Connie’s story is so personal, funny, heartbreaking, and honest. It was incredibly hard to put down because I wanted to know what happened next! Having grown up in a family of home builders, I am very familiar with the process, saw the photos, and visited the home myself but the twists and turns of her story are astounding. This is not just another tale of restoring an old house, it is the story of passion, desperation, dedication, love, and a bit of insanity. I would recommend this book for anyone even thinking of taking on a home restoration. It is not for the faint of heart!
Escott O. Norton
Preservationist
Historic theatre and home design consultant
Some people are just driven by a vision and that’s what historic restoration is all about: the ability to recognize good design and what can be accomplished.
David Lawrence Gray, FAIA
You can smell the sawdust. With the help of elderly local craftsmen, Connie Hood set out to save an urban treasure. An unlikely cast of local characters and the engineering feat of moving a huge Craftsman home proved to be a surreal and madcap restoration adventure for the entire community.
Eric H. Warren, Curator and Past President
Eagle Rock Valley Historical Society
Warner Bros. Set designer (ret.)
Take a grand old house sliding down into ruin and restore it to glory. Sometimes the client shows up who has no idea what she is getting herself into. Planning these projects takes a lot more time, money and effort than most people realize. When Connie turned to me, I saw challenges and an opportunity. Here was a chance to save a Craftsman masterpiece. With imagination, intelligence and lots of determined follow-through our temporary eyesore on a Los Angeles hillside became a wonderful home full of space, style and beauty unique to the neighborhood”
Geoff Sheldon
Architect, LEED AP
A Los Angeles treasure comes to life in Connie Hood’s tale of resilience. Elderly neighbors and city archivists help her unravel the story of her old house. History winds backward through 1950s Hollywood, and to the emergence of Los Angeles in 1909. Photos, diagrams and her account of the restoration journey share a unique experience with the reader.
Beth Wladis
VP of Operations, Wade Artist Management
Chief Librarian (ret.)Mid-Manhattan Library, The New York Public Library
The author’s experience with saving a house becomes a practical issue of details – falling in love with the work of artisans from the past. A fascinating account of planning and engineering the move of a 4200 sq. foot structure up a Los Angeles hillside, complete with mishaps and fortunate events.
Paul Himmelstein
Fellow and Past President
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
Lots of people renovate and even restore old houses. Magazines have been full of their stories for decades. This tale of rescuing what might have become only a pile of scrap lumber and turning it into a grand, warm and loving home is special. The restoration wasn’t perfect. The people who effected it weren’t perfect. But the results have made for a perfectly delightful book that will warm the hearts of readers, no matter what their houses look like.
Andrea Rebeck, RA
Historical Architect, National Park Service, (ret.)
The reader laughs out loud, then gasps at the absurd circumstances of a woman who decides to move a huge home through a canyon and restore it, sans husband and sans buckets of cash. Her story covers a vast amount of territory – disassembling and restoring both a home and a young family.
Ross Olney
Author
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