“It is. Luckily for me, the previous owners covered it with plasterboard instead of removing it.” Kathleen leaned against the counter, grateful for something positive to discuss. “Most of the original details in the house have survived, they’re just hidden under decades of questionable decorating choices.”
Patrick chuckled, and the sound filled the kitchen with warmth. “That happens with houses that are this old. People mean well, but they don’t always understand what they have.”
“Speaking of understanding...” Kathleen gestured toward the kitchen table where her papers waited. “I’ve laid everything out for you. The original inspection report, Jerry’s structural assessment, and my renovation plans.”
They moved to the table, and Patrick set down his coffee to examine the documents. Kathleen watched his face as he studied Jerry’s report, noting how his expression grew more thoughtful with each page.
“I can see why Jerry thinks it’ll cost twenty-eight thousand to repair the foundations,” Patrick said as he looked up at her. “Did he mention any other costs apart from what’s here?”
“There’ll be extra building permit fees, and he wants me to add a twenty percent contingency to the budget in case the foundation is worse than he thinks.” Kathleen sank into the chair across from Patrick. The work she needed to do made her feel sick. “If it costs as much as Jerry thinks, it will wipe out almost everything I’ve saved for the renovation.”
Patrick was quiet for a long moment, turning pages and making notes on his clipboard. “Show me your renovation plans again,” he said finally. “I want to see where you’re up to before we look at the foundation.”
Kathleen’s heart lifted slightly as she reached for the folder containing the floor plans and other design ideas she’d collected. “Before I started the remodeling, I knew I’d have to be careful with my budget. I only chose to do the things I could afford to finish.”
“You’ve done a great job.” Patrick flattened the renovation plans with his hands. “What room are you working on at the moment?”
“The living room is almost done. After that, I’ll start on the study,” Kathleen replied. She pointed to the room beside the kitchen. “This is the smallest bedroom. I’d like to make it into a study. I’d planned on building bookcases and desks for it after I’d painted the living room.”
Patrick nodded. “I can see why you want it there. It’s in a great location.” He stood and gathered his clipboard. “Now, let’s go look at what Jerry thinks needs to be rebuilt.”
They spent the next hour in the basement. Kathleen was glad Patrick had brought his flashlight with him. The bare bulbs dangling from the ceiling gave them enough light to see around the musty space, but not enough to examine every crack and support beam that worried Jerry.
Patrick studied a section of the foundation wall. “I’ll have to collect my ladder from the back of my truck. It’ll make it easier to see where this support beam goes.”
“Do you need help?” Kathleen asked.
“That would be great. You could bring my spare flashlight back with us so I can really see what’s going on.”
After they returned with the ladder and extra lighting, Patrick climbed closer to a support beam and pressed against it, testing its stability. “This is interesting,” he said, more to himself than to Kathleen.
“Interesting good or interesting bad?”
Patrick glanced at her, and she was startled by the excitement in his expression. “Interesting good, I think. Jerry was right that this beam needs attention, but he was thinking about replacing the entire support system. What if we didn’t have to do that?”
He moved around the basement with renewed energy, taking measurements, making sketches, occasionally asking Kathleen to hold both flashlights while he examined specific areas. Somehow, he made the issues with the foundation seem solvable.
Patrick climbed down from the ladder with a grin that transformed his entire face. “I have some very good news for you.”
Kathleen didn’t want to get her hopes up in case Patrick’s idea of good news still came with a large price tag. “I could use some good news, but please make it affordable.”
Patrick placed his clipboard on an old workbench. “Jerry’s not wrong about the problems, but his solution is like using a sledgehammer to hang a picture.” He showed Kathleen the sketch he’d made. “Instead of rebuilding this entire section, we could reinforce it with steel support columns and add strategic bracing. We’d still need to address the code violations, but we could do it for a fraction of the cost.”
Kathleen stared at his sketch, afraid to hope. “How much of a fraction?”
“The total cost could come to eight thousand dollars, including materials. And that’s being generous.”
Eight thousand instead of twenty-eight thousand. The difference felt like a miracle. “Are you sure? I mean, would it be as safe as Jerry’s solution?”
“It would be safer because we’d be working with the house’s original structure instead of fighting against it. Your house was built to last, Kathleen. The craftsmanship is solid—it just needs some strategic support and proper attention to the areas where shortcuts were taken.”
As they climbed the basement stairs back to the kitchen, Kathleen sighed. For the first time since Jerry’s phone call, her house felt like a dream that might actually come true.
“Patrick,” she said as they reached the kitchen, “I don’t know how to thank you.”
He turned to face her with a smile that took her breath away. “You don’t need to thank me. I enjoy a challenge, especially when your house deserves to be restored properly. And that brings me to my next suggestion.” Patrick leaned his ladder against the wall. “By the end of next week, I won’t need to be at the arts center as much as I have been. Because of that, I have enough time to fix your foundation before my next project begins. All you’ll need to do is pay for the materials and make me lunch each day. What do you think?”
Kathleen’s eyes widened. “I couldn’t ask you to?—”
