Project

I made the decision to return home after my dad passed away in order to visit the two family properties that had been neglected for more than 15 years. One house, which is shown in the photos, was also very far gone, but it was much more salvageable because the weather only reached the back room. The other home was too far gone because the holes in the roof left to a full demo project, so I cleaned up the land and resold. Over time, as my dad's health deteriorated and my workload increased, we were unable to fulfill his long-standing desire to restore one of the homes. During COVID, I was struck in Los Angeles, but after it ended, I left and returned to finish the house. Many people at the time believed that I was wrong for turning down employment offers in exchange to restore this house, but it's funny how losing enough people can alter your perspective on life.

In addition, regardless of how elegant the desk I was given, I was never the kind to back down from a dirty task. I don't mind because this endeavor held special meaning for me. I worked in factories during my college summers and on construction sites since a young age. It was the house where my dads family use to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas when I was a child. Looking back, I don't think we could have predicted all the deaths that would take the lives of my family so fast, but sometimes that's how life goes. It's okay if it doesn't make sense; it's just how it is, and despite the heartache, I'm the type that likes to look towards the future, never the past. I'm excited to share my current and projected renovation project progress. Along the road, I'm also grateful that my friend Stephen allowed me to hire him to assist me with this renovation. I have no regrets, even though I gave up some opportunities in exchange to restore an old house—it's nothing like working with a large crew on a building project. I can now demonstrate that I am capable of more then just designing; I wired the house myself and collaborated with others during the entire process.