Do-it-yourself 'hero' Ron Tanner to speak at Writers Colony

Tanner is the guy who bought a wrecked Baltimore Victorian a decade ago because his girlfriend fell in love with the place. Never mind that it was condemned property. And a former frat house. Ron's realtor said, "Don't do it. This place will eat you alive!"

The crumbling Victorian brownstone was so trashed -- full of garbage and frat-boy furniture (including a walk-in closet full of term papers) -- nobody would buy it. The bank was selling it "as is." But Jill, Ron's girlfriend, really wanted the house. And Ron really wanted Jill. So he bought the place.

That was the beginning of their adventure, which everyone said would surely ruin them. "I cried when I first saw that house," Ron's mother says.

Neither Ron nor Jill knew anything about fixing houses. And they had been dating for only a few months. Ron has written a book about it: From Animal House to Our House: a Love Story. And now he is touring the country with a breathtaking slide show that takes viewers through the harrowing and hilarious times that he and Jill experienced.

Not to worry: everything turned out fabulous. Jill and Ron got married in the house. Then, in 2008, This Old House magazine featured their work. Now Ron is a licensed house inspector and he and Jill run a website about old house renovation, called Houselove.org. If you like love stories, old houses, DIY, and mission impossible tales with inspirational endings, you won't want to miss From Animal House to Our House at The Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow at 2:00pm on June 17th.