Fixer-Upper Archives - Cindy DeBoer

Leave It Broken

Cindy DeBoer — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 03:29:39 +0000

When we bought our hundred-year-old crack house we discovered that somewhere in its history a previous owner made an egregious err in personal assessment and believed themselves to be “handy.” They tackled a variety of home improvement projects such as brick laying, replacing windows, updating trim and doors, installing sinks and faucets, and building closets. […]

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The Pond Scum Exchange (Why voting matters less than you think)

Cindy DeBoer — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 23:32:35 +0000

When we bought our sucky crack-house we thought the fantastic view of the zoo/park across the street might possibly redeem the pitiful structure. However, the park struggles financially and some things have become a bit of an eyesore. All summer long our park pond has looked like this: Our neighborhood Facebook group recently debated the […]

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A Hiding Place (When the next Holocaust comes, you can come live with me)

Cindy DeBoer — Fri, 22 Nov 2019 18:38:52 +0000

Upstairs, on the third floor of our former crack home, awaits a really big and really empty, comfortably furnished attic apartment. Now that we are empty nesters, we’re deciding how best to use it. An exchange student? A foster child? Airbnb? Perhaps. But because our pastor mentioned the Holocaust this past Sunday and because these […]

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God of the City

Cindy DeBoer — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 14:38:02 +0000

Last week our car had its front window shot out (yes, as in, with a gun) while parked in the street in front of our house. At least 10 other neighbors had their cars hit as well and we had to call the police and fill out police reports and we were all late for […]

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The Tale of Two Porches

Cindy DeBoer — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 13:49:56 +0000

The Impressive White Wrap-Around Porch: I was thrilled when I was dreamed into life. Every component of the home knows there are two of us that carry the most weight and significance: the kitchen table – where our people gather to share, grow, and learn to love; and the front porch – where our people […]

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10 Truths Old Homes Teach Us

Cindy DeBoer — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 20:14:08 +0000

1. Warmth is overrated. We’re in the middle of a polar vortex. Those of us in old homes can feel cold air seeping in through the cracks and have even discovered ice on the INSIDE of our windows! Our old home can only be described as warmish AS the furnace is running; as soon as […]

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We accidentally bought a crack house – and soon found ourselves addicted, too.

Cindy DeBoer — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 18:51:00 +0000

There is a spiritual heaviness in our upstairs back porch and all the praying people who walk through the place can feel it. Our college-aged sons who have done their share of watching “Breaking Bad” and have lived in plenty of sketchy neighborhoods quickly identified the telltale signs of a crack room: excessive amounts of […]

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Why Chip and Joanna are BIG, FAT, LIARS (But we should all be watching their show anyway…)

Cindy DeBoer — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 15:57:53 +0000

I speak from experience. We just moved into our first (and last) fixer-upper. We chose the house because of the neighborhood – interesting social, religious, and economic diversity in a walkable neighborhood close to downtown Grand Rapids. We never once thought it’d be “fun” to do a fixer-upper. In fact, because we don’t have cable, […]

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