Jun 29, 2009 11:42 am US/Eastern
Bestselling Author Rachel Simon Tackles Renovation
DELAWARE (CBS 3) ―
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Delaware author Rachel Simon, whose last book became a bestseller and a movie, has a new book on store shelves about an adventure many couples can relate to -- remodeling.
CBS
Delaware author Rachel Simon, whose last book became a bestseller and a movie, has a new book on store shelves about an adventure many couples can relate to -- remodeling.
When author Rachel Simon wrote Riding the Bus with My Sister, it turned into a bestseller and a movie with Hollywood stars.
After the success, she and her husband Hal Dean could have moved, but they wanted to stay in their Delaware neighborhood.
"It's a very community-minded neighborhood," said Rachel.
As an architect, Hal loved the old house's potential.
So they decided to renovate.
Rachel started taking notes, and the odyssey became her new book
-- Building a Home with My Husband.
Some of their stories are funny, like when Hal chose paint that reminded Rachel of a toad.
Rachel called it "the infamous green paint blowup."
"Mildew toad central!" said Hal.
"This was lavender, this was mildew toad. Ugh!" said Rachel.
They laugh now, but during renovation, that was a huge fight.
Rachel said, "I was crying and I thought, 'Oh no! Here we are, we've gotten along so well through the whole thing, we're near the end and, and it hit us too, the renovation dissention!'
It tore us apart, but it made me think, what really is commitment in a relationship?"
Renovation stress is nothing new to couples.
Hal said, "It's the most money that people are ever going to spend in their lives in many cases."
But as the walls came down and a new house began to emerge, Rachel was struck by how emotional she was -- and what about.
"For instance, when we did the demo and knocked down a bunch of walls, it triggered feelings of grief about my not having had children," said Rachel.
As their house was broken and put back together, it sparked memories of their marriage and of their lives.
"It ended up bringing us much closer together," said Rachel.
Now Rachel and Hal finally have their new "old" home.
The backyard has a rock wall they built themselves.
The kitchen was expanded. Two bedrooms were combined into a bright master suite.
All its meaning is chronicled in Rachel Simon's book.
"We did not just renovate our house, I feel," Rachel writes in the final chapter.
"When we are returning from our walk in the park or cooking in the kitchen or teasing each other in the hallway, we also made it into a place of tranquility where we can restore ourselves."
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