a bungalow Out West

A restoration prodigy restores a 1915 Arts & Crafts bungalow in Sheridan, Wyoming, and that leads to a successful career.

- By Brian D. Coleman / Photos by William Wright

Time had not been kind, however. The bungalow suffered from unfortunate “updates” and neglect. By the time Luke bought it, it had been uninhabited for several years and was slated to be part of a commercial development. Indeed, the house was an eyesore. Its cedar lap siding was baby-blue and riddled with rot (some of it patched over with rusty license plates). Ill-fitting aluminum storms obscured cracked and broken windows. In the backyard, weeds grew through shag carpeting laid as paths. Luke was not hurt when the ceiling of the sunporch caved in as he began work.

Inside, stair treads were broken and rails missing. A bathroom door and frame had been bashed in by renters with anger issues. Original lighting was long gone. Rooms had been sponge-painted in bizarre colors including purple, mauve, and Pepto-Bismol pink. Kitchen cabinets with Hello Kitty contact paper held rotting food and dead mice. The floor had buckled and the ceiling had collapsed from plumbing leaks.