Gutted: A Home Renovation Book Review
A few weeks ago I was at my local library looking at some design books on the shelf when I saw a small book mixed in the lot, a book that was the size of a novel. So I reached in and pulled it out. That book was Gutted, by Lawrence LaRose. A novel about one man’s adventure in home renovation. I guess this isn’t a new book, having been published in 2004, but what can I say other than I live in a small town where a four year old book still warrants a NEW sticker on the spine. Also, I had not heard of the book before this.
The book opens with Lawrence describing a photo of the day they took possession of the house. His wife is smiling on the porch holding cleaning supplies, while he is off camera holding a too small crow-bar, “testaments to [their] ignorance.” The bucket and mop won’t be used for ages and the crow bar will very quickly be replaced with something more effective.
That scene resonated with me. I clearly remember when my husband and I bought our first house, a fixer-upper that no one wanted. “It just needs some paint.” we told everyone and each other. We felt like we had won the lottery. I remember turning to my husband at the closing and saying, “I can’t believe that they are letting us buy this house.”
What can I say? We were young. I am not sure who the mythical “they” were that I was referring to either, but I have the distinct feeling the heirs of the deceased owner were thinking, “I can’t believe they are buying this house from us.”
We neglected to see the outdated wiring that need replacing, the new furnace, the walls that needed insulating, the porch that was falling off the house. I suspect that if there were a photo of us on that first day it would show me holding a paint brush and my husband with a hammer.
I only wish he had written about his house in more detail. And the voyeur in me was wishing for a photo or two.
Anyone who has renovated a house, or is thinking of renovating a house, will appreciate this book. Especially if they are the one who is home all day doing the renovating and their spouse routinely comes in and asks, “And what have you been doing?”
