From Animal House to Our House: A Love Story - Softcover

Tanner, Ron

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0897337204 ISBN 13: 9780897337205

Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers, 2013

Synopsis

Eleven years ago, Ron and Jill, then his girlfriend of six months, discovered the house of their dreams: a landmark Victorian row house that had belonged to a notorious fraternity in Baltimore. Unfortunately, it was now a condemned, abandoned property. But Jill wanted the house and Ron wanted Jill. Beyond the wall-to-wall graffiti, collapsed fireplaces and banisters, and three dumpsters worth of trash, the couple envisioned this as their future dream home. So Ron bought the 4,500-square-foot ruin, despite the fact that neither Ron nor Jill knew anything about home renovation, and that the project might ruin them both financially and emotionally. A book for lovers, dreamers, and do-it-yourselfers, From Animal House to Our House recounts Ron and Jill’s decade-long adventure in house restoration, offering inspiration, insight, and hilarity as they hammer away at the American dream of home ownership and true love.

About this title

Book Description:

Ron and Jill—his girlfriend of six months—discovered the house of their dreams in 2000: a landmark Baltimore brownstone that had belonged to a notorious fraternity. It was condemned property, had sat abandoned for nearly a year, and was such a wreck that no one would buy it. But Jill wanted the house and Ron wanted Jill. So he bought the 4500-square-foot ruin. Neither he nor Jill knew anything about house repair or renovation. The bank gave them six months to get the house up to code. The neighborhood historians told them flatly, “You’ll never bring that house back.” Ron’s realtor said, “This house will eat you alive.” Ron’s mother said, “Why do you always do things the hard way?” 

Impulsive and quixotic—and with two marriages behind him—Ron inspired little confidence. His life had been a series of mistakes and wrong turns. He recognized that taking on this wrecked frat house could be the biggest mistake of his life and he wondered if this time, in what seemed his final reach for love, he had reached too far. As soon as he and Jill started working on the house, they were at odds every day and it became clear to them both that the project would very likely ruin them financially and emotionally. Panicked, flirting with bankruptcy, and barreling through disasters, they had to learn how to live, love, and work together—and succeed against seemingly insurmountable odds. 

A book for lovers, dreamers, do-it-yourselfers, and fans of old houses, From Animal House to Our House: A Love Story recounts Ron and Jill’s adventure, offering inspiration, insight, and hilarity as they hammer away at the American Dream of home ownership and true love. In 2008, This Old House magazine published a feature story about Ron and Jill’s work. The online version of this story drew more than 400,000 readers to the magazine’s website.

About the Author:

Ron Tanner is currently the director of engineering for Novell's Management Products Group. He has been the lead engineering manager for the ZENworks Project since its inception.

About this edition

• Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0897337204
• ISBN 13: 9780897337205
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 287