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High-flying executive says she's happier than ever after quitting the rat race to spend her days renovating quaint historic homes in Maine
A top executive has said she's 'never been happier' since quitting her high-powered career and deciding to renovate quaint small homes for a living.
After climbing the corporate ladder, Laurel LaBauve is now more likely to be found scaling a stepladder as she restores quaint historic homes in Maine.
The former vice president has swapped PowerPoints for power tools, and has no regrets, saying 'I absolutely love what I do.'
'It's incredibly stressful and a lot of hard work, but seeing the transformation of these homes and how happy they make the new homeowner makes it all worthwhile,' she told the Boston Globe. 'I hope I never have to retire.'
LaBauve, owner of SoPo Cottage, has transformed an impressive 21 properties in the picturesque Willard Beach area of South Portland, Maine.
Top executive, Laurel LaBauve, has said she's 'never been happier' since quitting her high-powered career and deciding to renovate quaint small homes for a living
After climbing the corporate ladder, she's now more likely to be found scaling a stepladder as she restores quaint historic homes in Maine
LaBauve, owner of SoPo Cottage, has transformed an impressive 21 properties in the picturesque Willard Beach area of South Portland , Maine
Before taking on the new career, she was a Vice President at pharmaceutical manufacturing company Merck for five years, after years working as the corporate Vice President of Worldwide Operations for IDEXX Laboratories.
She followed her passion of creating new life into modest-sized early to mid-20th century single-family homes.'I wanted to do something creative, and I have always loved old houses,' LaBauve said.
'In the early 1980s, we lived in a 1790s house in Maryland and, in New Jersey, in a 1918 Arts and Crafts house. We lived in a new house only once, in Phoenix. I didn't like it; it lacked soul.'
'I have no favorites,' LaBauve said. 'I fall in love with each one.'
But she doesn't like to call it 'house flipping,' as she insists her focus is on 'high-quality renovations' that make each house 'as wonderful as possible.'
'Technically, you could say I am 'flipping' houses, but I hate that term,' she said. 'It denotes cheap, cosmetic updates and doing a fast, superficial job so that you can make as much money as possible.
'For me, the focus is on high-quality renovations where I try to make it as wonderful a house as possible,' she told the outlet.
She followed her passion of creating new life into modest-sized early to mid-20th century single-family homes
But she doesn't like to call it 'house flipping,' as she insists her focus is on 'high-quality renovations' that make each house 'as wonderful as possible'
After three decades in the corporate world, LaBauve took the leap in 2011 and quit her job
Now a sledgehammer has become her best friend
After three decades in the corporate world, LaBauve took the leap in 2011 and quit her job.
It was 'kind of terrifying,' she admitted.
'I was working as a corporate vice president in operations and productivity, and my husband, Richard, and I moved all over.
'Before we moved to Maine, we lived, among other places, in New Jersey, Arizona, New Orleans, and we bought eight different houses. We tore down walls, installed sinks and cabinets, laid tile. I realized that I enjoyed that work more than my day job.'
Now a sledgehammer has become her best friend.
'When I look for my next project, I don't want a house that's too nice,' she said. 'I would rather buy a house that needs everything.'
'When I look for my next project, I don't want a house that's too nice,' she said. 'I would rather buy a house that needs everything'
She often rips down walls, using steel beams to create structural integrity and to open up the interiors
'The biggest design problem is always the kitchen,' she said
'The biggest design problem is always the kitchen. Today, we want big kitchens, but most of these houses measure around 1,500 square feet.
'I take down a lot of walls, using steel beams to create structural integrity and to open up the interiors. My husband jokes that I've never seen a wall that I did not want to take down.
'I love to see, as we open it up, how a house is going to look. I like to create a house that still has its historic character but that functions the way we want today.'
'I do whatever is needed, and do all the finishing. I especially enjoy laying tile; I try to do all the tile work.'