All the Way Home

<p>As wry as Bill Bryson's I'm a Stranger Here Myself as insightful as Tracy Kidder's House here is smart engaging tale of one man's stuggle to restore his family's new home--a decrepit old mansion--and discover himself</p> <p>With his pregnant wife and their 18-month-old son in tow David Giffels scoured the environs of Akron OH in search of the perfect house. But nothing seemed right . . . until he spotted the beautiful decaying Guilded Era mansion. A former rubber robber baron's domain the once grand house does need some repair . . . okay it's a dump. So what if there's &#8220nothing holding this place up but memory&#8221--the assessment of his father a structural engineer? It wouldn't be perfect if it were easy and Giffels relishes the challenge. He's a committed do it yourselfer who fears a life without struggle--and Home Depot. </p><p> All the Way Home follows Giffels's funny and sometimes frustrating journey as he and his young family turns a decrepit money pit into the the home of their dreams. From outwitting squatters (both four- and two-legged) to rebuilding termite ridden walls battling wisteria vines and finding $14000 in Depression-era cash hidden in a bathroom wall Giffels takes readers along on the ultimate fixer-up trip. Throughout he shows them the heart of a young man on the brink of adulthood happily struggling with his new roles as a husband and a father--a man trying to find his way without losing himself.</p></p>