“Time could not wreck the perfect symmetry of those walls, nor the site itself, a jewel in the hollow of a hand.”
-from Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier
My name is Rebecca, and I live in the Chicago suburbs. My family and I bought an American Foursquare built in 1913 that we are in the process of renovating. It needs a lot of TLC, and our current estimate is that it will take five to 10 years to finish it the way we want. Ten years until it becomes My Own Manderley. I’ll be tracking our progress on this blog as we go.
The blog title was inspired by the Gothic novel Rebecca, and the mansion Manderley that serves as its main setting. Sure, I don’t have a creepily devoted maid servant Mrs. Danvers (yet), and I certainly hope my home doesn’t meet the business end of a blazing fire. But still – things were pretty good until then, right?
I can’t believe how much you guys have accomplished in such a short amount of time! You and your Mom should have your own HGTV segment. Will you include exterior shots at some point?
Yes! We haven’t done much outside yet but we will post some befores.