Andy Meredith - Old Home Love

Old Home Love

Andy and Candis Meredith

Chaunte Vaughn except where noted

Old Home Love

Digital Edition 1.0

Text 2017 Andy and Candis Meredith

Photos copyright Chaunte Vaughn except where noted

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.

Gibbs Smith

P.O. Box 667

Layton, Utah 84041

Orders: 1.800.835.4993

www.gibbs-smith.com

ISBN: 9781423646532

FOR OUR LITTLE ONES

Parker, James, Cohen, Will, Tommy, Brooks and Kit.

You are the reason we make things beautiful, you are our whole hearts.

Our passion and Story
We Really Love Old Homes

Photo by Cami McIntosh

I never gave much thought to historic homes and their significance. I was used to seeing the pioneer homes in Utah, but to me it seemed like most of them were either in downtown areas of the smaller cities and being used as run-down rentals or in the super-exclusive avenues section of Salt Lake City.

There wasnt a lot of in-between for these homes, and since I didnt really know anyone in either of those places, I just didnt spend time around them. I grew up hearing the stories of the people of this time and their lives and accomplishments but didnt really stop to think about their immediate surroundings, their day-to-day routines, or their homes. I have always been fascinated by the 1800s. It was such an incredible century of transformation for America and the world. Im sure that everyone through history tends to romanticize the past and I guess Im no different. Im not saying Id like to have lived then, by any means; I really do enjoy my Bluetooth headphones.

Candis is asked all the time why she loves old homes so much and why she does what she does. Her response is simple: she was born to do it. She bought her first historic home at twenty-one and never looked back. She attributes a lot of her courage to her Grandpa Leo and Grandma Mary. Leo has fiercely loved her since she was born and built her her first playhouse; Mary is an artist who specializes in paintings of historic homes and a very strong woman herself. They taught Candis to be tough, independent, and hardworking. She was drawing floor plans for dream homes with secret floors and nooks when she was five and she would save all the old homes if she could. I think she would like to live in the 1800s if it were possible, even though she would promptly want to come back to a place where women have rights and a voice, ha-ha!

Before I met Candis, I was a full-blown adult, having lost most of that desire for exploration and discovery that we naturally have as kids. Being able to find that again in these homes has been amazing and redemptive. She really did save me. I had been through some really hard times and she showed me the brightness and beauty of life and I will always be grateful to her for that. Plus shes really cute. We brought together our little family and have been happy. Having six boys between us was an adventure, but we decided to be straight crazy and add a little girl. No regrets.

For us, these house projects have been a natural part of our relationship from the beginning. We planned our wedding at the first home we restored together while we were there working through the night, scraping wallpaper and trenching walls for electrical. We were married on the front porch and loved taking our somewhat curious/somewhat terrified wedding guests on a progress tour of the house. We have loved raising our kids in homes that people built with their own hands over several years time, homes where we have found treasures from the past that tell the stories of a different time in the very same place.

On many a day when the unavoidable expression Dad, Im bored was uttered, I handed the poor entertainment-deprived child a shovel and we went outside to the backyard to dig up the hundred-year-old trash piles scattered under the grass and dirt. I love to see their faces light up when they catch a glimpse of something in the dirt and pull out a marble or doll part that hasnt seen sunlight since Honest Abe was president. Of course, with six boys younger than thirteen, we have the constant comparison of who got the better digging implements and complaints of claim jumping and who saw the big piece of china first, but thats normal, right? We have found gold, diamonds, glass, toys, buttons, tools and all kinds of things. Thats just one of the gifts these houses give. Its like growing up in an Indiana Jones movie.

Then we have the houses themselves. Walking the floors is a humbling experience. I dont know when I became a sentimentalist as far as homes are concerned. I just blame Candis. New homes are great. Ive built one. There is something, however, about being in a place with history, a place that has seen births, deaths and so much life. I sometimes stand in a quiet historic home we are renovating and just think about the things that happened in the world and how they affected the people of that place. People gathered in that very room to discuss the assassination of President Lincoln, the excitement of in-home electrical power, indoor plumbing, automobiles and innumerable inventions, wars, discoveries and events that changed the world. It is a humbling experience that we feel fortunate to have.

We are so lucky to work together, doing something that we absolutely love. Our life is stressful, full of deadlines and large sums of money that can be won or lost, but its our passion for these homes that keeps us moving forward. Our passion for the past and the stories of the future, our childrens included, encourage us every day to risk it all for these homes and what they mean to us. We hope Old Home Love will give you an idea of what we feel for these houses.

Andy and Candis Meredith

Built in 1859
Love House

Love house today
Many people ask why we painted the house black, thinking it is a very modern thing to do. In reality, black was a common house color in the 1800s.

Built by Mayor Leonard Harrington and his son for their family, this home in a small Utah town took nearly two years to build and was completed in 1859. It is a rare 1850s Prairie L-Shape adobe home. In a time when most dwellings in the area were single-room log houses, this home stood out as a masterpiece.

We bought this house as our first home together. We wanted a place for our new blended family to have a fresh startsomewhere that was new to just us. We wanted a house filled with lovethus the name Love House. We were married here, brought our baby girl home from the hospital here and have enjoyed countless memories within the thick adobe walls.