When the Walls Talk

We received an unexpected and meaningful gift this past holiday season that I hope will resonate with your experience of home.

A few days after Christmas, our family gathered in our St. Paul home to welcome someone who once called it hers.

The woman who lived in our house years ago reached out to see if she could visit, and of course I said Yes! I couldn’t wait to hear more about the home our family now loves — and how it had changed over time.

She came by on a Sunday morning, and together we walked through the house as she shared stories from her years here. As a Realtor, I already have a deep appreciation for homes — especially Old Homes. I’m always imagining the life that’s happened within their walls.

Our house was built in 1924 and is now about 2,000 square feet, with three bedrooms upstairs, a main floor, and a finished basement.

But before her family moved in, she let us know that things were very different.

Prior to 1989, a family of eight lived here — six kids and two adults — without a finished basement. The living room was once split in half, with part of it serving as an extra bedroom, and the total finished space was closer to 1,200 square feet.

There was also a back porch (which is no longer there) and a small garage out back. It definitely puts our occasional “lack of space” complaints into perspective.

Her family purchased the home in 1989, just as they were starting their own family.

One of their first projects was finishing the basement and adding a wood-burning stove — which proved especially helpful when their first baby came home from the hospital during a winter storm and they could stay safe down there with their newborn.

They lived in the home for 17 years, from 1989 to 2006, and raised their three kids here.

We heard that the house was full of neighborhood friends, laughter, and constant activity.

She laughed while telling us about installing new carpet, only to have a neighbor kid track mud all through the basement just weeks later. Kids will be kids!

We reminisced about the laundry chute — truly one of the home’s best features. All of our kids have loved sending toys down it, and while we don’t love finding them in the laundry, it always makes us laugh.

She explained how the main-floor bathroom once doubled as a hallway, with doors leading in multiple directions. The family after hers reconfigured the space into the large bathroom we have today. She also shared that the open staircase we fell in love with was once enclosed — a wall her family knocked down themselves with hammers.

Some things, though, have always remained.

The built-in dining room hutch has been there from the start - something we both love. Both of our families even placed a piano in the exact same spot in the living room.

She smiled when she saw the note her family left in the pantry years ago: “Goodbye wonderful house! We have loved you!!” Even the old double-oven gas stove — which finally gave out last year — was just as cherished by her family as it was by ours.

In the backyard, her family built the sandbox and playground back in the 1990s. Three families enjoyed them before we eventually took them down this year.

They also planted the beautiful birch tree that still stands tall today.

One of my favorite stories involved my daughter’s bedroom. Years ago, two closets were connected by a hidden access panel — something the mom didn’t discover for years.
So when she separated her kids for timeouts, they were secretly meeting up through the closets.

The family between ours later removed that closet and added a little bookshelf that my daughter now loves.

That same family added air conditioning, a retaining wall, a beautiful all-seasons porch, a built-in bookcase in the living room, and even built the tall A-frame garage — one of the features that first drew us to the house.

Each family left their mark — updates, memories, and so much care.

What a gift it was to hear the history of our home and meet one of the mothers who raised her children within these walls. I wish everyone could hear the stories their house holds. If walls could talk, they’d have so much to say.



This main floor bathroom used to be a hallway with 3 doors - one going in (as it is); one to the right - going into a bedroom (which is no longer there); and one going into a small bathroom



In the basement, there is a phone jack that is no longer in use. We loved seeing all of the old phone numbers that were written like sweet graffiti all over the walls - of course I kept this! Here is one of the numbers to the family’s favorite Italian restaurant they used to order take-out from. We also saw things like Dad’s cell # and Uncle/Aunt’s house phone :)