Here’s how the story begins: a college couple in love decides to buy and renovate a condo after realizing that their finances to continue medical school.
To continue funding the education, they planned to resell the renovated condo afterward. A good plan, right? What could possibly go wrong? But read on.
1. The Loving Couple
College students Cal Hunter and Claire Segeren were madly in love. The two looked forward to an exciting future together. Claire wanted to be a doctor and Cal a civil engineer.
However, they had very little money. While the couple had a very positive attitude about what their future would hold, the question was whether it would be enough.
2. College Kids without Money
One major problem the young couple had to face was that they did not have enough money to continue their education. Thus, all their dreams would be shattered.
For example, Claire had to buy expensive medical equipment to continue her education. So where would they get the money to finish the education?
3. Making a Plan
Most of the money the two earned had to pay for their rent. That’s why they decided to use Cal’s knowledge of construction. They wanted to buy a building with two or three condominiums in it and renovate it.
They could then use the money from the sale of these units to live undisturbed and continue Claire’s education.
4. Cal’s first Auction
They put their plan into action: the couple soon found a nice building that met their criteria, and soon an auction took place. Cal went to the auction and placed the first bid, as Claire was busy with other things at the time.
Cal was so excited because he thought their dream would actually come true.
5. A big Mistake
But then Cal realized he had made a terrible mistake. He had bought the wrong house. Instead of buying the property they had agreed on, he had bought a different property.
Realizing he had made a terrible mistake, Cal went back to the people who had run the auction. Could he still correct his mistake?
6. No Return
Cal hoped that the auction’s leaders would recognize that he was young and inexperienced and that they would let him off the hook.
After all, Cal and Claire had worked for months to raise the money to buy the properties. But it was futile: auction officials insisted that all sales were final.
7. Telling the Truth
Cal was very scared. Still, he knew he had to tell Claire the truth about what he had done. Most of all, he was afraid that she would leave him after this terrible mistake.
After all, they were a young couple and didn’t have a long history together. Did their love still have a chance?
8. The first View of the Property
Cal had worried about nothing, though. Claire accepted Cal’s mistake and the two decided to go see the newly acquired property that was now theirs.
Since it was a few miles further away from their home, it took the two of them several days to make the move. The couple hoped they would be pleasantly surprised.
9. Try to make the Best of It
When Cal and Claire reached the address given, they couldn’t even see the house. All that could be seen from the street was a dense jungle of trees and weeds.
Nevertheless, they bravely made their way to their new land. This path was not easy, however, because there was a lot of garbage lying around everywhere.
10. Old abandoned Villa
Eventually they found out that they had bought an abandoned mansion. Incredibly, the house had stood empty for 20 years. Consequently, it was in very poor condition.
But the two were optimistic and decided to make the best of Cal’s mistake. They saw that they had acquired a tremendous project.
11. Broken Roof
The first thing they noticed when they entered the Victorian mansion was that the roof was completely gone in many places. And in the places where it wasn’t gone, it was caving in.
It was consequently not possible to live safely in the house until they repaired it. As a first step, they contacted a roofer to get quotes.
12. Weak old Walls
But disillusionment came quickly: when the roofer arrived, he explained to Cal and Clair that there was no way to put a new roof on the house. The reason was that the walls were not strong enough to support the weight of the roof.
So before they could put the new roof on, the couple had to reinforce the walls.
13. A lot of Mud
Then the weather also played a trick on them. Before they could reinforce the walls and then put a roof on their house, it began to rain relentlessly. Very soon, mud was everywhere.
Cal, who worked for a construction company, could not drive to work one morning because his vehicle was completely buried under all the mud.
14. Living together in a Trailer
Soon, the two realized that they were wasting far too much time living in the city and working on the property that seemed so far away. Still, they drove to the property almost every evening and worked until the sun went down.
When they realized that was just too much, they decided to move onto the property with a trailer.
15. Problems with the Water
First, though, the couple put in a new driveway, so they could safely drive their RV on and off the property. But there was already the next problem, because the driveway didn’t last long.
The couple found that the water line to the property ran under the driveway. So what was the next step?
16. Hope and Help
When Cal and Clair started working on the property the neighbors were absolutely enthusiastic with the work the two were doing on the property.
Among the biggest hurdles the couple had to overcome was the lack of water and electricity. But they were lucky: the neighbors let them shower and charge their tools in their home.
17. Family as Support
After some time, Cal and Claire’s families began to worry. Nevertheless, they were also proud of the progress their children were making.
Some helped the pair by volunteering their time, others helped out with materials. Still others often donated money through a Go Fund Me account. So the couple had a lot of support.
18. Teamleader
With a few neighbors, plus the couple’s families, helping out, there were often many people working on the 100-year-old mansion at once.
This could quickly become a mess, which is why Cal had to take the lead. Not only did he keep track of everything, but he also made sure everyone felt valued.
19. Back to School
Since the two of them saved quite a bit of money by living in the trailer, Claire was able to go back to school.
When she wasn’t spending her time in class, she spent every free moment working on the mansion. But Claire knew it would all be worth it when they sold the house later.
20. No Electrical Box
After some time, the couple decided to put electricity in the house, as it was becoming a real problem in the long run to constantly charge their tools in other places.
And already there was the next problem: they could not find the main power box. Another hurdle had to be overcome
21. So many Costs
Unfortunately, the electricity to the property was very costly. Would that interfere with their plans? After all, they actually wanted to sell this house so they could buy a condo in the city afterwards.
But at that point, it looked like they would spend more money on remodeling than the house would bring in.
22. More Help
The couple’s optimism gradually began to crumble. The two wondered if they would ever manage to finish the project.
But the couple had made many good friends in the neighborhood, and those same friends noticed the couple’s anxiety and came to help them. Like their family before them, they helped in many ways.
23. To Good Neighbor
The neighbors, of course, also talked about the couple. Some of them thought the project was doomed from the start. Others of them were very proud of the young couple and wanted them to stay in the neighborhood.
In fact, the neighbors liked Cal and Clair very much and had fallen in love with these two young people.
24. Useful Advice
Some people helped the couple especially with good advice. These people were really a gift for the young couple, because they saved Cal and Clair from making many mistakes.
Other people even taught the couple new things. And there were also a few neighbors with special skills that they gladly passed on to the young couple.
25. Donate Material
The couple even received gifts of building materials from other neighbors, which Claire was especially happy about. This, of course, saved them a lot of money.
Above all, it saved space in the landfill. The couple was really grateful for everything that was donated. For them, it made no difference how quickly they could move forward with their project.
26. A Challenge for Relationship
After some time, Claire and Cal realized that the remodeling of the mansion had put a strain on their relationship. They initially spent every minute working on the house.
But then they realized that they needed to take breaks now and then to work on their relationship. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be together by the end of the project.
27. Away with the Trash
One of the first things the couple completed was removing all the trash. When they first saw the villa, they didn’t realize how much trash was in the house.
But it was a great moral encouragement to get rid of all the trash. But of that was only the beginning.
28. Safety comes First
The most important thing for Cal and Claire was to work safely. Accordingly, they wore hard hats whenever they entered the old house.
Because they knew the house was also rife with mold and fungus, they wore masks at all times. But even if one of them got sick or injured, they knew the project would be worth it.
29. Have a good Time with Friends
When Cal and Clair got serious about the project, they initially had a different idea. They built an outdoor kitchen outside under a tent and began inviting friends to spend time together at the mansion.
It paid off: soon these friends helped with the work. And they of course needed all the help they could get.
30. Everything they want
During the renovation, the couple realized that they no longer wanted to simply remodel the old house. They were creating a fresh start.
It was like an artist’s blank canvas, and that changed the way they saw the project. Now they could do anything they wanted with the villa and design it to their liking.
31. So many Debts
Although they had a lot of help, they soon realized that the mountain of debt from their project kept growing. So they had to come up with a new plan.
So Claire shared her story on Facebook. After a short time, over 1,000 people were following this home remodeling project. She also started a YouTube channel and an Instagram account.
32. A new Floor
But there was something that continued to worry the couple. In some places of the villa there was no floor anymore. In other places, it was so rotten that someone could have broken in.
So Claire and Cal tore out the floor of the house and laid new rafters, so they could get to the second floor very carefully.
33. Problems with Birds
Once upstairs, however, there was another problem: since the house did not yet have a proper roof, there were birds there very often.
Sometimes there were so many birds there, it seemed as if they thought this was a huge birdhouse for them. Consequently, Cal and Clair had to do something to remove all the birds from the house.
34. Overcoming Fear
When Clair and Cal started to reinforce the walls of the house, they had to get scaffolding after a short time because the rooms were very high.
However, this created a new problem, as Claire was afraid of heights. But like everything else before, she overcame this problem after some time and bravely climbed the scaffolding.
35. A new Way
The villa was far from being finished when the two made an important discovery. The couple placed a bathtub in the middle of their backyard and boards to allow access to the roof.
The goal of finishing the villa was no longer the sole focus. It cleared their minds, allowing them to focus on other things.
36. It goes on and on
After more than two years of work, they still have not completed the project. Nevertheless, they were able to record significant progress.
In fact, the villa was supposed to be renovated by spring 2021. But that was not feasible. As is so often the case with renovation projects, the schedule and the amount of work did not match.
37. People come together
When the couple was just not working, the property is usually full of people. Some are there to help Cal and Clair.
Others are preparing food in the outdoor kitchen the couple installed in a tent. And still others came to spend a nice time there. So Cal and Clair were rarely alone.
38. A Project for Life
It is impossible to say how long the project will last. They may never be finished, either. Anyone who owns a house with a garden knows that there is actually always something to do.
If the couple were to stop working on the house, it would mean that friends wouldn’t be able to come over and teach them new skills.
39. Much has been achieved
Still the villa is a construction site. However, the house now has new walls and a new roof. And the work inside the old house is also progressing.
Covered with rubble and garbage, the property and house that the couple bought back then has come a long way. It’s certainly incredibly great to be involved in such a process
40. What really counts
Work continues on the property, which the couple has named Jameswood, and it will always change. But something will never change. Cal and Clair love their friends and the community.
And their friends and the community love them back in equal measure. Jameswood has become a symbol of hope for the future, where everyone can have a great time together.
