Bestselling Christian author Ann Voskamp's family is grappling with a heartbreaking loss after her son's 152-year-old stone house in Ontario was destroyed by fire last week.
On March 11, after four years of hard work and renovations, Levi and Aurora Voskamp's house of dreams was consumed by fire.
"We dreamed of restoration and revival. And then slowly, over the next four years, we saw those dreams weaving into reality," said the couple in a post on Instagram.
Levi, an artist and craftsman, took it upon himself to learn everything possible to complete the project with little help.
"From electrical to plumbing, to framing, to refinishing floors, to routing trim, to insulating, to drywall. He passed inspections and went above and beyond to build something that was strong, warm, and a beautiful work of art."
The couple, who had only been married for 18 months, salvaged grainery boards and lined their basement walls. They saved an old clawfoot tub from the back of the house and salvaged the old flooring.
Family and friends also got on board with the project, helping the couple reroof the home to keep it dry.
Minutes before the fire, which started in the chimney, Levi was working on a second coat of mud on the main level and upstairs.
"I was slowly preparing and gathering pieces for when we moved upstairs and beginning to plan out paint colours and logistics for our little kitchen," said Aurora.
Due to the dilapidated condition of the back of their home, they were unable to get insured until renovations were complete.
"In the course of an hour, we watched, helpless, as stone walls full of history, thousands upon thousands of hours of labour, years of dreams, our life savings, a lifetime of paintings, journals, poems, books, wedding clothes, baby quilts, and camera gear were obliterated. From the table we'd crafted on our first date, to the cutlery we'd salvaged and scrubbed, the memories and the things attached to them burned to the ground.
"We find ourselves feeling as though, in a breath, the life we were building together was completely erased."
The family has since started a GoFundMe to help the couple rebuild their lives.
The Voskamp's are hoping to save some of the stones and begin their hard work and dreams again.