Sooke, B.C. couple turns tree trunk into 10-foot-tall 'Boot House'
Melvina is delving into her photo albums, recalling "so many memories" made in "so many houses" that she and her husband fixed-up.
"That’s kind of been our passion since we’ve been together," she says.
Over the past 40 years, Melvina and Lloyd have built or renovated 13 houses together.
"13 and a half, I think!" Lloyd says, nodding to their latest project on the front lawn.
Before we get to the new half-house, Melvina tells me about another property where they’d built an outhouse.
"The outdoor lock locked," Melvina recalls. "And I couldn’t get out!"
She tried unsuccessfully to kick the door open and the walls down, before resorting to hollering for help.
"Finally, my neighbour heard me and came over," Melvina smiles. "We had a pretty good laugh about that."
Melvina says a sense of humour is crucial when you’re living in a construction zone. So is a vision.
"My husband’s a little weary when I say I have an idea," she smiles. "Because that means more work for him."
Melvina dreams and Lloyd makes it a reality. It seems to make them a good team.
"We enjoy doing it," Lloyd says, before smiling. "Up to a point."
"If I suggest moving again, that’s were I’ll be living!" Melvina gestures to house number 13-and-a-half.
Melvina got the idea for their latest project in the midst of cutting down a dead tree in the front yard.
"I thought she was crazy!" Lloyd laughs, when his wife told him she thought the remaining trunk was shaped like a boot.
Lloyd changed his mind after working to realize Melvina’s vision. After he built three windows and a door to attach to it, their son installed a roof on top of it, and Melvina bought rope to lace-up the length of it.
The trunk was transformed into a 10-foot-tall boot treehouse right out of a fairy tale.
"It’s whimsical," Melvina smiles, before showing me the gnomes she’s placed on the boot’s front porch and the garden she’s planted around it. "We had a lot of fun with it."
Melvina says there’s nothing better than working together with her husband. Lloyd says he appreciates his wife’s drive to make things better for their sons and 15 grand- and great-grandchildren.
"Mel always tries to make a happy family for all us," Lloyd says meaningfully. "And she’s done a very good job."
Together they’ve turned 13-and-a-half houses into home sweet homes, with heart and "sole."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.