humor and story telling is why I am giving book two stars.