Continued from page 103
“You know, I figured I just needed
to replace the north-side gutters, but
once we started tearing it apart, all
the fascia on the front, on the side,
on the top — it was just all done,
rotted,” he said. “So we just tore it
all out. Tear it all out — let’s get rid
of all of the rot on the house!” Porch
steps included.
They took it all in stride. “We’d
done this kind of work before,” Kevin
said, “and we knew from working
on that house that if you start with
a $100,000 budget, expect to spend
$200,000. So we started with our
budget here, and then just quickly
realized we were going to double it.”
Two and a half months later they had
a lovely and lovingly restored historic
house, one that had had some work
done by others over the years, but
that truly came to shine through their
efforts. Some corrective measures and
refining finishing touches can make a
world of difference.
One of their favorite aspects of
the house is the wonderfully evocative
wraparound porch that brings
to mind slower times, pre-Facebook
times when people actually sat
around on porches chatting up the
neighbors, hearing all the neighborhood
news and gossip.
“We have been pleasantly
surprised about how much we use
the front porch,” Kevin said. “The
front and side porch. And we have
plans on enclosing, screening the
side porch. So we redid some rockers
and some things and put them out
on the front porch.” And the 13-foot
ceilings — he loves those, as well.
Headspace!
Restoration projects are not for
everyone — some can’t handle the
variables, the surprises, the “money
pit” aspect of financing the resurrection.
Kevin seemed pretty cool-headed.
But … would he do it again?
“The right house, yes,” he
replied. “I don’t think I’d like to
do a full remodel. I don’t think I’d
have bought it after the fire like Mr.
Munson did. I wouldn’t do that. But
if you can see the character of a
house and it has some originality to
it, and it has good bones, yes, I’d do
it again.”
Does he think he will?
“You know, we are looking for
a place in the mountains of North
Carolina, maybe to get out of the heat
a little bit during the summers — you
know as we get older the heat isn’t
as friendly to us,” Kevin said. “I’ve
actually been looking at a few houses
built in the 1800s or early 1900s that
need some TLC that you can buy
right and, you know, save the history
of the house. So we’re looking into it.
Not sure that’s what we’re going to
do, may end up renting the first year
or two to see how we like the area.”
But Weatherford is home. Right?
“I don’t have any plans on
moving,” Kevin answered, “but if my
kids move or my grandkids move —
it’s always family first, and family
wins over any house, any day.”
Now in their late 50s, the
Garmans own Greater Texas Wealth
and Risk Management, and enjoy the
freedom of working when and with
whom they wish. They are relishing
their time in their relatively new old
home, and in their own words, they
are “continuing the story of the Fant
House, while honoring its legacy as a
Weatherford heritage home.”
Surely the charming house at 316
S. Lamar sitting pretty behind its new
white picket fence will be a soothing
sight for passersby for years to come.
Baum – Carlock – Bumgardner
FUNERAL HOME
JUNE 2020 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
Families serving families for over 120 years • Locally owned & operated
302 West Hubbard Street, Mineral Wells, Texas • www.bcbfuneralhome.com
940-325-4422
108