In the six years she and husband Brad have owned the tiny cottage at 1080 Willow Glen Way, Janice has not once set foot down the cement stairs into the dark abyss. The basement isn't his favorite place either, Brad admits, but once in a while it's a painful necessity. So on a recent Monday night, cloaked in protective spider gear, i.e. Birkenstocks and a flashlight, Brad makes his descent. The center floor joists have been cut in half to lodge a heating vent in the floor. Wood planks hold up the joists, making them level with the rest of the house.
Water damage eats away at most of the visible floorboards.
The basement is a constant reminder to the Halls that underneath the sheet metal and carpet in the rest of the house, and the fresh paint disguising cracked and peeling walls, their 1920's-era home is rapidly deteriorating. The decay is also a reminder of the Halls' yearlong struggle with the city to tear the house down and build a new one in its place. But that was part of their plan. The criteria was the worst house on the best street that we could afford. And we found it.