The Smith house in Pell City was severely damaged on April 27.

At an early age, Scotty Walters learned the value of working with his hands.  

Working alongside his father and brother at a landscaping and excavating company, a family owned business, Walters started down a path that brought him to where he is today, restoring a historic home in Pell City, known as the old Smith house.

The 1898 structure was damaged by the storms that struck Alabama in April when large oak trees fell across the top of the house.  According to Walters, the Pell City council wanted to condemn the home because it was too old and the extensive damage made it almost impossible to repair.  

“Everyone said it couldn’t be done, but I wanted to try and restore the house anyway,” Walters said.

He enjoys driving through neighborhoods, looking at homes, and when he drove by the old Smith house, he knew the project would be worth the investment.  “I knew restoring the house would take a lot of work, but that didn’t bother me.”

With the help of his friend Matthew Jackson, Walters purchased the house and began the process of restoration.

“Before starting on the house, I had to clean it up by hand because there was so much debris from the storms,” Walters said. He removed three dump truck loads of debris from the inside of the house, digging through layers of sheet rock and plaster.  Walters spent more than 60 hours cleaning up the house in his spare time between classes.

Now in the process of rebuilding the house, Walters is placing antique pieces in the home to recreate the early 20th century structure.  Unique to the home are vintage fireplaces in the living room and upstairs master suite.  The hall bath contains a tub built in the 1940s..  A number of doorways in the house still contain the original moldings around the frames.

“I want the house to have as much character as possible,” Walters said.   “This gives me a chance to work with my hands, doing what I love.”

Over the years , he has had numerous opportunities to develop his skills, helping his dad excavate residential land in Liberty Park..   When the economy took a hit in 2008, there was not enough work to go around, so Walters started doing volunteer work.  He offered his services and expertise in building and construction to others.

“I learned how to build by watching my dad and working with him.  My dad and my granddad taught me the value of working hard.  They instilled a good work ethic in me.”

Walters plans to sell the house when he is finished and hopes to continue working on building projects in the future.

“It’s nice to see what I’ve built with my own hands.”