Dudley, when you consider that power tools were almost non-existent in those days, it makes what your parents did even more amazing. My father was a carpenter up until the early '50s. I don't think he ever owned a Skilsaw or power drill. Everything was done with handsaws and a brace and bit. I was always fascinated with his planes when I was a kid.
Did your folks actually ever finish the house to their satisfaction?
Yes they did finish it though it took more years than they planned on. The only electric tool they had was a new Sears table saw which I still have. Everything else was done with hand tools. Recent photos are attached. It turned out to have 15 rooms and 4 1/2 baths plus the built-in garage and porches.
One of the hardest parts was designing it to use only the materials that they had from the house they tore down in the French Quarter in New Orleans without having to buy many additional items other than paint, sheetrock, etc. The first few years they only used the old nails which they straightened out.
Also, building with century-old rough cut 2x4s, 2x6s, 2x8s and 2x10s isn't the easiest thing to do. Can you imagine the labor in just tearing down those old bricks, moving them, cleaning them, and then rebuilding that 16" thick wall with them?
I am extremely proud of my parents who did so much with so little, surviving the depression and building the nicest home in the neighborhood that I could live in for years to come. Sadly, the neighborhood went downhill, and after living there for decades, I opted to buy a home with acreage in a rural area and sell the old homestead.
But the home I bought was as old and has as many stories as the one I left.
