photo by Marcus Frazier

Thelma Hill lends a hand to one of the workers remodeling her home Wednesday afternoon.

Home built one piece at a time

By Adam Koob (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Monday, July 7, 2008

NATCHEZ — In the blistering sun Ray Turner and his stepfather examined a truckload of metal roofing to be installed on Turner’s mother’s house.

But nothing was wrong with the roof already covering Thelma Hill’s home — she just likes the sound of rain on a metal roof.

“It makes a wonderful sound,” she said. “I love it.”

When The Dart landed on Vaughn Street, near Hill’s house, her friends and family were busy remodeling her home.

Hill’s son Turner is a contractor and brought a handful of friends and family members to Hill’s house for a full-scale overhaul.

But Hill’s overhaul is a sort of a work in progress.

“I just pay as I go,” she said.

As Turner examined the roofing a team of workers worked on closing in the carport.

“It’s definitely a big project,” Turner said. “There’s a lot to do.”

For Hill, the project is essentially her way of building her dream house.

Before renovations began, Hill said she was living in a smaller trailer home on the same lot.

Originally, Hill wanted to build a new house but said it was too costly.

So now Hill is building the house she wants one project at a time.

Hill’s first step in her new home project was just that — a new home.

She ditched the old trailer and got a brand new one that’s much larger.

From there Hill started with a new porch, she then began work on the trim.

Her latest projects on the piece-by-piece dream house were the roof and the carport.

“Next we’re going to brick it,” she said.

Hill said one of her former students now does masonry work and will cover her house in brick.

Hill, 70, is a newly retired librarian from the Fayette area.

Hill said the completion of her house will coincide with her long-term retirement plans.

“When it’s all done I’ll be able to sit out on the porch and wait for the mailman,” she said.

And when the time is right, Hill and her husband plan to leave the house to their young adopted son.

Hill’s adopted son is another reason she has been putting so much work in the house.

“It’ll give him a good start in his life,” she said.