Read the BLOG Elevated Simplicity JOURNAL Curated Home SHOP

My House Has a Name

January 19, 2020

Rather than constantly referring to my house as "the fixer upper," I wanted to give it a meaningful name and I think I came up with the perfect one.


MACTAVISH HOUSE   |   January 19, 2020






I don't know if it is important in everyday life to name your house, but I feel like as a blogger renovating one for the world to follow along with it is a little more necessary. Constantly referring to it as the fixer upper gets a little old, and eventually it's not going to be a fixer upper anymore.  Goals, right?


For the longest time, I played with different ideas of what the "perfect" name would be for this little abode.  Much like with how I named my blog, I wanted the name of the house to have meaning and withstand the test of time and trends.


Last summer the ideal name came to me, but the timing never felt right to share it since things were so all over the place with the renovations (or lack thereof).  But now as things are finally headed in the right direction, it seems appropriate to move from always referring to my place as the fixer upper and give it the name it deserves in honor of my grandfather - MacTavish House.






This home was literally my grandpa's dream fulfilled.  It may not have been fancy or expensive or in the perfect location, but he always had the dream to own a house and later in life he was finally able to see it happen. He worked with what was here to make this house a home for my grandma (and my mom before she married my dad).


He had a garden in the backyard that he tended to and grew tomatoes like a pro. The back porch became the place he loved to sit after my dad put the roof on and enclosed the side for him. And he invited family in to gather together with a meal and most likely laughs.


Although his name was John, he somehow got the nickname Mac thanks to his Scottish/Irish heritage while serving in the army. And then my dad jokingly referring to him as MacTavish one day while they were working on a project together and the name kind of stuck between them. So I guess the name is a little remembrance of them both.






I don't know that there could be any other name more fitting for an ordinary 1900 coal mining company home, than the nickname of the hardworking coal miner who loved this house so much. I like to think that he looks down on me as I work (or struggle!) to fix this place up with a smile on his face. He passed away when I was three so I never really got a chance to know my grandpa, but I feel a little bit closer to him as I bring a little bit of life back into this house.


Get the Anderson + Grant Newsletter

Sign up to receive updates from the blog and subscriber-only extras to guide you on the journey of making your house a home.
Pinterest| Facebook| Instagram
anderson+grant
Learning to Make a Home
anderson+grant is a lifestyle blog dedicated to helping you to create a slower, simpler home with contemporary style.

Info

Contact

Our Story

About Jamie

FAQ

Quick Links

Blog

Journal

Shop

Subscribe