Wren Eagle Retreat was hand-built by a former chaplain at the Chillicothe Correctional Institute. He built it solidly (using steel foundation beams) and practically (doing much of the work himself). He sited the house to take advantage of winter sun and summer shade. The open deck faces 
south and the oaks and hickories that shade it in the summer also allow the winter sun to enter. The deck windows funnel breezes through the house while the heat exits from the louvered opening next to the loft door and from any open loft windows. The house is highly insulated and stays cooler or warmer when closed and using electric (non-renewable fossil fuel) air conditioning and oil or wood heat. The lower level was was finished very inexpensively, with most of the chaplain’s effort and funds poured into the upper level where you are staying. [Note: I am in the process of renovating the lower level to bring it up to current code and finish it. When finished it will have a bedroom, game room, kitchen and dining area, a full bath, and possibly a quiet reading or conversation area.]
The chaplin was compelled to leave Ohio and move south due to family problems. Expecting to return, he rented the house to a family of 4 adults and 2 children for 8 years. These renters took advantage of the absent landlord and failed to clean or maintain anything and destroyed some things (including the fireplace and chimneys).
I purchased and named Wren Eagle Retreat in May 2013 after going into contract in September 2012 and waiting while legal issues with the title were resolved. Since that time I, my husband, friends, and professionals have fixed electrical and plumbing problems, cleaned 
and painted the walls, opened clogged outdoor drainage, created new drainage, cleaned all the windows, walls, doors, floors, and bathroom fixtures, lubricated hardware, installed the kitchen faucet, garbage disposal, and dishwasher, replaced the wall oven, installed bathroom faucets, fixed toilets, secured the stair railings, added air conditioning, replaced all carpets and some doors, replaced thermostats, installed an efficient hot water heater, installed cable and wifi, purchased furniture and fixtures, linens, and kitchen items, stained the deck, had the fireplace relined and a wood stove insert put in, had a 2nd chimney for the furnace relined, and many other things. More recently we have converted ½ of an overly large walk-in closet into an ensuite bathroom. And there’s still more to do from fixing drywall to replacing doors and light fixtures. . . Every dollar gets put right back into making Wren Eagle Retreat into the place that the chaplain envisioned and which you can now enjoy.
