Longtime Sesser resident Brian Eubanks called it "a labor of love" when he completed remodeled the small frame house that his family has called home for over a century.
Located on Sesser's east side, the house was where the 65-year-old retired carpenter was born. And as he was quick to note, "My mother before me was also born in the house."
It was built by his grandfather in 1904 on East Matthew Street
"I moved back into the house last year after working on it off and on for about five years," Eubanks said.
Eubanks said that after his mother died, the house sat empty for nearly a decade before he decided it should be saved.
"I was over here mowing the yard one day, and I thought that I had better do something with the house before it deteriorates beyond repair," he said.
Being a carpenter, Eubanks possessed the skill set to refurbish the old home himself.
"I started with the foundation first," he said. "That took awhile because I had to put a whole new foundation around the entire house."
After getting that done, he began working on the inside, but with some trepidation.
"I soon learned that the interior needed so much work that if I hadn't already invested so much time and money in it to that point, I would have never started on it," he said.
He ended up gutting the inside, replacing the century-old interior's sheet rock, floors, wiring, insulation, plumbing and kitchen cabinets.
The home is now finished and he lives there, although he admitted to being somewhat saddened that he's finished.
"As I wrapped things up, I'll tell you the truth: I kind of hated to get it done," he said. "It turned out to be a labor of love."
