She looked at where he was staring and frowned. “I didn’t want to tell anyone in case the offer fell through. Is there something wrong?”
Steve made a non-committal grunt. “Nothing that a few pieces of wood won’t fix.” He looked at the front door. He’d bet a week’s pay that it was warped. “I’m a little surprised you bought this house. It’s pretty run down.”
Eden stepped inside the house and looked around the living room. At least the worry in her eyes meant she’d considered all the work that needed to be done. “It needs some careful remodeling, but it has potential.”
Steve didn’t bother to remind her that most things had potential. But that usually came with an enormous price tag. “What kind of a budget do you have for fixing up the house?”
Eden bit her bottom lip. “I can only afford to do the basics. If the remodeling can be done for less than fifteen thousand dollars, I’ll be happy.”
From what Steve had seen so far, Eden’s budget would only cover the structural repairs. “You’ll have to be creative.”
For some reason, that made Eden smile. “I can be incredibly creative. Even though I don’t have a sewing machine anymore, I know how to make curtains. I’ve painted two apartments and helped a friend hang wallpaper. I’ve even unblocked a drain.”
Steve didn’t want to burst her bubble of enthusiasm, but new curtains and painting a wall were the least of her worries. “All right. Let’s go through the cottage room by room and make a list of what needs to be done.”
They started in the living room, examining the walls, windows, and flooring. Steve pointed out the areas that needed immediate attention, like the windows that didn’t close properly, the damaged ceiling, and the peeling paint on the walls. He also noted some positives, like the original hardwood floors and the fireplace that could be a focal point once it was cleaned up.
Eden wrote down everything they discussed in a notebook. Before they left the living room, she added color-coded stickers to each entry. He had no idea why, but she seemed happy with her process.
In the kitchen, they discussed the outdated cabinets and appliances. “These will need to be replaced,” Steve said, “but the layout is good. You’ve got plenty of space to work with.”
Eden opened a drawer. “To save money, could I paint the cabinets and only replace the counter?”
“You could,” he said a little dubiously. “But it’ll take a lot of work to get them to the stage when you want to put dishes and food inside them.”
Eden wrote something in her notebook, her determination evident despite the overwhelmed look in her eyes. “I don’t mind if it’s a lot of work. I can make them look wonderful again.”
Steve doubted if they’d ever looked wonderful, but he was here to help Eden, not point out that she was being overly optimistic.
In the bathroom, they found a leaky faucet and cracked tiles, but the plumbing seemed sound. “You’ll need new fixtures and tiles, but the basics are okay,” he reassured her.
As they moved to the bedrooms, Steve noticed Eden’s excitement returning. “The bedrooms are a good size,” she said, her voice filled with hope. “I can picture how I want to decorate them already.”
He smiled as she stood in the middle of one of the rooms, pointing out where the bed would go and imagining what the perfect chandelier would look like. “I like your ideas,” he told her. “It won’t take too much time to make the changes you want.”
In the last bedroom, Steve discovered a ladder in the closet. He climbed up, finding a surprisingly spacious area under the roof that could be used for storage or even a decent sized office. “This is a bonus,” he said through the hatch in the ceiling. “The house has more space than you thought.”
Eden’s eyes lit up. “That’s fantastic! I didn’t even realize there was an attic. Can I come up?”
Steve moved away from the hatch. “Sure. Just watch your shoulders as you come through the opening. There’s a nail sticking out of the left-hand side.”
With her excitement mounting, Eden clambered up the ladder and turned on the flashlight on her phone. “Oh, wow. This is awesome. Could I remove the closet and put in a proper staircase?”
“You could, but it might push you over your budget.”
Eden’s smile faded, and Steve felt bad.
“Why don’t you add it to your list and we’ll work out how much it’ll cost. If you can find a secondhand staircase, you’d save a lot of money.”
Before they left the attic, he used the light from Eden’s phone and took a few photos. Some of the guys in the tiny home construction crew would know how to create a livable attic without it costing a fortune. If they didn’t, he’d call someone else to give Eden an idea of what it would cost.
As she stood on the top rung of the ladder, Eden took another look around the dusty attic. “I’ve always wanted my own library,” she said wistfully. “This would be perfect. I might even be able to afford a skylight or a dormer window. If the staircase was wide enough, I could bring a couple of big, comfy leather chairs up here and fill the space with books and crystals.”
Steve looked around the empty space. He could see what Eden wanted to do with it, but it might have to wait.
Eden sighed as she stepped down the ladder. “At least dreams are free.”
After they’d finished their inspection, they returned to the living room. Eden looked at the list of tasks they’d compiled. “It’s a lot, but I can do it.”
