Monday’s at the Old School Series What Possessed You to Buy an Old School?

What we bought

Monday’s at the Old School Series

I know a lot of people have asked us that question—some out of genuine curiosity and some, I’m pretty sure, because they think we’re a little crazy. 😊

And if I’m being fair, there have been moments when I’ve questioned our sanity myself.

So, how exactly does someone end up buying an old school?

Let’s go back to the beginning.

My daughter and son-in-law were living in the country with their four children, and my husband and I had decided we wanted to leave the city and move closer to them.

Simple enough, right?

Except we looked for a house for almost two years.

Nothing.

At least, nothing that felt like a place where we could really see ourselves living.

Then one day, completely out of the blue, my son-in-law asked, “Do you want to go look at that old school that’s for sale?”

As a Realtor, it was easy enough for me to arrange a viewing.

The funny thing was, I knew exactly which school he meant. I had already noticed it—but for a completely different reason.

At one point, I had imagined turning it into a community for seniors who weren’t ready for assisted living but didn’t necessarily want to live alone either. A place where people could have their own space while still having community around them.

But buying it for us?

That hadn’t really crossed my mind.

The school was about an hour from the city, so one beautiful fall day in September 2023, off we went.

My husband wasn’t available that day, which, looking back, may have been rather convenient. 😂

Instead, I brought my mom. My daughter and son-in-law came with their family, along with another family who was interested in the idea.

We walked through the old school, and almost immediately I could see my son-in-law’s mind spinning with possibilities.

Where most people might have seen old classrooms, hallways and a building that needed an enormous amount of work, he was already imagining what it could become.

The school hallway with classrooms coming off the hallway

Staff Room

Computer Room with lovely orange cabinets :)

And before long, the rest of us were seeing it too.

A home.

Actually… several homes.

A place where our families could live close to one another while still having our own spaces.

A garden.

Room for the kids to run.

A community.

By the time we finished walking through the school, our imaginations were running wild.

The other couple with us loved the idea too, but they weren’t completely convinced.

As we were getting ready to leave, she jokingly announced:

“Okay. I’m in if I walk out of here and find a four-leaf clover.”

My daughter laughed.

What were the chances of that?

She walked outside.

Looked down.

And there it was.

A four-leaf clover.

We all just stared at each other.

Well then. 😂

It didn’t quite seal the deal—but I’d say it came pretty close.

Suddenly, this crazy idea didn’t seem quite so crazy.

There was still one fairly important person who hadn’t even seen the place yet, though.

My husband.

Now I just had to convince him that buying an old school, renovating it into homes and creating our own little community was a perfectly reasonable idea.

Thankfully, it wasn’t as difficult as you might think.

We had just come through the years of lockdowns and all the separation and uncertainty that came with COVID. One thing had become very clear to us: we didn’t want to live disconnected from the people we loved.

The idea of creating a place where family and friends could live near one another—sharing life while still having their own homes—started to make a lot of sense.

At least to us.

And so, the adventure began.

What we didn't fully understand yet was that we weren't simply buying an old building.

The school had been built in 1978 and, for decades, had been the heart of this little community. When it closed in 2016, it wasn't just a building closing its doors. People had memories there. Their children had gone to school there. Some had gone there themselves.

And now a group of strangers from the city had arrived with some rather unusual plans for it.

Looking back, I can understand why people might have wondered:

Who are these people—and what on earth are they doing to our school?

That part of the story deserves a post of its own.

To be continued next Monday…