A Colorful Makeover

Owner transformed house that had fallen into disrepair

Brindy Fitzpatrick prides herself on finding a house few would want and making it desirable.

Before she bought her house at 2040 Ohio St., it was a heap of rotted wood, malformed gutters, trash and scurrying rodents.

Despite the mess, Fitzpatrick made an offer immediately on the 1957 house in central Lawrence.

“The porch was rotten, and a bunch of mice were living under it,” says Fitzpatrick, who works as a nurse. “I had to get the basement put on beams, and redo the plumbing out to the street. Everything was very expensive. … But the house had potential.”

Capitalizing on that potential took a lot of work: From February to May 2021, Fitzpatrick ripped up the porch, poured a cement foundation in its place and finished the drywall in the basement. Next she hauled abandoned junk and other trash from the premises. does from his home basement office. The house sits on a half acre lot, and a creek runs down its property line.

“That was such a big motivator for me to have a huge yard,” Lauren says. “All this overgrowth makes it feel very natural. The neighbors cut all that down, but we like it. It makes it feel so private. I guess I was looking for that magic of childhood — the ability to explore and feel free without really having to go far. The kids are down there (at the creek); they’re in yelling distance, but they feel like they’re alone.”

Back in 2006 when they still had children living with them, Linda and Pat Slimmer bought a plot of land at 1751 Learnard Ave., intending to build a typical family home. In 2008, they even drew plans for a two-story house; however, because of the volatile nature of the housing market, the timing was never right.

Eventually the Slimmers’ children grew up and moved out. By the time the Slimmers were ready to build, their vision of a home had altered completely: Instead of a standard two-story house, the couple now envisioned an age-in-place one-level home they could spend the duration of their lives in.

“It was a good thing we waited because our needs completely changed,” Pat says. “We talked to a lot of people our age, and an age-in-place house kept coming up. A lot of people think about it. It’s something we both wanted to do.”

According to research by the American Association of Retired Persons, 77% of adults 50 and older wish to stay in their homes throughout their lives. But without major alterations, most already-built homes and new construction are not accessible for older people with mobility limitations.