mothers of invention
by sandy mcCall

The following is an introduction to a new writer and a new column. Sandy McCall is a non-expert who has tackled numerous remodeling and repair projects around her home. Her expertise, if you will, is her willingness to imagine, take risks, and ask lots of questions.

In my 55 years, I have been blessed by so many things but I am especially grateful for all that I learned by watching my Dad create and recreate, sometimes from literally nothing, the spaces that we lived in or the areas we enjoyed. (Hi Dad.)

As an adult I have learned to appreciate all that he did, especially the camping gear he built for those primitive camping trips where I am guessing he had no more than $5 or $10 in his pocket when we set out for a wilderness area in northern California or the Great Salt 'n’ Sea. One of my favorites was the shower made from a gallon tin can filled with hot water and hung from a tree with twine, adjustable according to the user’s height, of course. The soap dangled on a string just below the tin can. Dad placed nice flat stones at the base of the tree for us to stand on. Mom’s job was to hold a large beach towel around us for privacy, and then it was shower time. The trick was to pull the cork out of the bottom of the can quickly enough to wet yourself down slightly and get the cork back in the hole before too much water was lost, soap up slightly and wash. The last step, assuming you didn’t run out of water, was to remove the cork again for the final rinse. Of course you could ask for more hot water if a gallon wasn’t enough, but depending on how many were taking showers, you might wait for some time for the water to bubble in that beat up aluminum pot on the wood campfire. We learned to take one-gallon showers and be thankful for them. Sometimes there was a stream close by with water that I am sure wasn’t more than 50 degrees or the salty lake . . . Gallon showers for me thanks.

My Dad was a great problem solver and in my mind a great artist as well. He could envision ways to solve almost anything and delighted in what he discovered along the way. I feel blessed to have acquired some of his skills, or at least the guts to try, and also to know the feeling of delight that follows when a job has been well done and/or I at least had fun trying.

I don’t consider myself an expert at any of the adventures I create around my house, because they are adventures and discovery is the key.

Generally I feel quite satisfied with the end result and knowing that at least I tried. I spent many years as a single mom and even when I was married, I was still a single mom most of the time. At one point in my married life, I was a foster parent of many children, in addition to my own two daughters and my four stepchildren and then there were the five horses, dogs, chickens, turkeys and goats. It was a good time in my life to experiment with creative thinking around the house, don’t you think?

I have never considered myself an artist until recently. I wondered how I could see myself as an artist when my projects didn’t include sculpting, painting, drawing and the like. Perhaps it is just the love of creativity and adventure, being inspired and driven by that indescribable force to create. I continue to feel that stirring in my belly—so maybe I'll add artist to my resume.

My projects around my home are driven by that same force to create, but end up looking different than most artists’ work. Sometimes it is just the feeling created in my house and heart by relocating the sentimental stuff (for a moment I get to remember special people in my life too!) that has been tucked away in the storage shed or in the back of a closet for far too long . . . the perfect balance of light, warmth and color that appears when I move a lamp to a place it has never lived . . . a newly painted faux finish on a wall or piece of furniture that changes the energy in a room. I felt pretty good when I was brave enough to smash wadded up plastic grocery bags on my newly painted wall to discover my new favorite faux finish. What was the worst thing that could happen? I would repaint the practice wall, no big deal.

Many people have asked me where my ideas come from and I have to answer that they come from the space itself. It seems to be about freeing myself to dream a bit. A major project began with a dream in my den and bathroom…what it really needed was light and warmth. So I imagined, as if anything were possible, what could be done to change things from cold and dark to light, bright and warm. The rooms definitely needed more heat and at least the illusion of light. There were no limits to my mind’s exploration . . . it’s free. In the den I could make a large closet smaller and add a doorway so that the heat from wood stove would have a circular path from the living area through the den and kitchen and back into the living room. (The bathroom remodel has been great and I'll share that experience with you another time.)

For several weeks I pondered what it might take to achieve light, bright and warm in the den.  I studied the construction in the closet walls, the doors and trim until I guessed that it wouldn’t take too much to remove the sheet rock and studs and a small piece of carpeting where the closet used to be to create a new doorway. But would the doorway and closet be big enough? I measured the other doorways in the house and found that some were smaller and some larger but all about 30 to 32 inches wide. This could work, I thought.  

I had heard lots of people talk about supporting walls and I wasn’t sure if this was one or not. I knew it would change everything if it were a supporting wall. Then I would have to find another way to recreate this room. So I called one of my neighbors who is a contractor and asked him to help me. He confirmed that it was not a supporting wall, so I was good to go. I have found that neighbors and friends are great resources for info and sometimes help, although some needed to get past their fear that I couldn't do what had traditionally been a man’s job. I have spent hours and hours at the local home improvement stores picking the brains of many unsuspecting men and women who sometimes talked to me like I was in kindergarten until they discovered that I might have the guts to make this possible…always fun to surprise them!

Well, the project was a go… well, maybe not entirely. I could only commit to cutting out the first piece of sheet rock and looking inside the wall. Would I be brave enough to take the next step…time would tell.  Of course if I took the chance, it would mean rebuilding one side of the closet and cutting and moving the closet pole, and oh yeah, I would need new doors and trim work, and…but I knew I couldn’t get ahead of myself or fear might overtake me. After several days of staring at the walls (literally), measuring and looking up answers in the Handy Woman's book, I decided to take the plunge.

What would be the worst thing that could happen if I cut a hole in the sheet rock, looked down inside and saw something I hadn’t anticipated, or just plain chickened out? Well, I guessed that it would just simply mean that I would have to replace that piece of sheet rock, repaint the wall and trash the idea. At the very worst, I would have a new textured wall, since I already knew that sheet rocking was not my area of expertise. I’ve found an easy way to texture walls that covers imperfections and it looks great. I’ll tell you later.

The day arrived when I’d done all the preparation I could. I took the challenge, cut the hole in the wall, peered in and saw absolutely nothing that told me whether to proceed or not. Now it was either patch up the hole and forget it, or take the whole darn sheet rock wall down and take my chances. Okay, what is the worst thing that can happen here??? I would have to replace a large piece of sheet rock instead of a small one. I can do that!

Taking out that one 30 inch piece of wall was challenging and I learned the importance of having the right tools and improvising when I didn’t. Some of my demolition jobs have been completed with a hammer and screwdriver, although the right tools sure make a difference. I have found that simply explaining what I am trying to do to one of those unsuspecting home improvement store employees has helped me to discover many $5-10 tools that I didn’t know existed.

I successfully removed the sheet rock, studs, and top and bottom 2x4’s only to find that the wiring for the porch light ran up the wall. I was very careful when removing the sheet rock because I didn’t know what was behind it. I have studied the placement of the wiring enough now to guess what has to be done next and it won't be a difficult job for an electrician, unless I decide that taking a wiring course at a local college is the next task at hand.

Oh yes, what used to be cold north rooms just love their new doorway. As I sat in the den that first evening admiring the light that now shone through from the living room, I noticed a feeling like wind blowing through the room. The air was actually discovering a path through the new doorway. I imagined wind fairies dancing joyfully around the new circle created by me!!!

Since that daring sheet rock demolition, I have reframed the doorways, rebuilt the closet wall and door out of tongue and groove lumber, and almost finished the trim work. I decided to use lightly stained pine trim made from 1x4’s to carry on the idea of light and bright in my somewhat dark log home. And of course the project doesn’t end there. I am re-trimming the rest of the room and making doors with the same light pine.

The list of projects that I have been working at goes on and on and I’ll share some of them with you in the months to follow . . .in the meantime, you can be imagining purple, green and smoky grey stained glass in my kitchen cabinets that only cost $125 cut to fit; or a small glass block wall to create a reflection of light . . . it was a challenge to build, but now I’ve got it, I think; or maybe a crackle faux finish on an old piece of furniture; or simply new hardware on furniture or cabinets (The Natural Home Store is the best resource for hardware and much more); or a water fountain made from a whiskey barrel or a large old bowl. My latest has been creating hanging light fixtures over my kitchen sink . . . the fun goes on and on!!!

I have been working on the den project and the adjoining bathroom for some time now, enjoying almost every minute of it. I seem to lose myself in the challenge and excitement of it all. Someone asked me recently what I would do when all of the projects were complete? The answer is, I will never be finished, because I will continue to create more to do. I love it. Over the past two years I have graduated from hand tools to a cordless power drill—hand saws to jig, circular and table saws and I recently bought a router table that I am almost brave enough to take out of the box and set up.

The idea that I want to get across by writing this column is that I am not an expert at any of this, but I believe I have created nice looking, quality changes to my home without spending a lot of money, with very little help and with lots of joy. Do you have a project, small or large, that you have longed to start in your home but figured you didn't have what it takes to complete the job? Well, I bet you do have what it takes . . . can I help?

E-mail or write to me at one of the addresses below. Please give me as much detail as you can so that I can visualize the project you are wanting to tackle and I will do my best to give you my non-expert opinion on what you might do next. Remember to include your phone number so that I can call with questions if necessary. If you E-mail or mail pictures to me, all the better . . . I am a very visual person. Any question will do. And you never know, if you stump me, perhaps I can visit your house and brainstorm with you. E-mail me at sandy@wnc-woman.com or mail questions and pictures to Sandy McCall, P.O. Box 1332, Mars Hill, NC 28754 and I will share my ideas with you and other readers in a month to follow.

Sandy McCall is a real estate broker with Appalachian Realty Associates and enjoys the mountain life in a recreated log cabin near the Appalachian Trail with her four-legged and finned kids, Cooper, Moondoggie, Zipper, Rosemary and Salena. She is also the mother of three human daughters, Kerri, Kelly and Nancy, grandmother to many and a former foster parent.