Who buys a house they describe with adjectives and nouns such as these: rusty, dusty, decay, debris, ruin, smelly, stained, treacherous, flaking, rotted, grime, filthy, cluttered, damaged, wreckage, decomposed, dark, cracked, dingy, chilly, ugly, broken, dirty, scratched, soot, dangerous, rotten, warped, collapsed, cramped, broken, discolored, disintegrated, discolored, poisonous, fermenting, or crusted? You half expect to find, buried deep in the debris, a mummified body a la Bates Motel. In fact, when Giffels first tours the house there is a woman, perched amid the disaster. But, buy the house he does.
Giffels, a self described handyman, needs projects. When he buys the 1913 mansion on North Portage Path (Akron, Ohio) there is every indication he has bit off more than he can chew. That only becomes apparent to himself when he attempts to remove paint from every single door hinge in the house. The master bedroom alone has seventeen doors with at least two hinges...you do the math. And that's just hinges. Never mind the structural damage like a leaking room that requires 55 roasting pans to catch the downpour whenever it rains, or the jungle of wisteria growing in through the cracks. Then there are the uninvited guests: mice, squirrels, raccoons, termites, carpenter ants, gawkers...it's a wonder Gina didn't divorce him.
One of a thousand quotes of humor, "more than anything else, I do not want to die a cartoon character's death" (p 5).
Quote of foreshadowing, "And I honestly couldn't decide which I wanted more; to get the house, or to get the house out of my system" (p 73). Indeed, there are numerous times he hoped to get out of buying the house. Starting with his sister-in-law's neighbor, Earl. Hoping seventy-plus-year-old realtor Earl would advise him it's a lost cause after seeing it; praying the inspector would say it's his professional opinion the house is hopeless; and wishing the owners will refuse his insultingly low ball offer. Giffels is seeking any and all opportunities to wriggle out of the fantasy; to escape the choke hold of unreasonable and borderline fanatical desire. None of "outs" happen for Giffels and All the Way Home is born. ( )

I confess to not having read the entire book but loved the beginning, great voice a fun read for the man of the house! ( )

Buying a decrepit, falling down, Addams Family style mansion and renovating sounds amazing. Of course, I would not plan on doing the renovations myself, as being handy is a superhero power, in my opinion. David Giffels plans to do it all himself, or at least most of it, while living in it, with his wife and small son. Excellently told, I only wish that there were more pictures. ( )

Loved this book!
Giffels and his wife, for some reason, decide to buy a falling down mansion. This house is not just in bad shape - there are trees going through the roof, 50+ pans catching the rain water that pours in, resident wildlife is rampant, etc.
Why someone would want to take on such a challenge - and then INSIST on doing it themselves - is beyond me.
However, Giffels describes the journey with love and good humor, and it was a pleasure to read! ( )