A Quiet Little Town Pt. 01

"I can do that, but I have a feeling that the reactions I get will be the same if I mention your name. I don't know how else to phrase this but your name seems to scare them. Exactly who are you?"

"Hank, this is a small town and some people have more than one job, myself included. When I'm not trying to sell houses I'm a member of the town's government and with my extensive background in real estate I was chosen to oversee building permits. I think you can understand the power that gives me."

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about at dinner?"

"No, it was to give you a warning. You have to cut off all contact with me or I can't guarantee your safety."

"I don't understand."

"I can't say more than that without putting both of our lives in danger. You'll just have to trust me. And be careful what you say to others. This is a small town and word travels fast."

"This is a lot bigger than building permits, isn't it?"

"Take care of yourself, Hank. Unless we accidentally meet on the street this will probably be the last time we talk to each other."

After Lisa ended the call, my thoughts drifted to the soap operas on TV. I thought things like this only happened on them, but I was being proven wrong. If I'd been a cop instead of a fireman I might have investigated what was actually going on but since I wasn't, I decided it was safer to just concentrate on the house.

I had only spoken to Lisa in general terms about my plans for the inside of the house so her list didn't include an architect. Before I could fix any wiring or plumbing issues I needed to arrange for some walls to be removed so the rooms would be larger. While watching some shows about people who flip houses I got some idea about what had to be done so I could at least talk a little intelligently about things like load-bearing walls. Unfortunately when I was given the deed to the house the blueprints weren't included. It took trips to the town hall, a local library and finally a historical society to get what I needed and even then, the blueprints were not as detailed as those we commonly see today.

I visited a few architects before I found one I was comfortable with. Some of the firms I visited concentrated on specific projects like office spaces or new developments. I eventually settled on a small firm just starting up. When I walked into the office a man in his twenties was moving boxes around.

"Sorry for the mess. I just got this office and I haven't got it organized yet."

"Are you Andrew Harris?"

"That's me. Have a seat and tell me what I can do for you."

"I have a project I need some help with. I own a Victorian home but I want to change the floor plan. The rooms are too small."

"So, were you thinking of expanding the house or knocking down a few walls?"

"I'd like to knock down a few walls to get a few bigger rooms."

"I've always dreamed of bringing one of those beautiful buildings into the modern era. You want the bathrooms and kitchen completely remodeled, right?"

"Exactly. I want a modern kitchen and two of the bedrooms to have en suite bathrooms, one with a walk-in shower and one with a clawfoot tub that reflects the character of the time."

"I love it. And how many bedrooms do you want?"

"I'd like four."

"Anything else?"

"Space for a washer and dryer. Oh, and for some reason the house doesn't have any closets. I definitely want closets."

"From what I've heard, in Victorian times, houses were taxed according to the number of rooms they had and a closet was considered a room so builders kept them to a minimum. The law is different now so I'll make sure my design has plenty of closets."

"Guess the government will try to tax just about anything."

"When can I come to see the house? I'm sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. You haven't even hired me yet."

"You can come any time next week. It should be thoroughly cleaned by then. I brought a copy of the original blueprints of the house although I'm not sure how much help they'll be. They're a little vague in places."

"The blueprints will give me a rough idea of what I have to work with. When I visit the house I can add any measurements necessary. I have to tell you that it might take a month after that to create a computer presentation on my laptop that will make my design easier to imagine. After you see it, you can either go with my ideas, ask for adjustments or look for another architect. If you agree with my ideas, creating the blueprints might take another few months. These things can't be rushed. Do you have a budget for your renovation?"

"I was thinking around $100,000 including new wiring and plumbing but your responsibility would only be the design. I plan on using local contractors."

"The fee for my visit to your home will be $500 and the computer presentation another $1000 with no obligation on your part to continue after that. Until I actually see your house I can't be sure but based on what you've told me, if I continue as your architect, I estimate my total fee will be between $5000 and $7000 depending on how many revisions to my original design you want. Are you okay with that?"

It only took a few minutes to sign a contract and write him a check before leaving him to start redesigning my new house. Things were moving along smoothly.

With the inside of the house cleaned and the landscaping completed, my next project was to have the exterior of the house repainted. There were two paint schemes popular when it was built. In my opinion, painting it in shades of blue and purple with white trim would make it stand out much too much in the neighborhood so I opted for more earthy tones with black shutters. I decided to call the house painters on the list with my decision the next day.

That night I was surprised by a knock on my door. I opened it to see Andrew with a worried look on his face.

"Andrew, come in. Is something wrong?"

"I can't stay. I just came to return your check. I can't take your job. I'm sorry."

With that, he handed me the check and walked away. I called to him but he just kept walking to his car. I don't know what happened since our meeting but I couldn't shake the feeling that Lisa was involved in some way.

So far, the list that Lisa had provided was proving to be a valuable resource of quality companies. Unfortunately, finding another architect wouldn't be as easy as just picking up the phone. Under other circumstances, I'd just call Lisa but she was very clear about never contacting her again.

The painters arrived the next day and, to my surprise, they came with another company I'd never thought about. Before the house was painted, the house would be power-washed. Chips of old paint flew everywhere as high-powered water cleaned off years of dirt and loose paint. When that was completed the painters took over. It was like watching a three-ring circus. There must have been ten ladders leaning against the house as workers patched the surface and removed the shutters before applying the new paint. The shutters would be painted separately and reattached later. I was so absorbed in all the activity that I didn't notice the black car until it stopped at the property.