PORT TOWNSEND, Wash. — Erica Bauermeister is a New York Times bestselling author who lives in Port Townsend in a 1909 house that’s her muse.
"So when we found the house, there was a back part of my mind, because I am a writer, that thought 'This house is full of stories. This house could be really fun to write about.’” Bauermeister said.
Her latest book, House Lessons: Renovating a Life, is about making this house a home. It was love at first sight - but the relationship wasn't easy.
"Well it was covered in asbestos shingles, it was covered with vegetation, you couldn't see in most of the windows, because there was this giant camellia bush over the front porch, and there was trash. It was a hoarder house."
Bauermeister, her husband and her two kids removed seven and a half tons of trash from the place, and it was only the beginning.
"The roof was bad, the windows were gone, the plumbing was electrified. The faucets throughout the house had rubber gloves or bicycle tubing on them so you wouldn't get electrocuted when you turned on the water. It was crazy."
The memoir chronicles how Bauermeister’s life transformed as she and her family transformed the house. It’s also a well-researched look at how our surroundings impact our minds, hearts and souls.
The house is what's called an American Foursquare: a design style influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, its characteristics are symmetry and openness.
"Foursquares have this beautiful landing at the top that all the bedrooms come off of, and I like the idea of it feeling like the heart of the house, and you should have your family in the heart,” said Bauermeister as she pointed out the family photographs filling one wall of the second story landing.
The author's favorite room is a new one, recycled from the renovation:
"I built a writing studio down in the lower yard, that's where I go to write,” she laughed. “The bookshelves are made out the tree that had to be cut down. The rocks that surround it are from our former chimney and create a rain garden - and the angel my mom gave me hangs right above my head,” said the author, pointing out a small handmade angel with wings spread, dangling from the ceiling.
The river rock chimney had to come down, but the old house’s spirit lives on in one decorative detail the author insisted on keeping: corbels that remain, adding a flourish where the front porch pillars meet the roof. They grace a house that’s now truly a home for Bauermeister and her family. Rebuilding this place, and the book the experience inspired, was a 20-year plus project. And thanks to this writer and renovator, this home will continue to have stories to tell.
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